
Both
of Kellisa’s hips had become dislocated. Her hip bones needed to be cut and put
back in place with screws and plates. Even with pain medications, Kellisa was
in almost constant pain as she spent most of the six week recovery period lying
on a mattress in the middle of our living room watching The Wiggles while
moaning in pain and discomfort. There was little we could do for her, except be
there to hold her hand, stroke her head, and change The Wiggles videos every 45 minutes.
Kellisa
needed a rental wheelchair because she couldn’t bend her knees with the full
leg braces she had to wear. This wheelchair had wheels that Kellisa could use
to propel herself. This was the first time Kellisa had the opportunity to wheel
herself and she took full advantage. She was too small to reach both wheels at
the same time, but she quickly figured out how to roll a little with one hand
and then lean to the other side to wheel with the other hand so she could go straight.
It was beautiful and Kellisa’s been non-stop wheeling ever since.
2003 was a rough year as we entered November. For the first time, I was worn down and desperately needed to recharge. Since moving to Florida, I had dreamed of driving to the end of the road in Key West. Just north of the Keys, Everglades National Park is a huge green spot on the map with another road that ends at the water's edge.
Without
much planning, we bought some camping equipment, loaded up the van, and drove south. Not counting our trips
back to Chicago to see family, this was our first vacation since Kellisa was
born. We camped through severe thunderstorms in the Keys and visited the southern most point in the United States before watching a famous Key West sunset. The highlight of the Keys for Kellisa was a very rough glass bottom boat ride over the reef. Kellisa was rudely welcomed in her first national park by relentless mosquitoes. We spent most of our visit enjoying the vast landscape from the safety of our van. We had no idea at the time, but this would be the start to a love of visiting national parks.
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Hiking with cousins Matt and Seth in Texas (November 2003) Mom and The Wiggles Save Kellisa (Spring 2003) We Are Hikers! (2004) Back to Kellisa's Path Blog |
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