06/06/2026
This week has been another interesting one.
It's been a reminder of just how incredible, resilient, and fascinating the human body can be.
The good news is that walking has become significantly easier this week. Those who have seen me around recently have probably noticed a big improvement.
From the outside, it may even look like I'm well on the road to recovery.
The reality, however, is a little more complicated.
While my mobility has improved, many of the neurological symptoms remain. The numbness, altered sensation, pins and needles and weakness throughout my right leg are still very much present. What people are seeing is progress, but it's also a reminder that recovery isn't always reflected by what can be seen on the surface.
In many ways, this improvement has become a bit of a mask. It's easy to assume that because I'm moving better, everything is back to normal. The truth is that my body is still healing and still teaching me a lot along the way.
These past few weeks have given me a lot of time to reflect. Not only on my own health, but on the health journeys of all of you.
This experience has reinforced something I have always believed: our bodies are constantly communicating with us.
Too often we ignore the whispers until they become shouts. We push through discomfort, dismiss warning signs, and convince ourselves we'll deal with it later.
For me, one of the biggest lessons has come from something very simple. I can't pick up my grandson.
As many of you know, he means the world to me, and not being able to scoop him up for a cuddle or carry him around has been one of the hardest parts of this entire experience. If that isn't enough to make me stop, listen, and pay attention to what my body is trying to tell me, I don't know what is.
It's a reminder that our health impacts so much more than just ourselves. It affects how we show up for the people we love, the things we enjoy, and the moments that matter most.
What this experience has also taught me is the importance of listening. Listening when something doesn't feel right. Listening when our body asks us to slow down. Listening when it needs rest, movement, support or change.
Our bodies are incredibly intelligent. Even when things aren't working the way we'd like them to, there is often a lesson in the process. The challenge is being willing to hear it, understand it, and use that knowledge to move forward stronger, wiser and with a greater appreciation for what our bodies do for us every day.
In the next week, my husband and I are supposed to be in Japan.
Three weeks ago, I genuinely didn't think we would be going. This trip has been over 11 years in the making, and there was a point where I thought I'd be watching it disappear from a hospital bed.
The reality is that it won't be the trip we originally planned. There will be fewer steps, more rest stops, a slower pace and a lot more listening to my body than I had anticipated.
But maybe that's exactly the trip we need.
This experience has taught me that slower isn't necessarily worse. Sometimes slowing down allows us to see more, appreciate more and be present for the moments we might otherwise rush past.
So that's exactly what we'll do. We'll take it one step at a time, soak it all in, and be grateful that we're able to go at all.
After all, if the last few weeks have taught me anything, it's that health isn't just about moving forward. Sometimes it's about learning how to slow down and appreciate where you are.
