Journal Entry 8/20/2021 From Kristi

Great news today. We received a phone call from the Mayo Clinic that said Zachary was approved to participate in their CELLTOP Stem Cell Study. We’ve been waiting for almost a month now for the results of his blood test and final approval. So we are scheduled to return to Rochester MN where they will do a belly fat tissue biopsy… then in 6-8 weeks, these new healthy stem cells will be re-injected into his spine. It is all Gods amazing science; we look forward to what HE will do to show Himself mighty in Zacs life.

It’s a blessing to finally be active in physical therapy again. It’s not as intense as our therapy at Craig Hospital, but we usually bring a team in to work with Zac and mimic a lot of the exercises he did back at Craig, including using a vibration plate to send impulses into his nerves through his bare feet as he works on balancing and strengthening his core. Zachary has become a great instructor to all of us; no doubt he could get a therapist job back at Craig if he put his mind to it!!

This month has been rough. It feels there has been a new spinal cord injury challenge to deal with each week. I continue to watch the heart of my son as he deals with daily frustrations; but I’ve also noticed that although he can get weary, Zacs joy is unwavering because he does not question the heart of His Father. He trusts in His goodness. He doesn’t fear what seems to be his apparent loss. Because he believes God is bigger than his injury. He looks past it. This amazes me. And humbles me.

I’ve been praying for the Lord to strengthen my heart. It feels so fragile right now. Though it hardly compares, I’m feeling a great loss too as I pack up our home of ten years for a move to a location that has not been fully established yet. We move in two weeks and we do not yet have a home ready. It is a weighty thing to feel loss without the hope of how it will all end up.

“It will all be ok, Mom,” Zac gently encouraged me yesterday. “God will work it all out, even if you don’t have all the details yet.” I’m humbled. It’s just a dumb house. He has to trust God for his very legs.

Feeling quite uprooted these days, The Lord brought me to John 15 this week. God says, “I am the Vine, you are the branches. Remain…” Praise God I’m rooted in Him, not this home; praise God Zac is grounded in Jesus, not his legs.

7 times in 7 verses, John 15 tells us to remain in Him. And as a branch connected to the Vine, we then bear fruit, and that fruit is joy, and the joy of the Lord is our strength….

Indeed, ZacsHope is Jesus. Again and again, it all points back to Him.