08/31/2026
One of our great miracle stories as a Conference! 
“Its not happiness that brings us gratitude. It’s gratitude that brings us happiness.” ~anonymous
We have much to be grateful for in response to all the prayers being said for Lucca’s therapy options now that we are back home. Lucca has started a full therapy schedule with Rehab Without Walls, an intensive interdisciplinary evidence-based program that works with patients in their homes, communities, outdoors, work, school, or other environments that have been a meaningful part of their lives. Lucca’s program coordinator spent time discussing his goals in order to create an individualized therapy program for him. This approach has been shown to increase motivation and encourage more durable outcomes.
Zach is taking Lucca to a local gym three times a week to meet with his physical therapist. Lucca was getting up at 4 am while in college to go to the gym before heading to school. He is thrilled to be getting back into a strength training routine and is enjoying the variety of exercises his therapist has shared. We are already seeing the benefit of his gym time in his ability to transfer from his wheelchair, stand at the sink to brush his teeth, and sit up in bed unassisted.
We love the creative and practical approach of Lucca’s occupational therapists. Picking peaches in our little orchard followed by assisted walking around the yard to learn how to navigate on uneven ground was one of his favorite sessions last week. He also enjoyed going out for Japanese food with one of his therapists. He isn’t ready to think about chopstick yet, but he did pretty well eating with a fork and spoon.
Lucca was excited to discover that his speech therapist is a pianist who shares his enjoyment of classical music, as well as, a fellow lover of history. They have already exchanged titles of some their favorite books. In therapy sessions Lucca is working on speaking, but his therapist is also focusing on memory/study techniques, cognitive exercises, and organizational skills that will benefit Lucca as he hopes to return to college someday.
Lucca is having an assessment by telemedicine tomorrow afternoon with a music therapy program now that we have a predictable schedule worked out for his core therapies (OT, PT, Speech). We feel like this is a critical supplement to his speech therapy in helping Lucca’s speaking ability improve even though it is not covered by insurance in the out-patient setting. It was after he started singing that he was able to speak more clearly in longer sentences.
When Lucca is not doing therapy sessions we are making sure that he has a chance to visit with friends, do activities he enjoys like listening to music, reading books aloud together, or getting outdoors. This weekend we took him and his niece to the Coastal Maine Botantical Gardens. He really enjoyed seeing the varied selection of dahlias that were blooming. Some of showy blossoms were bigger than his head!
Our hearts are full of happiness as we continue our evening ritual of sharing the things we are grateful for. While there have been many adjustments we have had to make to the way we live, we are so blessed to see the many answered prayers as Lucca continues to improve. Your prayers and encouragement mean so much to us, especially on the challenging days. We know there is still much work ahead, but we are committed to doing all we can with God’s help to stay the course. Thank you for being part of the journey.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” ~ The Bible, Philippians 4:6
