You may think that given the horrible start we had to the year, we would be more than happy to see the back end of it.
2021 is inarguably the toughest year that we have faced as a family. To watch someone you love have such a devastating injury resulting from an accident that so many of us have had in our lives felt at times to be so absolutely unfair.
But rising from the ashes of that event is the knowledge that:
- My family is that much stronger coming out the other side of this. We have stuck together, we have been there for each other, we have ridden the wave of this year with all of its ups and downs. Sure we’ve had our moments but in the end we were all in this for Hayden.
- We have raised resilient, capable children. One whom has taken this new life in his stride and vowed to approach every challenge with positivity and determination, and the other whom has fought vehemently for her brother and been a champion and a cheerleader for him.
- We have amazing friends and family around us. From texts, messages, check-ins, dinner provision, fundraising, venting posts, advice seekers, researchers, hand-holders, advocates - we have experienced the whole gamut of what it is to be loved by those surrounding us. I will never be able to thank everyone enough or put into words how valuable each and every one of those people have been as we moved through this year. We are forever grateful for this realisation.
- Hayden had the absolute best care in his time on the ward. PAH’s Spinal Injuries Unit is the most amazing group of medical, nursing and allied health professionals, who deserve their praises to be sung from the mountain tops. I am so proud to be a small part of that amazing hospital.
- We are going to be ok. We have settled into what is now normal for our family. We have learned to ask questions about accessibility, to plan ahead to ensure we can include our whole family in activities.
- We know that we can go away for holidays and Hayden is safe and cared for - there’s not much he needs us for when we plan in advance.
- You can find the right people to help you if you only ask. One of the most impressive achievements of the year was the completion of our renovations to get Hayden home from the hospital. We were clear in our expectations, and found a company, headed by an amazing man, who helped us realise those needs. The home mods OT was pretty impressed with how quickly everything came together.
- We can’t wait to see what is to come. This family of mine continues to amaze me with what they can achieve.
So while we had some bad things happen in 2021, we can always find the positives. As Albus Dumbledore once famously said “ Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”
2022 is a whole new year of discovery ahead of us. I can’t wait to see what it brings.
