I have received so many wonderful e-mails through this website, and I will continue to answer them all. I want to share two stories as examples of why this story needs to be told, especially now.

From a father in PA:

You are such an inspiration. My daughter is thirteen years old and is a swimmer on our local YMCA team. She is facing a serious surgery this summer on her spine. She has scoliosis and must have fusions done at the top and bottom of her spine. My daughter says she can’t wait to return to the pool but she is also getting more quiet and angry as the surgery draws near. Please know that I will tell her your story and feel certain that it will inspire her to push on.

From a mother in CA:

 I just wanted to let you know what an inspiration you are to me.  I am so touched by what you have gone through during the past 16 years of your life.  I pray that I can find the courage you found. I am a 29 year old mommy who has back and neck injuries and I have practically given up on ever having a happy, normal life again. I look forward to your book. I hope that one day I too will be able to be a good wife and mommy again. This is also why I am so happy to have come across the article about you in the paper.  You gave me the hope that maybe life will not be the horrific way I dream it to be.  Maybe there will be a way out of this darkness.  I haven’t come across any young people who have/are going through this type of pain and disappointment, but you have.   People I have met either discount my pain because they do not know or they scare me even more with stories of people they have known whose entire lives were ruined by a back injury.  Not you: you’re the positive person I wish I could be!

What a gift for me to share my story with others, and what an honor to be able to help others. Thank you for visiting!