Hello dear friends and supporters of our little family!

We are all doing great - just exhausted and oh so busy! We got home and hit the ground running. I, Dara, jumped immediately into a large southpaw animal job while getting Kelby back to work and tackling taxes (which are still not done - ha!). Life is full but we are so grateful.

Torvin celebrated his 5th birthday on April 9th! 🎂 We went to the zoo and created a backyard obstacle course so he can play outside. Kelby also built and plumbed a vanity sink at Torvin's height in kneeling position - and it has been a total game changer. Torvin can now wash his hands with warm water by himself. Such a simple thing that means everything to this mama!

We continue our daily ABR therapy, where we sit for hours applying vibration tools to very specific areas of Torvin's body to stimulate the fascia and encourage awareness and mapping of those parts. The philosophy is simple and profound - once you are aware of a part of your body, you have a much better chance of moving it.

Our ABR therapist, Leonid Blyum, always talks about building the stand and the walk from the ground up rather than top down as with traditional standing frames. When you build from the top down, much is sacrificed. When you build from the ground up, the body is stable, safe and most importantly - it trusts itself.

I didn't fully understand this until this past week watching Torvin work to build this movement on his own. He is getting into a squat and bringing his heels flat to the floor - an incredible thing to witness in a child diagnosed with quadriplegic cerebral palsy. To be clear, he isn't standing or walking yet - but he is making subtle, beautiful movements that feel like the foundation of something extraordinary.

And then there is this - his shoe size grew from a 4.5 to a 7.5 in just five months. 🤯

We also saw Suzanne McKeever, his speech pathologist, immediately upon returning home. She has written a letter documenting his changes in speech and stated without a doubt that the hyperbaric therapy has contributed to incredible gains.

As for the future - we are actively fundraising for a home hyperbaric chamber. After much research we believe we will need between $6,000 and $8,000 for a quality unit. As always, we try not to get too far ahead of ourselves with expectations and excitement. We also want to make sure Torvin always knows he is just fine exactly as he is. That is the paradox of this journey - finding the balance between deep gratitude for where we are while always striving to be better than we were yesterday.

Thank you for being on this road with us. It means more than words can say. 💙

With love, Dara, Kelby & Torvin