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Health & Fitness

Halloween ... One More Time

Juliana enjoys Halloween and proudly showing off Chris's new single, One More Time

Juliana was always very fond of Halloween and put a lot of effort into her costumes and sometimes she would help Chris put his together as well. This picture is from Halloween 2008 where Juli was Betty Boop and Chris was George Michael. Juliana drew every hair on his face (that wasn't there already). She put a lot of effort into her costume ideas, a tradition started back when the kids were small and my mother made them all elaborate costumes, sometimes all the kids as a group. One year my mom made them satin costumes to each be characters from Aladdin which won them first place in a costume contest.  It’s no secret that it is a holiday with the opportunity to 'dress up with theatrics' and Juli was never one to miss that opportunity. 

This year she told me "I know what I want to be for Halloween. I am going as 'Chris Medina.'" I was of course amused but that faded quickly when I realized she wasn't going anywhere for Halloween, and then I was just sad for her. Then when her dad told me that they were invited to the Vampires Ball by a local supportive retailer, 'Witchy Wearables' I was very happy for her, but more than that, I was relieved and grateful that this girl who was just as involved with her family as she was her friends would have somewhere to go to enjoy the playful holiday. I can see the fog settling in on her old life. Even though she is slowly regaining some of what she lost, the time that is passing is creating a gap that may never be filled. The longer she takes to recover, the more her former life fades in the distance and the more anxious I get about what her future will look like. From speaking with others in this situation I know that it is common to watch routine, habits and finally friends disappear and before you know it, everything about who she is has to be slowly rewritten. 

She had a very good time going to the party with her dad (although she did not dress as Chris Medina after all) and was recognized by many people and she really liked that. She still is not happy about strangers touching her or giving her hugs and kisses but she definitely likes when people approach her to tell her they know who she is. That is now the face of her social life that once was brimming over with people and activity. Most days I am appreciative that life has been kind enough to give her back the ability to have a social life, and other days I stand next to her and peer down her dark path and see how isolated her life has become, especially compared to how it used to be. I am grateful she still has Chris to cling to, albeit differently than it was before. But that still includes a measure of sadness when I see the two of them separately learning how to be the people they have now become.

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Before the accident the thing she wanted most was for Chris to succeed in music.  She was at every show front and center cheering in full support of his talent. Now that his career is finally taking flight, it is happening in a foreign country and her inclusion is limited to observing his concerts on YouTube. It feels incredibly unfair and I know that fact pains Chris, too. He would love nothing more than for Juliana to still be in the front row but the best option is to just be grateful that he gets to fill the front row with devoted fans. It's not the same as having Juliana present, but then again, it's not a brain injury either.  

Today Juliana got Botox in her finger flexors and her right hand is opening up nicely. Next week she will get a new cast on it and the doctor thinks that will make a big difference. Tomorrow she also gets the cast off and the stitches removed from her left ankle, furthering the healing process. It isn’t pretty but it is a plan.  This moving target is a whole lot of 'not much fun.' The bruise on her pump bump was nothing they could detect from the X-ray so they have concluded there is 'nothing to worry about' ... yeah well, those days are gone forever so I will just keep an eye on it.

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Next week Juliana is celebrating Cheyenne’s birthday and she is almost as excited as Cheyenne: Partially because it’s her sister’s birthday and partially because the day will include skipping therapy, going out to eat and to a movie. Of all of the above, can you guess which element makes her happiest? I will let you think on that a moment. In addition to going to the Halloween party with her dad, Juliana also got to go to a small gathering at a friend's house with Chris. Since he had just arrived home from his trip to France to finish his recordings, he brought with him his new single and another song from his album. Although we had heard them before in the unfinished and a cappella version, this put the polish and shine that made it professional. One More Time is a bona fide follow up hit to What Are Words and we are all very excited for the single and the album release. (Check out the teaser and watch for the release on iTunes.) Juliana was so cute telling everyone about his song and how much she loved it.  She can even sing part of it when we ask her. Chris told her that all but two of the songs on the album are about her and of course, she loves to tell people that as well.  If I didn’t already love Chris, I could love him just for making this part of her former dream come true. 

As for the others ... well, time changes things. Here’s hoping it can change them back, too.

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