Friday, October 25, 2013

We are so excited about an upcoming event for Bryson that's about to get underway! A Mane Event Stallion Auction will be held on Nov. 11-23 and all proceeds will go toward a very expensive piece of medical equipment Bryson needs to build the muscles in his legs so he can have the muscular support needed for weight-bearing and walking. There are some AMAZING stallions up for auction and we are floored by the response we have gotten from the stallion owners who have so generously donated them. The GigerMd is a therapy bicycle that combines mild estim for muscle-building and it costs a whopping $26,000! Yikes! Things like stem cell treatments, alternative therapies, therapy equipment, and things of that nature are not covered by insurance, but are so needed for Bryson's ability to walk in the future. The 3rd Annual Barrels 4 Bryson event was a huge success and we raised enough money for the $16,000 stem cell treatment he needs and we are so very thankful for everyone who donated and everyone who participated and made that event possible. God has blessed Bryson so much with these fundraisers so he can continue to get the things he needs to make his quality of life better and they help him to achieve his dream of walking one day. We serve an awesome God, don't we? We would like to thank Dr. Wes Williams for his continued support in the Barrels 4 Bryson event and we want to extend a huge thank you to Erin Kemp, Crystal Nichols, my mom, Kathy Russell, and my niece, Kenzi Pogue for putting this new annual event together for Bryson. We would also like to thank Arron Watson, a very talented song-writer and Texas country artist, for taking notice of this event and generously donating a signed guitar for this auction. Also, for the people who have donated other items for people to bid on. We love you guys! It blows us away at the amount of support everyone has shown, and continues to show, Bryson. He WILL WALK and we thank everyone who has been a part of his journey. We would never be able to afford these things for him without the generous donations of everyone involved in these events. God bless all of you and thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts! May God richly bless each of you!

Saturday, August 24, 2013

We have been busy, busy, busy this year! Bryson has made progress by leaps and bounds and he actually starts pre-k on Monday. My goodness, where has the time gone? Our lil guy is growing and getting so big and has been crawling like a champ these days, and I don't mean army crawling like he used to, I mean crawling on all fours, and he stays on his knees most of the time. This is such progress! He has gotten so much stronger and his balance is improving more and more and his core and lower back are getting stronger as well. He cognitive skills are through the roof! He is so very smart! He continues to walk great in his RGO braces and uses the walker like a pro. The 3rd Annual Barrels 4 Bryson event is just around the corner in September and we are praying for a super turnout so we can purchase a much needed piece of exercise equipment for the house. He needs an exercise bike called the RT-300 that uses e-stim (electric muscle stimulators) for his legs to gain some muscle mass. All the weight bearing in the world and all the stem cells in the world won't do any good if he doesn't have the muscles in his legs and hips to support his weight, so he needs this therapy equipment desperately. Of course, nothing is covered by any insurance and it's quite costly. $26,000 to be exact! Yikes! Please be in agreement with us in asking the Lord to supply our financial needs this year. God has blessed us so much and we know he hears our prayers and we thank Him and glorify Him always! Bryson's bladder seems to be gaining capacity way more with this stem cell treatment and he sometimes even poops all on his own, without having to do the enema. Yay for pee and poop! Oh, the things that excite and impress a mom of a kid with spina bifida! We are so excited to see what God has in store for Bryson throughout his life. We know for a fact God has healed Bryson and continues to show us His healing more and more every day, as He is placing those stem cells right where they need to be in his body for healing and growing nerves. Bryson can totally lift his left leg all the way in the air and he continues to move his toes and feet. He even pulled his right leg so hard when getting a diaper change that he pulled it right out of my hand! He has so many little twitches and movements that he didn't have before and it's so exciting to see these changes. We are about to start hippo therapy (horseback riding) in the fall and after the barrel race, he is going to be getting a new type of therapy called the Anat Baniel Method, which the therapist manually manipulates the muscles to try to re-route signals to the brain to make the legs move. This is gonna be an exciting year with more exciting things to come! The ABM, along with the therapy bike should make significant improvements for Bryson and we can't wait to witness what God has planned for our little trooper! Bryson never ceases to amaze us with his growth and improvement throughout his short life. He is definitely a mover and a shaker and has big plans. God has used Bryson, our family, and our experiences to help and improve the lives of others and we couldn't be happier that He chose us in this way. We are so very proud of this brave little boy and we are so glad God chose us to be his parents. Bryson has truly made us better people and has changed our lives for the better in every way. I promise I won't take so long to report Bryson's progress next time! Maybe I can get a few things done now that the little toot will be in school 3hrs a day! Lol! Until next time, always remember.......All things can be done through Christ who strengthens us! God bless you and love you!

Thursday, February 14, 2013

It's been so long since I've posted and figured it was about time to stop my busy life for about 5 mins to give an update! Shame on me for not taking time until now! Let's see..... Bryson is still continues to make progress after his stem cell treatment last year and he is walking so great in his RGO braces, using his walker. He's really become quite the pro at it actually! He still has the vesicostomy in place, but we have been noticing that his bladder capacity seems to be increasing, which is great news. He is crawling on all fours these days and is getting so much stronger and is able to do just about anything. He has a wheelchair now for his main means of getting around, but he tells us that when he gets bigger and is grown up that he will not need his wheelchair because he will be able to stand and walk on his own! We love his positive outlook! He tells his legs, "In the name of Jesus, move legs!" He is commanding that mountain to move just like the bible tells us to! We are very excited to announce that we will be taking Bryson back to Nova Cells Institute in Mexico on April 9th for his second stem cell treatment. We can't wait to see what results this second round of stem cells brings for him. We will most likely take him to an intensive physical therapy program in another state about 4 to 6 months after the treatment this time. The planning is already in full-swing for the 3rd Annual Barrels for Bryson event and it will be held in September of this year. This one will be even bigger and better than the last one! God has blessed us so much in the past year and we see bright things ahead for our future! We give Him thanks, praise, honor and glory for ALL these blessings and for ALL future blessings! Our faith in God's healing for Bryson is still as strong as ever and we know God has many great things planned for our sweet baby boy. Bryson is growing up to be a mighty man of God and we know that God will see to it that he prospers in everything he does in life. Reports of more progress to come after the treatment in April, so stay tuned!!!!!