team Lena

meet who i affectionately call, team lena...

this is lena with all 3 of her therapists.  amy: speech, kate: physical, abby: occupational.

lena has the most amazing therapists.  each one is a beautiful snapshot to me of how God has woven this whole story together.  if you know the whole story, then you know that TEAMworks & their friendship with 99balloons is how we first heard of our daughter.  these therapists that go on mission to serve orphans in ukraine are all from children's therapy team, which is the clinic where lena now receives her speech, occupational & physical therapy.  they will forever be my heros...this may sound dramatic or over-the-top, but i am as serious as a heart attack.  the ones who leave their busy schedules & husbands & families to go across the world to care for orphans.  the ones who believe in & fight for & love kids in a place where no one else is doing that.  they introduced us to our daughter...heros.  

i'm not sure how to tell them & it may be a bit awkward for me to stop them in their tracks & say it, so i'll just put it here...heros. 

these very same ones who worked with lena for just a few hours in 2009 & 2010 & 2011, are now seeing her ever single week in 2012!!

this is amy(in blue), lena's speech therapist, & abby(in red), lena's occupational therapist, working with her in the orphanage last october.  

and her they are a few weeks ago in our living room.  is that not absolutely remarkable?!  

this is christie & kym working with lena in the orphanage in april of 2010. 

 ((christie is not one of lena's therapists now, but she is a friend & she & her husband have been a faithful & integral part of the first rEcess over the last few years.))

and this is kym (with hazel & anders staring:)) fitting lena for her wheelchair a few weeks ago, in our HOME!  again, remarkable!!  

((kym is definitely one of those heros.  she owns the clinic & is one of the 2 women who began TEAMworks Ukraine))

kate worked with lena in the orphanage in 2009.  i thought i had a picture from that trip, but i can't seem to find it.  i have seen it though & it is really cute because kate was working with baby/toddler lena:)

kate & her husband ross helped start 99balloons.  the cullys deserve their own post, as their friendship, faithfulness & hearts have impacted matt & i in huge ways.  as we were dreaming & praying of ways to serve special needs kids in those months after eliot passed away, a mutual friend introduced kate & i.  it was in barnes & noble one night in spring of 2007.  after continued talks with kate & ross, they sat in our living room with the first 99balloons board of directors & dreamed it all up with us.  again, a whole post could be devoted to them, but i'll stop now.  back to lena.  

here is kate & lena now::

 

kate walked lena to the park on our street & back on thursday.  lena got fitted for her walker a week before this & she is doing great...learning & getting more used to it every time:)

so, team lena are truly amazing.  i love them.  i love that they all worked with her at different times in ukraine.  i love that they love her & are patient with her & push her & teach & encourage matt & i in so many ways.  i love that i struggle to let them come in & work with lena because they are so cool that i just want to pour a cup of tea & sit & talk with them.  i love that somewhere in the middle of mouth massages & muscle stretches, we find ourselves tearing up in my entryway talking about other precious ukrainian orphans that we all have held & pray for & love so dearly & refuse to forget.  

love them. thankful beyond words.

& now, completely unrelated, more pictures of lena in her walker, just because she's so stinkin cute.