2009 (Kellisa's First 18 Years)

 

The Okefenokee Swamp - the Land of Trembling Earth.

 

One of our all-time favorite places to explore and we tried to start each year off with a visit. January 1, 2009, was no different and it would set the pace for what would become Kellisa's most adventurous year by far. 

 

Kellisa had outgrown even the largest baby jog strollers, and we broke two frames on a jog stroller made for special needs children. We needed a new solution and after many hours of research, we purchased a WIKE. The chair looks awesome and offers a ton of weather protection; however, it is not built for rugged trails. We still have it and it has its uses; it's just not an all-around mobility device for our needs.

 

Kellisa's 27th Birthday

May 23, 2026

 

Kellisa turned 27 years old today. We let her sleep in a little and ended up going out for a movie and dinner. Everyone enjoyed the new movie, Michael, about Michael Jackson. Instead of cake, we lived it up at  an ice cream shop on our way home where we sang Happy Birthday to Kellisa. Once home, Kellisa opened her cards and presents before spending the rest of the evening watching TV with her family in the living room.

 

Not bad for the 25 week micro-preemie.

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2008 (Kellisa's First 18 Years)

Kellisa went another calendar year without surgery.  

 

Hannah Montana came to Jacksonville in January. The concert sold out in minutes before we were able to buy tickets. We even tried to buy accessible tickets without success. I couldn’t pull the trigger to buy three tickets together that were selling for thousands online. It was breaking my heart that I didn’t have tickets for Kellisa. 

2007 (Kellisa's First 18 Years)

 

FINALLY!  

2007 was the first calendar year that passed without Kellisa having to endure surgery.

 

Kellisa really started to thrive with her newfound medical stability. She started taking dance lessons and it was obvious from the start that Kellisa has the heart of a dancer. Kellisa danced in her first recital, and she garnered the loudest cheers from the audience during the encore.

 

2006 (Kellisa's First 18 Years)

 

2006 started with Kellisa’s 4^th surgery in four months. Both hips were dislocated again, requiring another surgery of cutting bones, inserting screws, and hardware. It was followed with the same six brutal weeks of recovery.

 

After 18 months without a trip or trail, I was eager to get Kellisa back outside. I wanted to push our limits and see what we could do on trails. I even bought the largest baby jog stroller I could find so we wouldn’t have to use her wheelchair anymore.