04/18/2026
Two years ago today, my life changed so much. Everything shifted the day I fell and broke my femur.
I was walking to the bathroom in my house when my dog left a wet spot on the floor. Instead of walking through it, I tried to go around it—but when I did, I slipped. My leg twisted into a bad position, and I immediately knew something wasn’t right. My mom tried to move it into a better position, but the pain was so intense I was in tears.
I lay on the floor for a while, trying to figure out what to do, but I couldn’t think clearly, so we called an ambulance. They put a blanket under me to lift me onto the cot. The ambulance ride felt both slow and fast at the same time. I even recognized one of the firefighters—they had helped with Fill the Boot before.
When we got to the hospital, I was helped onto a bed. They didn’t have a room available, so I had to stay in the hallway. They asked if I wanted pain medication, but I said no. After about three hours, they took me back for an X-ray, which hurt because of the position my leg was in.
As soon as the doctor read the X-ray, he explained what had happened. I started crying because I knew this meant I wasn’t going to walk again, especially with having Duchenne. They gave me pain medication after that, and things got a little blurry. I was moved to a room for the night since they planned to do surgery in the morning.
However, the next morning, after reviewing the X-ray, the surgeon didn’t feel safe operating because of my Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Once again, we didn’t know what we were going to do. Then we were told that ThedaCare in Appleton would be able to perform the surgery. So I took another ambulance ride—this time by myself—while my mom followed in the van.
When we arrived, they were ready. They did a CT scan of my leg and got me into a room for a bit before it was time for surgery. I wasn’t ready, but soon after, they put me under. When I woke up, I was on my BiPAP machine. After a while, they took it off, and I was awake. My leg felt better, but it was still very sore.
The surgeon had inserted a rod with four screws, which meant walking wouldn’t be possible again.
I stayed in the ICU that night alone because my mom wasn’t allowed back there overnight. That first night was tough—I had to ask the nurse for help with everything, even going to the bathroom. The next morning, my aunts, mom, grandma, and dad came to visit. Later, I was moved to a regular room where I stayed for a few days to heal and start physical therapy.
Those days were rough. I had to get used to needing help with everything, including using the restroom—even using a bedpan, which was the worst. I couldn’t get into my wheelchair yet. After a few days, I was transferred to inpatient physical therapy, where I stayed for about two weeks.
Things slowly got a bit easier. I learned how to use a commode, had help showering, and was able to sit in my chair for short periods. The days were busy with therapy sessions, trying to stand and regain strength, but that didn’t really happen.
During that time, some of my friends visited, including my camp counselors from MDA camp—Maria and Matt. Seeing them made my day. After a few days, I got tired of the hospital food and started ordering DoorDash every day.
After a long hospital stay, I was finally discharged. Soon after, we traveled to Iowa for my trial visit. Everything went well, but we had to adjust to using a Hoyer lift, a commode, and a urinal every time I needed to go to the bathroom.
Through all of this, we learned we had to adapt many things in our home, like the bathroom and hallways. Even though something difficult had happened, we kept a positive mindset.
Now, I rely on my friends and family to help me with daily tasks like using the bathroom, getting into bed, and getting around. I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has helped me along this journey, especially my mom!! I am forever grateful for all she has done and does for me.
Looking at my life now, I realize how thankful I am to have such a loving and supportive group of family members and friends who are always there when I need them.
