In honor of Sebastian and all those who are bravely battling each day to recover from Acute Flaccid Myelitis. Sebastian, You Rock!
Today I am over the moon excited to share with you an inspiring story of perseverance and determination! I love DIY as you know. I love pushing through and getting the job done! I am stubborn to the core. As a child, it got me into a whole lot of trouble but as an adult, it has served me well!
I hear all the time from readers “Wow, that must have been so hard to build a DIY home” or “you are so tough”. You guys really are the sweetest and give me far too much credit. I am so grateful for you all and I do hope that the DIYs that I share here and on my Instagram have been inspiring to you in some way!
Our journey has had its fair share of hardships and trials for sure. Moving isn’t easy (you can read about our story here). Starting up at new jobs, towns, schools, churches and renovating our homes over the years (while I wouldn’t change it) it was not easy at all. In fact, much of it was VERY hard. Our lives, at times, have been financially, physically, emotionally, or even spiritually hard. That is life. Hardships are unavoidable.
But guess what, hardships produced growth I am so grateful that. We grew so much from embracing the hard things! We learned that we CAN do hard things! Hard things like building a home from the ground up. Hard things like give up your dream job to move home and run the risk of your new job being terrible. We can do those things and so much more. Not only can we do them but we must, it is crucial to our growth.
Now, this is where the exciting part comes in because believe it or not, this post is not about tackling hard DIY projects at all! I am so grateful for the opportunity to share a story with you about someone who is concurring WAY bigger giants than any home renovation or DIY project!
This post is actually all about an incredible little boy who has taught me so much about strength and doing hard things. I want to introduce you to a young boy named Sebastian. This young man knows what it means to do hard things…I mean REALLY hard things. You could say that he is my Hero! Sebastian is also a relative of mine and is one of the strongest and bravest kids you’ll ever meet.
Sebastian was a healthy and happy boy on Aug 2, 2016. The next day he was in the hospital and within 72 hours he was paralyzed from the neck down and was fighting to even breath. He was treated Plex and IVIG that halted the paralysis. He had a virus called Acute Flaccid Myelitis but that went misdiagnosed for months.
Sebastian battled severe nerve pain and joint contractures and was told he would likely never walk again. By August 23rd he was transferred to Kennedy Krieger where he began an aggressive therapy regimen of 30 hours per week.
After three months of therapy, Sebastian could sit up, raise one hand and even move his feet! Talk about a fighter! His therapy included electric STEM to help his nerves regrow. For two and a half years this incredible boy has worked hard and endured thousands of hours of therapy. Even with all his intensive therapy, many areas have yet to recover. This brave little boy has undergone nerve transfer surgeries to save his dying muscles in his arm and legs.
Sebastian fights every day to regain his strength and he is determined to defy his prognosis. Sebastian’s ability to persevere while in such pain and to be so determined to defy the odds blows my mind and inspires me every day!
We…you and I have hard things in our lives, yes. But I can honestly say that I have never ever had to struggle the way Sebastian has had to struggle. I can also say that as a mom I have never had to see my child suffer and fight the way Sebastains mother and father have seen their child suffer and fight. This family inspires me so, so much! I pray for Sebastian’s recovery daily and have for years!
Donate directly to Sebastian’s GO FUND ME: HERE
I am so excited to share this inspiring story with you because YOU and I have an opportunity to help Sebastian in his fight!! I have partnered up with a fantastic company, Joys of Thread, and I am proud to share that we have created a T-shirt that says “WE CAN DO HARD THINGS” in honor of Sebastian and his family and I will be donating every penny of my proceeds to Sebastinas recovery and medical expenses!!!
Click this link here to support Sebastian’s recovery and purchase your
WE CAN DO HARD THINGS T-Shirt
Together we can make a huge difference in this child’s life! 
I have tackled a lot of things in my 38 years of life, but never have I been so excited to be a part of something as I am about this! I would love to see this shared by all who read it!
I pray that you will consider showing your support by purchasing your “WE CAN DO HARD THINGS” T-Shirt and by wearing it proudly! We also are so grateful for all your prayers for this brave warrior and his family as he continues on this road to full recovery!
THANK YOU to Joys Of Thread for making this possible! I adore you girl!!!
