Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all of our friends and family! A huge thank you to all of you that made our Christmas such a special event! For us as a family it was a day of joy and so much laughter! We didn’t think or talk about tumors, finances…nothing serious! One of the gifts was a Wii. We played for hours as a family. It is so much more than a game. Through the Wii, Caitlyn was starting to recognize letters, and dealing with the whole eye-hand issue. After hours of playing….she became the top bowler of the family! Her record still stands! Her grandpa and dad have come close, but she is unbeatable! (miracle after miracle). Donna Griffith along with the water polo team at Palm Desert High did a fabulous job of coordinating Christmas. She had dinner delivered, which was fabulous! The tree was beautiful surrounded with a bounty of gorgeous presents! Thank you hardly seems enough. Other groups and individuals also sent gifts for the children. It is so appreciated by all of us!

Caitlyn at this point is back at school and very happy to be there. Her mom could better address lingering issues, but what we all see is that she is reclaiming more of herself each day. We are starting to see more of “our Caitlyn.” A huge thanks to Mr. McLaughlin, the principal at Reagan. Not only has he been instrumental organizing fundraisers and activities on Caitlyn’s behalf, he truly is her advocate. From day one (along with his precious staff) Caitlyn has felt safe and cared for. He made sure she would receive the necessary services to expedite her recovery in learning and speech. What a blessing to have her at Regan Elementary!

Caitlyn faces another MRI next week which will give some more answers. She is not looking forward to that at all, but it is necessary. We continue to pray that we will hear good news so that Caitlyn can put this behind her as best she can.

The blog has been quiet, not because we ever forgot about any of you or that things were back to normal, but rather we are running at top speed. Stephanie went back to work the week before Christmas and the rest of us are all working and/or attending school. We have a huge calendar to keep track of all the logistics: like who is picking up kids etc. In addition to that, the flu hit the family big time after Christmas. I think we are on round 3 for Brayden. No one in the family was spared (even aunties and grandparents) and that was rather traumatic for Caitlyn as well.

As you see, we are full speed ahead! We count our blessings each day. We have Caitlyn home and she is progressing. You will always be in our thoughts and prayers. As hard as this journey is, we can’t imagine what it would be like to take one step without YOU! Your prayers, cards, donations have filled our hearts with hope. On days when we felt total despair, you pulled us up! Thank you!

With love and gratitude,
The Graniks and Neelys