On A Mission
Langston’s concussion headaches subsided after a week, but my husband had decided to hold him out from playing in a game for a full month to make sure he had completely recovered. The good thing was the games scheduled post-recovery were all afternoon games, which means I could attend. Over the next month, we were both on a mission. He wanted to regain his place on the field, and I wanted to be strong enough to enjoy an early birthday surprise we had planned for Preston and attend Langston’s return to the field and my class’s first non-virtual field trip. My husband began training Langston slowly at home to get him back into the swing of things and I stepped it up at therapy. After a couple of weeks, Langston went back to practice and participated in a helmet only. No pads or contact. The following week, he was full contact at practice.
In the meantime, I had mentioned my ambitious goals to my therapist, so she added weighted walking in multiple directions to our sessions. I walked for two minutes in four different directions to build up my stamina. It was a struggle, but I kept my goals in mind and kept pushing. I had also extended my sessions from 45-minutes to an hour. My therapy sessions had always been scheduled for an hour, but my body had not been able to last that long. Each week, I pushed a little more and now I was even more determined. By the end of October, my body needed to be physically ready to handle a week full of family and school activities and I was going to do all I could to get it there.
Game Time
It’s game day, and I’m excited. My body feels good, Langston feels good, and Preston had a good practice this morning. I’d say we’re off to a great start. This is Langston’s first game back since his concussion and since his coach already likes to run a guy we should be using as a tight end as a tailback, I’m really not sure how much playing time he’ll get today. Nevertheless, I’m grateful that my baby is feeling like himself again and am hoping he gets a few snaps.
I was able to get a close parking space, and Kevin came outside the gate to help Preston and me once we parked. We started the game on defense and Langston immediately got to work. He showed no hesitation in running into the crowd to tackle opponents. To my surprise, once we were on offense it was as if his coach also wanted to make up for the lost time. Perhaps it was his effort to prove to the high school head coach that he doesn’t just play our biggest player as all parents had complained. Either way, he ran Langston nearly the whole game. As a parent, I would have been peeved that a kid who missed a month was getting more time than my son who had been at practice, but that day, as his mommy, I was elated to see my baby getting reps. Our coaches nearly gave the game away at the end, but thankfully our boys held on for the win. I was even able to slowly make it to the car after the game without assistance.
Preston’s Big Surprise
It’s three weeks before Preston’s birthday and today he gets the surprise we purchased over the summer. Normally we don’t give gifts this far in advance, but we couldn’t control the timing on this one and the cost constituted it being a birthday gift versus a just because it’s Tuesday surprise. Yesterday, I told Preston that he’d be getting an early birthday gift, so he’s super excited. After picking his brother up early from school, he got surprise number one; one of his buddies that used to be on his gymnastics team met up with us. We went home to get Dad, and all headed to surprise number two. After picking up dinner we arrived at the arena. From the venue, Preston assumed we were going to see a show, but still had no idea what. Of course, the arena was packed, and with our rush to leave, I left my handicap decal at home. We had to park a good distance away and Kevin pushed me in my walker through the parking lot. Once we entered the doors and Preston saw the moniker of Simone Biles the excitement on his face was priceless. We worked our way through the crowd with the boys holding hands and staying close as Kevin was pushing me. After finding our seats, Langston helped me down the stairs and Kevin went to check my walker. I was feeling good for the most part, just needed a little support. If nothing else, I think I was high off Preston and his buddy’s excitement. Once the show started and she was announced they screamed in elation. At various points of the evening, Preston stated “This is the best birthday ever!” The apparel lines were too long to stand in, so we just enjoyed the show. Once it was over, we worked our way through the crowd the same way we came into the venue and spent an hour in the parking lot because there were no officers directing traffic. All three boys were knocked out in the backseat before we made it to the street. I somehow think we managed to top Preston’s desire to go to Legoland Japan for his 8th birthday. Thanks, Simone!
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Join Areia Cobb every 1st & 3rd Tuesday of the month as she shares her road to recovery from COVID-19 and how being a COVID-19 Long Hauler is affecting every aspect of her life; as a wife, mother of two active boys and a working professional. It’s our hope that these journal entries provide hope, inspiration and information as you or your loved one travels your COVID-19 long haul.
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