ENTRY BY STACEY LAINHART - 11/ 11/2022 - HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY

I know it’s been awhile since we’ve posted anything, but thought Veteran’s Day would be a good day to give an update.

First and foremost, if you are reading this and you are a Veteran and/or currently serving our Country…,THANK YOU!!

You are the reason we have our freedoms today, so thank you for your selfless sacrifice and service to our wonderful country!

I feel like there has been a lot that has happened since Glen’s post on August 26th…,that dreaded one year anniversary date. Kelsee competed in her first paratriathlon in Chicago. It wasn’t the full triathlon since it was her first, but pushed her enough to know that she can do anything she puts her mind to.

She did great and it was an amazing experience for all of us. We were so thankful for our family and friends that were able to make the trip. Kelsee did a week camp with Oscar Mike Foundation. This organization is awesome, so I suggest you look them up and donate and/or purchase one of their cool shirts.

They provide adaptive sports camps to Wounded Veterans. I was able to stay the week with Kelsee, although, I think they would have preferred Kelsee be there by herself to get her outside her comfort zone, but she still needs some help with personal things that I’m sure she probably doesn’t want others to help with AND she needed a ride there.

She got to meet some other wonderful wounded veterans and have a great time getting to know each and every one of them and their stories. She was able to drive an airplane, go ATV driving, go skydiving, shoot guns, kayak, see horses, and do a mini triathlon.

It was an amazing experience with even more amazing people and staff! Thanks so much to the Oscar Mike Foundation!!

Kelsee turned 21. I know it wasn’t exactly the way she would have ever wanted to celebrate her 21st birthday. Her best girlfriend’s took her out for a great steak dinner.

She has the best friends a girl could ever ask for. When she got back, we surprised her with her boyfriend, Matt, who had flown in to town to surprise her.

It was really awesome and we are so thankful that he was able to be there for her 21st birthday. After all of that, we had a surprise party waiting for her with 50 of her closest family and friends.

Although, definitely not the way she would have probably celebrated her 21st birthday….it was a great day. Kelsee finally got a car.

Thanks so much to the SemperFi Fund for their generous donation so that Kelsee could get a car that she felt would be a great fit for her wheelchair and that she can easily get in and out of without any assistance.

SemperFi Fund has been absolutely amazing. Another great organization to support. Kelsee is excited to start getting some independency back.

She isn’t able to drive yet as she still has to get the car adapted with hand controls, but she’ll be ready to hit the streets when her car is fully adaptable.

Kelsee has continued therapy in Chicago and has been doing everything she can to get stronger and stronger. She still has good days and bad days, but I feel the good days outweigh the bad ones.

I can’t thank her physical therapists enough for all the time and effort they have put into pushing Kelsee. They  have been asking her for months what she wants to do with her life and she continues to answer that her focus is to recover fully.

They requested that she take a couple months off of therapy so she can take a mental break and to start thinking long term and to go out and  experience life for a little bit.

Doing therapy for a straight 14 months is hard, so she is taking November and December off and will return to Chicago to restart therapy in January.

As always, thank you for your continued support, thoughts and prayers for Kelsee.

Continue to pray for complete healing for her. And don’t ever forget about the 13 that lost their lives that awful day.

Continue to pray for peace and healing for their families.

And continue he to pray for the others that were wounded and their families as they continue  to heal both physically and mentally.

Remember that our freedoms come from those that sacrifice and serve to protect us.