The snow is falling in O’Fallon MO, Dave, Lauren, and I are hunkered down with plenty of bread and milk. On days like this, I always long for warmer, brighter days ahead. It has been a whirlwind since we launched MDQ in October. Book sales have been incredible and have remained steady each week. We are beyond humbled that our story has resonated with so many people. It is a great reminder for Dave and I to take a step back and reflect on what a gift we have in Lauren. Things aren’t always easy and social media only gives a snapshot of the good days; the book tells the whole story. I was pretty nervous to put my inner thoughts and feelings out into the world, for almost 9 years we shared our victories on social media. The book tells the whole story, it is raw and real and doesn’t hold back, it’s also kind of funny…
Back in October, Lauren told several people through text that her dad got his leg amputated. The aphasia translation is a “knee replacement”. I received several panicked calls and texts from people who received the amputation messages. Aphasia can be funny.
Lauren still thrives with a full calendar, when she is not out sharing her story in the community, she has speech therapy 2 days a week and works out with her friend and trainer Jaime 2 days and works out at Disabled Athletes Sports Association (DASA’s) ability gym one day a week. She also participates in Swimming and Rock Climbing through (DASA). Lauren is never afraid to try new things, she can still swim but hasn’t had a formal lesson since she was 4 years old. Look out Michael Phelps!
Hiking is another new activity we started (To prepare for Hawaii in May). We had a bit of a rough start on our first hike. Lauren took a tumble (not uncommon), and we quickly learned not to hike in her Michael Kors coat. The last 15 minutes of our hike was during a light sprinkle in the dark. We now have hiking poles to help with balance and never hike after 3:30 in case our trail guide (Dave) gives us bad information and the trail is 5 miles instead of 3. As soon as this snow melts, we will be back at it!
In Maui, along with hiking with the family Lauren will do adapting surfing and adaptive kayaking with an organization called Wheel the World. There are wonderful organizations all over the country just like DASA that do wonderful things for people with disabilities. Many of these organizations are just a Google search away and are always a factor for us in choosing a vacation spot. Check out their video promo below. Who knows where the next adventure will lead us?
Lauren and I have a very busy speaking schedule this Spring, we have several dates still available in Feb and March, April is almost full. Please pass our info along to anyone who you think might be interested in hearing Lauren’s story.
As always, thanks for the continued love and support!
Colleen
