About So Much More Than Gymnastics

We spent all of last year trying to figure out Rapunzel's eczema and how to get it and keep it under control.  I feel like since summer, we've finally gotten a handle on it.  We've figured out several of her triggers, implemented and sustained a helpful skincare regimen, and now her skin is clear and she's feeling good almost all the time!  It's been a long road, and I know we'll still have set backs, but I'm so glad that we've finally gotten to where we are.

One of the things we did last year in an attempt to help her skin, was to limit her extra curriculars.  Because her skin was so bad, there were many days when she had to stay covered, and even wrapped in bandages.  Being outside longer than a few minutes caused her to become itchy.  So there wasn't much as far as sports that she could take part in.  She couldn't even attend Belle's soccer games, so Eric and I had to take turns keeping her home, or finding a friend to watch her during games.

I was so pleased to see how much her skin healed over the summer, and how other than a few small flares, it's stayed healthy as we're coming up on fall.  So around the time we started school this year, we let her choose a sport/activity.  We did specify that it needed to be something indoors, as she gets overheated easily, and it stays hot here into November.  She chose gymnastics.

She had her first class competition today and I wasn't sure how she'd do.  She's only been in the class for a few weeks, and she still deals with a little bit of anxiety (although that has gotten SO MUCH BETTER since her skin has cleared up).  But, the girl did awesome.  There were only a few who earned a 1st place ribbon in all 4 events, and she was one of them.  She totally rocked it!

I was in tears as she stood on the podium and accepted her medal and ribbons.  I just think back to this time last year.  I was in tears as I watched her skin weep and bleed.  I was in tears as she was scared to even take a bath because the water burned her skin.  I was in tears as I applied medicine and bandages to her raw wounds.  I was in tears to the doctors, as I begged and pleaded with them to figure out why it was so bad.  I spent much of this past year in tears.  Wanting to help her but not knowing how.  And now, after pouring our hearts and souls into this journey, I'm in tears over how far she's come.  How far we've all come.