Week 1 of intensive therapy is officially behind us, and wow… it stretched all of us. ❤️

The first week is always the hardest. By Thursday and Friday, Amelia’s little body was digging so deep to stay engaged and motivated. Her legs were wobbling from exhaustion by the end of sessions, and as parents, it’s emotional watching your child work that hard. But she kept showing up — brave, determined, and willing to try again every single time.

Life during intensives moves fast — between 3 therapy sessions a day and camping while we’re here, the days are full. We fit in necessities, rest, and having a little fun where we can. Having Amelia’s grandparents (Gammy and Pap) camping next door has been such a help, especially knowing baby brother is happy and cared for while we focus on therapy each day.

We’re already stepping into Week 2, and we are off to such a strong start. ✨

This round of therapy has been heavily focused on standing, walking, balancing, core strength, and helping Amelia keep her trunk up tall and strong during movement. So much of what looks “simple” for most people takes incredible focus, endurance, and retraining for her body and brain — not to mention fighting primitive reflexes that can pull her body out of the movements she’s trying to accomplish

Some of these exercises are familiar since we continue working on them during our home DMI PT sessions. We’re seeing endurance progress in movements she already knows, while the newer exercises are helping activate her brain and build motor memory for muscle activation and control.

Amelia is stronger, more determined, and listening so much better to what the therapists are asking her to do. Watching those connections happen in real time is incredibly encouraging. 

This week we’re also incorporating low level laser therapy for the first time to help support emotional regulation and activate the brain during workouts. The best way to describe it is almost like giving the brain an extra boost of oxygen during exercise to support better performance and engagement. We are so hopeful about what it can help unlock for her. 🧠✨

If we continue seeing positive benefits with the laser therapy, we’ll be looking into additional training so we can incorporate laser therapy into a home program as well.

If you want to see Amelia in action, head over to Instagram at @growingwith.amelia to watch videos from therapy during this intensive. Seeing her determination firsthand tells the story better than words ever could.

There’s already no doubt that it was time for us to come back to AKAP and get a renewed boost toward Amelia’s next milestones that we’ll be working toward over the coming months.

And truly, thank you to everyone continuing to support, pray for, share, and donate toward Amelia’s care. These therapies are opening doors for her, and every contribution helps make this journey possible. We still have a long road ahead to maximize her independence and every bit of support means more than words can say. ❤️

Until the next one,

Kyndal