Dear, sweet Ali. I could not make it through your post without sobbing. It was quiet an ugly cry. Thank you for your transparency and openess. It breaks my heart that any child has to deal with this. I am sorry that you had to weather this storm for so long. How or where do you draw your strength to face the pain daily? I do think the isolation and fear is a significant part of the battle for my daughter. So many fears. So few friends. I am not giving up hope. Nor will I let her. I will admit right now is hard. It feels as if I am being deflated. It is so hard to watch one of the true loves of my life hurt so much. I have a great respect for your mom. (Give her a hug for me!) I know what daily heartache she carries for not being able to make it all better. As parents, we are supposed to be able to protect our babies... What I wouldn't give to take this away from her... My daughter has once dreams of playing soccer in the Olympics. Now she dreams of being pain free and "being normal." I keep reminding her there is nothing that we cannot do together. She has a sister that is feeling the change as well. It really does affect the whole family. Please keep in touch. Let me know how your rehab goes. I will tell my daughter about you an your strength and will be praying for you. Thank you again!