Day 8 - April 18th

Today was another day of great progress. But it was also a day of frustration for Jan.

Jan's work at physical therapy today saw great progress. She got up from bed and visited the bathroom several times. She also was able to walk out into the hall in front of her room. All of this required the most that she was able to give both in physical exertion, as well as the bearing of pain.

What we take for granted as just a few steps that are quickly taken, for Jan it requires the time and physical exertion of moving a large boulder. Just going to the bathroom in her hospital room is very exhausting. Each day sees her making more and more headway; progress that her therapists are very impressed with. They are things that only a couple of days ago seemed quite remote. The therapists comment on her steely resolve and single minded toughness. However what she is accomplishing is requiring the utmost of what she can give; day after day. And therein lies her frustration. For all the effort she is giving she feels that she should be conquering Mount Everest; not going 8 feet to the bathroom. The challenge is not only to maintain the physical momentum, but to not give into the frustration and despair of a process of recovery that is agonizingly slow.

Yet she continues. She won't be beat; she won't roll over and give up. To use the words of Gene Krantz, NASA flight director during the Apollo 13 crisis, "failure is not an option!" She will succeed.