A Lost Year (2005)

After a couple real hikes in 2004, I thought 2005 would be our year to get out and explore new adventures. I was wrong, very wrong!

The year started out with a surgery to remove the hardware from Kellisa hips. The six week recovery period was as brutal as the original surgery. Thankfully, The Wiggles were there to help Kellisa through another difficult six weeks.

We attended a Wiggles concert when they played a show in Jacksonville. Kellisa had the time of her life. During the encore, I carried Kellisa towards the stage where she caught the eye of her favorite Wiggle, Murray. She blew him a kiss and he returned the kiss. 

Our entire summer was spent in doctor's offices, emergency rooms, and hospital rooms as Kellisa spent months fighting high fevers again. Just like 2003, the doctors couldn’t find a cause and every scan came back with a good looking shunt. Kellisa’s new Jacksonville neurosurgeon even tapped the shunt early in the process and ruled out any possibility of a shunt infection. The doctors tested for everything, including HIV/AIDS. After several months, the fevers went away as suddenly as they appeared without explanation.  

Kellisa started kindergarten in August. This was our third year at the school and it was time to start fighting for Kellisa and what she needed. The school wanted to spend as little money as possible on educating Kellisa. We wanted what was fair. We wanted her to talk while the school administrators were content with her pointing.

The year ended with shunt surgeries in October, November, and December. Kellisa attended The Nutcracker with Lisa in between the November and December surgeries.

The neurosurgeon had to move the shunt placement during the last surgery. This required Kellisa’s entire head to be shaved. I was thankful for a successful surgery, but devastated at the loss of Kellisa’s beautiful hair. 

We Are Hikers! (2004)

Finding Adventure (2006)

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