Post from Megan 9/12

Friends and Family-

This is Kaitlin’s sister, Megan! First of all I wanted to say thank you to Carolyn and David for starting and keeping up the blog. Like my mom said in her post yesterday, the blog has been such an excellent way to keep all of the people who know and love my sister informed about her health and life changes. 

I also wanted to say another huge thank you to this community for functioning like a body taking care of one of its parts. It has truly been amazing to witness.Thank you for supporting my sister and my family- we cannot tell you how grateful we are. 

Update on Kaitlin’s health: She is all moved into Craig and adjusting to the new landscape! Today was tiring: lots of scans and x-rays to check for blood clots and other potential complications. That being said, she is still on an upward trajectory in terms of her healing. Her pain is still present, but getting better daily. Tomorrow she gets her lungs drained again, so hopefully her breathing will continue to improve. For the next few days the doctors/nurses will be gathering data to set goals for her rehab. We all know how hard of a worker Kaitlin is, and I think it’s going to be nice for her to have specific ladders to climb. 

Tonight as I was sitting on her bed with her we talked a bit about both of our thoughts on her paralysis. The interesting facet of spinal cord injuries is that she might gain feeling back with time... and she also might not. The degree of sensation that she gains back (if any) can also vary immensely. Regardless, in Kaitlin’s words, “This is a really big thing. This sort of thing doesn’t happen on accident.” She said she is going to keep a positive outlook no matter what the outcome of the injury ends up to be. We talked about what an interesting perspective these first few weeks have afforded her in terms of things like mobility, freedom, and health- things I know I personally take for granted. 

That being said, my sister is on a long road of healing. She needs rest, support, and continued thoughts/prayers in order to actualize the larger picture behind this injury.  

I’ve been thinking a lot about how I know Kaitlin’s legs better than anyone else’s in the world other than my own. I’ve walked, ran, skied, rollerbladed, swam, hiked, and biked next to them for 22 years. I’ve cried on them. I’ve slept next to them and sat on them. I’ve (probably) kicked and punched them. I’ve tickled them. I’ve borrowed the jeans, skirts and dresses that covered them. I have loved them and even envied them. 

This incident is shocking and disorienting, but I have a sense of peace surrounding the future. I know Kaitlin, John, and both of our families do as well. 

I grew up with Kaitlin’s legs, but I also grew up with her heart and her brain. I grew up with her words and expressions and strengths. My sister is a collision of innocence and power. She is a fighter. I look at her and can’t help but believe that this injury is going to spread her gifts and sweetness further in the world than two legs ever could. 

Keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she transitions to rehabilitation at Craig! 

Thank you all again.

Love,

Megan