Grateful Heart & Healing Progress

GoFundMe Goal Reached! 🎉

I'm overwhelmed with joy to share that we've surpassed our initial GoFundMe goal of $14,525!

This incredible milestone was made possible through the generosity of nearly 90 beautiful souls who came together from every chapter of my life and across 25 states. Your collective support has created a tapestry of love that continues to sustain me through each day of recovery.

Medical Milestone: Fewer Drains!

Today brings another reason to celebrate – As many as 4 of my surgical drains should get removed! This might seem like a small thing to some, but it means:

- Significantly reduced daily care needs

- Less strategic planning around tubes (though there will still definitely be a hugely annoying one at my hip)

- Less pain and discomfort with movement

- My body can now redirect more energy toward healing

Having just one drain remaining feels like regaining a piece of my independence, and I'm savoring this victory!

Celebrating Love 🥂

This Sunday marks our one-year anniversary! While this isn't quite the celebration we had envisioned, I'm filled with gratitude beyond measure for my husband, Robie. He has been a phenomenal caregiver throughout this entire journey – patient, compassionate, attentive, and somehow managing to maintain his wonderful sense of humor even during the most challenging moments.

Fresh Air & Freedom ☀️

One of my daily joys has been getting outside for fresh air. Knowing that independent walks would be out of reach for about a month, Robie had mentioned a wheelchair long before it became apparent in the hospital one was necessary, now that we have it- he makes sure to wheel me around our neighborhood. These outings have been precious moments of normalcy and connection with the outside world, feeding my spirit while my body heals.

How's Your #StandingWithShawna Challenge Going?🪑🐒

Are you part of the challenge yet? We're already on day 4 of #StandingWithShawna!

For those participating - how's it going with those hands-free stand-ups? Are you managing to get in all 10 per day? Have your family members joined in? I'd love to hear your stories and experiences as you briefly walk in my shoes (without using your hands for support)!

I turned a corner yesterday with his much easier it is… curious if it'll take 12 days for you…?

Remember, this challenge runs through May 21st, and I'm looking forward to seeing your tags and messages with #StandingWithShawna. This simple practice not only gives you a glimpse into my daily reality but creates a beautiful connection between us during this journey.

If you haven't joined yet and want to know more, just send me a message - there's still plenty of time to participate!

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Post-Surgery Clothing Realities 👗

Before surgery, y'all know I put a lot of effort into clothes! I focused on finding button up items that I could put on with ease and fit the many restrictions...

What I didn't anticipate are the surgical drains now exiting at my hips. These drains require special consideration - not just avoiding pulling clothing over them, but ensuring nothing presses against them. This creates new challenges for getting dressed each day while managing these necessary medical devices. Pants aren't really an option…

And dresses are complicated with wound care…

Oy vey.

Wrap Skirts: A Simple Solution

I've discovered that wrap skirts are the perfect solution for navigating life with surgical drains. They can be secured without disturbing the drains and don't place pressure on sensitive areas. I only need a few wrap skirts to get through this phase of recovery, but they've become an unexpected necessity.

For those asking about practical ways to help beyond your generous donations, this is my current specific need - a simple garment that makes a significant difference in maintaining independence during healing. I added a couple to my Amazon Wishlist!

Looking Forward: Our GoFundMe Stretch Goal💸

As we continue this journey, we're now focusing on our GoFundMe stretch goal of $4,200 to help with quality of life needs during my extended recovery, bringing our new total goal to $18,725. As you may recall from the initial post:

Bi-weekly house cleaning services ($1,800): To maintain a clean, healing environment while I focus on recovery (we've brought in enough $ that I've started working to schedule the first!! What a huge stress relief for Robie and I both!)

Occasional prepared meals during treatment ($2,400): To ease the daily stress of meal preparation. (If you'd prefer to contribute directly to meals, you can also sign up for our Meal Train at: https://bit.ly/SRMeals)

*Note: We've adjusted our original stretch goal by removing art supplies, as several kind souls have already purchased items from Amazon to help get me started with therapeutic creative activities. Thank you!*

Support Options:

- GoFundMe: https://bit.ly/GFMShawna (GoFundMe takes a 3% fee)

- Venmo: @ShawnaRodrigues (fee-free alternative)

I'll be launching the "Being Honest" segment on The Grit Show in early May (the 10-14 hours of daily care since surgery has taken more bandwidth than I anticipated, but with fewer drains, things are looking up!).

Thank you for being part of this journey and for every prayer, kind word, meal, gift, and gesture of support. Each one has created a moment of light during this challenging time.

With a grateful heart,

Shawna