25th December - Merry Christmas to all from Team Francesca!

Firstly, apologies for the lengthy delay since my last update. Franny caught a really nasty chest infection mid October which took a month to clear. During this time we travelled to Oxford every day for three hours of intensive physiotherapy at Footsteps. It was a really tough time but I took great encouragement from the team there who saw a 'significant improvement' in Francesca. We had made the right decision in their opinion which was very satisfying.

We are continuing with daily stretching and physio. It's part of the daily grind now, so hard and humdrum but Franny remains compliant and has formed strong bonds with all of her therapists. She is now walking for twenty minutes at a steep incline on her treadmill and has recently progressed to 'one stick (wobbly!) walking' at home. Franny no longer needs her ankle supports and is wearing 'normal' shoes with orthotic insoles, this has given her a great boost. On Christmas Day, for the first time ever, she was able to kneel down comfortably in Church and whispered to me 'thank you so much Mummy for helping me walk'. I have been crying intermittent tears ever since!

As 2010 comes to a close I'm in a reflective mood. It's been a truly momentous year. Certainly one we will talk about for years to come. What a journey and we've been joined by so many fantastic people along the way.

It's incredible to think that all of the stiffness in Franny's body has gone. She is so relaxed and comfortable and has considerably more range of movement and stamina than ever before. Physically, she is a different little girl and we are still only six months post-op.

Francesca and I would like to take this opportunity to say a HUGE thank you to all our supporters and new SDR friends. We are so lucky to be part of such a caring and loving community. We asked for your help and you delivered TENFOLD.

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas. All our love and best wishes for 2011.

23 July
It's been too long since my last update! Apologies! I guess I've been waiting to show you some new stuff and progress has been painfully slow!

I kept my promise and took Franny to Florida at Easter. We had a fantastic time with my Sister and her family. We did every ride at every park! There were many special moments. Franny was picked to be a princess for the day at Disney and was chosen for the wand demonstration at Harry Potter world. Franny swam with the dolphins on Easter Sunday! This trip across the pond was very different to the last one.

We celebrated reaching our one year post-op with a family party on 1st July. Francesca said it feels good to have that date behind us now. We've not taken our foot off the physio pedal. Francesca is still having five hours private physiotherapy every week plus stretching and as much other activity I can sneak in. We have also started electrical stimulation on her weaker left leg which is definitely helping.

Despite 50% attendance at school Francesca has maintained her levels and progressed in Maths. She produced a glowing school report and maintained her relationships despite the regular absences. Francesca is very happy at St Gregory's.
 

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