What was the hardest personal goal you’ve set for yourself?

I feel like I’ve been blogging about the issues I have from the stroke that nearly killed me for my whole life and not just the past 9 years. I also feel like I’m boring my readers with each time I talk about my disability. But this time, it’s the fault of the prompt.

The biggest personal goal I’ve technically set for myself is overcoming my paralysis and believe me, it’s not easy.  It’s been 9 years of celebrating the tiniest of improvements, because if I don’t celebrate from time to time, I’ll go insane. The brain takes so long to heal itself and find new pathways around the damage caused by the piece of tumor that traveled from my heart and is still inoperative in my brain . There have been far too many setbacks. Mostly due to other health issues popping up, like my appendix bursting within a year of leaving the hospital or dealing with recurring bladder infections. Then, there are emotional setbacks because mental health is just as important as physical health . Doctors make such a big deal about the narrow window of time there is in which to heal from a stroke, and here I am 9 years later, proving them wrong . This year, I finally have most of my balance back ,which has been very encouraging. This was a big deal because without your balance, walking is a much bigger challenge,and I’m currently trying to walk without my AFO brace. I imagine it’s akin to walking a tightrope without a net in difficulty. Especially because I still have days with low energy and brain fog that make doing anything but rest impossible.

Recently, I achieved the goal of walking more than 10 steps forward and 10 steps back, and I’m currently working on improving that number. Stamina is still an issue physically and one I really hope I’m able to overcome. With my 60th birthday looming next summer ,I’d really like to be walking at least 100 steps by then.

Wish me luck! 🍀