The Years It Took to Teach Her Body — and Mine — That She Was Safe
Therapy became our calendar.
Appointments. Exercises. Small wins that didn’t look impressive to strangers but felt like miracles to us.
I celebrated everything:
- standing for a few seconds
- taking assisted steps
- gaining strength in muscles doctors warned might never return
School came with challenges, too.
Some kids were kind.
Some weren’t.
Elin refused to be defined by sympathy.
She grew into someone sharp, determined, and quietly compassionate.
She fell in love with biology.
One summer, she worked at a wildlife rescue center, helping rehabilitate injured birds.
