2020 officially ended. It was a year for the history books and full of challenges for so many.
The year started out fairly typical. Shane was enjoying his days at work. Our eldest three kids were in school. I spent my days taking Aria to her wide array of therapy and doctor appointments with our sidekick Kate in tow. It was basically life as usual.
After a long winter, we were all looking forward to a week of sun and fun in Florida for spring break. But during our trip, life turned upside down. Who could have expected a world-wide pandemic? It was like straight out of a horror movie. We managed to have a wonderful time despite the troubling news.
After returning home from vacation, Shane's office closed and he began working from home. School closed and Owen, Cole and Rose were now "distance learning". Aria's doctor and therapy appointments were canceled. Life slowed waaaaaay dooooooown. It was as though it almost stood still as we watched and waited to see what impact the Corona Virus would have.
Those months were scary (and still are). Not knowing how the virus would affect us. Not knowing if we were possibly contagious. Not wanting to spread it to others that may be vulnerable. We hunkered down at home.
Summer finally arrived. The sun and warm weather was exactly what we needed. No more school assignments to worry about and warm temps brought some much needed fun and relaxation to our souls.
With our wide open summer schedule, I decided it was the perfect time to try a new therapy with Aria. I had been researching Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) - an oxygen treatment that is supposed to enhance the body's healing process by breathing 100% oxygen in a pressurized chamber. Some studies have shown that HBOT can help heal the brain. We just happened to have a local clinic that provided HBOT. The treatment plan would consist of 40 "dives" over the course of 2 months. I would be with Aria in the oxygen chamber the entire time and she would wear a nasal cannula throughout the treatment. It was a very time consuming treatment driving 40 minutes each way plus 90 minutes in the chamber five days a week. Thankfully Penny, one of the paras at our school, was our summer helper and kept the kids busy while Aria and I were gone. I scheduled the treatments over nap time so Aria could sleep which worked out perfectly for her. Although 90 minutes trapped in a small chamber was a bit terrifying for this claustrophobic Mama, we did it!! While we didn't see the miraculous changes that others had reported, it was worth a try to help our little peanut reach her fullest potential.
Before we knew it, summer had vanished and the new school year was beginning. We decided to keep the kids home full time rather than attempt a hybrid half at home/half at school model. I did my best to navigate distance learning for a Kindergartener, 4th and 7th grader, but boy, it was not easy, especially with two toddlers and Aria's various appointments scattered throughout the week. Eventually I was able to find some help on care.com. Having never had someone that I didn't know watch the kids before, it was definitely a big step out of my comfort zone. But after hiring our new help, I was so thankful to have the extra hands to pitch in where needed. Stevie, our nanny, took over navigating distance learning for both Cole and Rose and would watch Kate whenever I needed to take Aria to appointments. Shortly after the new year, Stevie put in her notice and we'd once again be looking for help.
In October, we lost Shane's Grandma Dineen. We celebrated her life and wiped away our tears at an intimate ceremony at her church in Burnsville. We all miss her dearly and are so thankful for the time we got to spend with her. Our little Aria was named "Aria Jean" after her Great Nana. As her Obituary so eloquently stated: "Jean's most important role in life was being a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother. Her family always came first."
The holidays approached and the celebrations looked quite different. There would be no big gatherings. Instead, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas were all celebrated quietly at home. Thankfully the kids didn't seem to mind and rolled with the punches.
In December, I took our 9 year old kitty William to the vet for x-rays of his leg. He had been limping and I had thought that he may have fractured his bone. Instead, we'd eventually find out that he had an aggressive injection site sarcoma that had destroyed his bone. He would need his limb amputated and an appointment with oncology. We unfortunately did not catch the cancer soon enough and it had metastasized to his lungs. He'll be undergoing chemo in the hopes that the spread can be slowed down. He is thankfully getting around quite fine as a tripod kitty and even jumping up on the counter any chance he can get.
As if the last quarter of 2020 hadn't been bad enough, in early December Aria had a break through absence seizure. It was a miracle that I noticed as I had just laid her down for bed and typically would have gone straight to Kate's room to get her to sleep. But instead, I went downstairs to plan for the next morning. Owen also happened to be awake and decided to take a look at the baby monitor and noticed that Aria was awake, which led me to look at the monitor. She wasn't making any noises which seemed a bit odd and was moving ever so slightly. It would have been easy to dismiss but my gut told me something was wrong. When I got to her, her eyes were wide open staring off in one direction. No matter what I tried, she didn't respond. It was a terrifying sight to see. 911 was called, her emergency rescue medication was administered and the paramedics took us via ambulance to Children's ER. After labs, X-rays and an MRI, we were transferred to Gillette in the wee morning around 4:00 am. Thankfully Aria's shunt was not malfunctioning. Her anti-seizure medication was increased and we hoped that would be the last of it. Unfortunately, the first week of 2021 brought with it another terrifying seizure, another ride to the ER, another round of tests and another medication increase. Fingers crossed her medication dose is now adequate to prevent any more seizures.
Our New Years Eve celebration was a typical one for us - a night spent at home. This year Nana Bev and Popi Jerry were here to bring in the New Year with us. We had our traditional New Year's Eve dinner of ajiaco soup followed by roasting marshmallows and making s'mores in the comfort of our kitchen with a nifty little indoor fireplace called FlikrFire.
Here's wishing you all a joy filled and healthy 2021!
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