Day 2

There’s never a good way to share hard news, but this seems to be the best way to spread news to those we love and know best… as we need all of the positive thoughts and vibes sent our way right now.

Ryan and I are currently in Canada, where we were traveling to visit some friends and spend a weekend at a cottage in Bancroft. Unfortunately on Saturday morning Ryan was in a snowmobiling accident, which resulted in the displacement of two vertebrae near his neck, leaving him with no feelings in his legs.

We were airlifted to Kingston General Hospital, where he had a five-hour surgery. As of right now, we will be here for at least a few weeks to allow him to recover enough for us to safely transfer him back to Columbus, where we will finish his recovery.

Ryan is in good spirits and as I’m sure all of you know, being a strong trooper. I will try to continue to update everyone the best that I can. Please keep us in your thoughts as we continue down this road of recovery. — Kelsey Danley

Day 3

I’m currently sitting here watching my husband get some much needed sleep while I try to catch up on communications with friends and family before heading to bed myself. Tears were immediately brought to my eyes as I read the countless comments, shares, donations, supportive words, and just plain generosity from all of you!

It’s not an ideal place to be in when you’re this far from home and can’t relieve your loved one of pain, but this man has been tougher than ever. I’ve been sharing all of your texts, comments, and the growing total of his GoFundMe page with him throughout the day. All we can say is… WOW! I may not be able to ease his physical pain, but I’ve been able to share your supportive words that brings him comfort and encouragement.

We are beyond fortunate to have such a great support system and can’t begin to find the words to thank each and every one of you! This is truly a testament of how amazing and selfless this man is — not to mention how unbelievably strong he has been these past couple of days, while still maintaining his calm and collective personality.

Today has been a slow, but good day. We’re hoping to be transferred out of ICU tomorrow and move to the neurology floor for continued recovery and slowly start some forms of physical therapy to help regain movement in his lower limbs. I’m currently trying to manage all three phones, but please still feel free to reach out as I’ll make sure to relay your message to him. Love and miss you all! — Kelsey Danley

Day 5

We’re already off to a GREAT start!

Ryan is having more range of motion with both arms AND he was able to identify when we were touching his right pinky toe. Still no sensation in other areas of the legs, but this is amazing news. I’m smiling from ear to ear this morning. Today is going to be a good day! Hope everyone back in the Midwest is staying warm today! — Kelsey Danley

Day 7

Today marks one week since Ryan’s accident and he continues to improve more and more each day. Yesterday we got him up in his chair, but this time he was sitting up straight and stayed in it for over three hours. Ryan was later moved to the neurology floor, where we will stay until our transport back home. We had a great night smiling and laughing with family visiting from DC and some of our Canadian friends. Laughter helps heal all.

I also wanted to let everyone know that due to our GoFundMe page being setup in Canada, all donations were in Canadian currency, so the site is displayed in CAD total. This just means you will see a difference on your withdrawals for donations due to current exchange rates. Current exchange is US $1 = CAD $0.75. We seriously can’t thank you enough for your generosity to help us focus on Ryan’s recovery.

We are looking forward to being back in the buckeye state once a bed opens up at Dodd Rehabilitation Hospital, hopefully early next week. Until the next update — The Danleys

Day 9

It’s crazy how fast your life can change in the matter of seconds. Ryan went from having a blast snowmobiling to just moments later facing the scariest and most painful moment of his life. I haven’t talked much about the accident itself because it was truly a fluke accident. I was still sleeping and woke up to the words… Ryan has been in an accident. My first response was, ‘You’re joking, right?’ As soon as I heard the word no, my body immediately jumped up, bundled up in whatever I could find and had someone rush me to him. I knew I had to be strong for him and to be calm in the chaos. I sat there kissing his forehead and telling him everything was going to be okay.

Within hours (or what felt like 20 minutes) of waking up, I was already in a helicopter having my husband airlifted to a hospital in a city I’d never been. But, it didn’t freak me out as much as I thought it would to be in that situation? Adrenaline was obviously a big factor, but I stayed calm and kept reassuring Ryan he was going to be okay. I just knew it was all going to be okay, eventually.

Everything went so fast when we got to the hospital… it was a CT scan then straight to an MRI, immediately followed by spinal cord surgery. I forgot to charge my phone the night before so I had about 30% battery life and no charger. I anxiously paced the hallways of the hospital during his five-hour surgery, waiting to talk to someone, but not use my phone so I could still make necessary calls. I did however have access to a desktop computer in the waiting room, where I sat and researched the different levels of spinal cord injuries and the different functions of each vertebrae. Spinal cord injury is no joke…

It’s just crazy to sit here and think about the day to day tasks we take for granted. Not realizing how much our bodily functions depend on those connections in the back of your neck. Like being able to wiggle around in bed to readjust your pillows. Or getting out of bed to walk to the bathroom. Or simply being able to fully cough and clear your throat.

He is doing so well with his recovery and gaining more independence every day. The mornings are always the hardest as we wake up and continue to keep fighting harder each day. Yesterday, he was able to do things like brush his teeth, a task that used to be done without thought, but is currently exhausting. This is going to be one of the many things he’s going to have to relearn, but I am confident that he will overcome it all.

Ryan told me yesterday his goal is to get our mail and walk into our house. Something that used to be such an easy, mindless task. But you best believe, we are going to accomplish that goal and so much more. We are alive. We are healthy. We are strong. We are safe. We are loved. We are stronger together. Crosses fingers for news today of an opening in Columbus. Love always — The Danleys

Day 13

Some happy Friday night news from Kingston… we received word earlier today that Ryan officially has a spot at Dodd Rehab! After doing some research and consulting with our doctors, we’ve decided that land travel is going to be the most comfortable ride back home. If everything goes as planned, we should be headed back next week.

All-in-all, I’m just so excited to know we have a confirmed spot and one step closer to getting back to the states. Ryan has been doing well. We continue to see positive signs towards recovery each day. All 31 of his staples were removed yesterday so we even have a few souvenirs to come home with — thank you for your continued thoughts and positive vibes sent our way. — Kelsey Danley

Day 16

On Friday night, I thought I had missed the window to get any weekend transportation scheduled. That was until we received an unexpected call to our hospital room late last night, stating an ambulance was about an hour away to bring us home. The news we’ve been waiting for, we were heading home!

600 miles and 10 hours later, I can officially say that we are back in Ohio as of early this morning. To all of our friends and family wanting to visit, we will be getting settled at Dodd the next few days. Please reach out to me if you would like to visit Ryan as I get to know the visiting hours and setup at our new location. — Kelsey Danley

Day 19

My apologies for the delay in updates this week, but we’ve been busy! We just wrapped up day four of rehab and so far, we are loving Dodd. They had us hit the ground running as soon as we arrived Monday morning, which is exactly what we were hoping for — we absolutely love the staff here and are happy to be back closer to our home.

As I’m sure you were all expecting to hear, Ryan has been pushing himself in all of his therapy, so we’re exhausted by the end of the day. We’ve been working a lot on regaining grip strength in his hands, balance while sitting as we re-strengthen his core, and a lot of the other day-to-day activities. Sleep is still a little hard to come by as we still have to be checked on throughout the night, but we get it when we can.

Ryan will be receiving at least three hours of physical therapy every day among other educational classes and activities. We have a pretty tight schedule during the day, but we like it! Today we did some work using a tilt table to give Ryan the ability to feel his weight in his lower limbs, so we snapped a quick picture with my Valentine.

As of right now, they have estimated that we will be here for at least four weeks followed by out-patient therapy. I am so unbelievably proud of this man. His drive and passion for success is going to take him so far! We still haven’t seen any movement in his lower limbs, but he continues to have increased sensation of touch higher and higher through his legs.

Being positive is the best healing power and we’ve still got tons of it. Thank you to everyone that has continued to reach out. I don’t know what we’d do without all of your love and support! Due to our strict therapy schedule, please reach out to me if you would like to visit Ryan, so I can help coordinate the best time for visits. Love always — Kelsey Danley

Day 21

Day 24

Day 28

It’s been 28 days since the accident and I am absolutely blown away by Ryan’s progress in such a short amount of time. Some days it feels like it’s been way longer as some days feel like weeks, while others fly by. Every morning, Ryan and I start our day by reflecting on all of his victories. I’ve been keeping a list of milestones he’s hit so far to serve as a daily reminder that he is making significant progress.

We want you to follow along too, so here’s a video of our journey, starting from our stay in Canada all the way up to Ryan’s first two weeks in rehab. We still have a very long road on this journey, but my list of his accomplishments continues to grow every day. For example, he now has the feeling of touch below his knees and inside/outside his thighs. Ryan has also been able to start distinguishing hot/cold on his forearms. I was even able to complete my first chair transfer with him all by myself along with many other things the nursing staff and physical therapist have been teaching me.

We’ve also got to play with some pretty cool things to help bring back function in his left hand, triceps, and legs using an electrical stimulation and zero gravity weight belt on the treadmill. There is currently a running joke in rehab that Ryan is the Mayor of Dodd, because as you can guess… this man knows no strangers. We have met some of the greatest patients during our stay so far, talk about some inspiring and motivational stories.

We are so thankful for the wonderful staff here at Dodd and can’t wait to see his continued progress next week. Thank you again for the continued thoughts and positive vibes being sent our way. We are feeling the love daily and are so thankful for each and every one of you! I’ve finally deleted some voicemails, so my inbox isn’t full anymore.

And, if you’ve reached out and have not heard back from us, know that we are reading each and every message being sent our way. As you can see, we’ve had a lot of visitors and our therapy schedule keeps us pretty busy. Not too much down time in between therapy, meals, and sleeping right now, but we continue to fight harder every day. — The Danleys

Day 29

Scooted Ryan over to make some room for me today. Lazy Sunday after six straight days of therapy. We spent it napping, watching movies, and eating all the snacks. Some of the best healing is resting healing. — Kelsey Danley

Day 36

We wrapped up week three of rehabilitation, and Ryan continues to keep us inspired by his hard work, as well as entertained with his jokes and analogies, on a daily basis. He keeps the therapists on their toes to figure out when to take him serious, but what fun would therapy be without that? We’re trying out a standing wheelchair right now as we try to determine what’s the best option for Ryan.

A standing chair allows his muscles to be stretched out and reduces the level of tightness in his joints and muscles. It also helps to improve bone density by placing extra pounds on his bones compared to sitting down. We’re still battling some low blood pressures when in the standing position, but it’s a normal reaction and is getting better day-by-day. When we first arrived at Dodd, Ryan completed a function in sitting test that is scored on a scale of 1-56.

He originally scored a four, but when he retested this past week, he scored a 40! He also started working on some solo board transfers, got some practice using a manual wheelchair, and got up in the zero gravity belt a few times. Due to his great progress thus far, our discharge date has been extended another week, which we’re really excited about — Ryan’s #1 advice to everyone lately… “Don’t ever break your neck!”

This has been the craziest journey we’ve had thus far in life. It’s a very taxing recovery, mentally and physically, but this man continues to fight harder each and every day. We continue to learn more and improve each day as we start to adapt to our new ‘right now.’ As of right now, he still isn’t to a place where he can return your texts, so chances are very likely that you’re speaking to me if you’ve reach out to his phones. He loves to hear about each and every one of you reaching out and supporting us during this time. We feel the love and positive energy radiating in our direction, daily.

Looking forward to seeing what week four has in store for us. — Kelsey Danley

Day 44

Here we go… some quick highlights and victories since our last update:

1) We had some movement in Ryan’s left thumb and pointer finger this last week. Let’s Go! 2) My amazing stepdad built us an outstanding ramp for our house yesterday as we prep for our arrival home next week. We love you, Brian! 3) We’ve been able to participate in a couple off-site outings during our stay here at Dodd. So far, we’ve been to Target and an adaptive gym, where Ryan got to try out some new toys and play some wheelchair basketball. I may have got to play too.

4) Our family, friends, co-workers, and rehab team continue to shower us with so much love and guidance. Your words and visits keep our spirits high and our hearts full. 5) Positive thinking truly does bring happiness, health, and success. One must believe and feel they can overcome any obstacle or difficulty. This recovery is no different for us. We continue to push towards our goal of getting Ryan back on his feet and refuse to think otherwise.

#PositiveVibesOnly we continue to be amazed by the healing power of the human body. Ryan was left paralyzed from the chest down after the shift of his C7 and T1 vertebrae compressing into his spinal cord. But, here we are 44 days later, and he now only has numbness in the top of his thighs and triceps. He is also slowly getting higher sense of touch in his lower back, abs, and legs. X-rays show that his spinal fusion is looking great and we got to see a peak of all the hardware in the back of his neck now.

This also means he’s been cleared to not wear his neck brace unless he wants to during therapy sessions. Even though there are no definite answers in the world of spinal cord recovery, his doctors and therapist are very impressed with his recovery so far. We’ve still got a long road ahead of us, but we’re here for the ride. — Kelsey Danley

Day 50

Our discharge date for in-patient therapy has been extended for another week!

Although, we’re ready to be back at home with our cat, Mozzie, and our own kitchen, we’re happy to be staying here a little bit longer as we prepare for our transition home.

Unfortunately, we are also mourning the passing of my grandma Toni, as we celebrate her life this week. Here’s a quick update from the man himself. — Kelsey Danley

Day 54

The road to recovery isn’t always roses and rainbows… We love sharing the road to Ryan’s recovery to keep everyone in the loop as well as educating everyone about spinal cord injuries (SCI), but it is not always easy. We have been told since day one that each SCI is different. There are different levels, different severity grades, and just different bodies.

You can have two people with the exact same level of injury, but one may recover more than the other. Some of this is due to things like age, health, and simply because your body is different and heals differently. We were also told before surgery that there was a chance of him never having feeling below his injury or walking again, but look at him now. He’s got a lot of feeling and sensation back and is getting stronger each day.

I am so proud of him, not only because of his strength through his therapy sessions, but for being willing to share his recovery (the good and the bad), and being a positive light throughout his experience. SCI is a rare injury and I’m sure some of you may not understand what it means when I’ve talked about Ryan’s injury. When his C7 and T1 vertebrae were shifted, it was compressing his spinal cord, which results in swelling of the spinal cord.

Swelling of the spinal cord results in paralysis because the nerve signals cannot run from the brain past the level of injury. Essentially, there is something in the middle of the spinal cord blocking the nerves to run down. Your spinal cord not only controls sensory and motor function, but also regulates body temperature, digestion, and contractions of blood vessels. However, because Ryan’s injury is incomplete that means over time his spinal cord swelling will go down, and there is potential for the nerves to learn a new path through the spinal cord.

We have been posting videos and photos showing us extremely happy, and how well rehab is going. On the flip side, you don’t feel how extremely difficult it is at the same time. We want to show everyone that we do struggle each and every day, and we are going through some of the biggest challenges of our entire lives. There is so much I could tell you… from our journey, the major struggles we’re facing, becoming a caregiver, adapting to our new life, and just general knowledge about spinal cords.

Or things like celebrating a birthday, mourning a loss of a loved one, while living at a hospital. Ryan may have felt bad that we couldn’t do anything special for my birthday, but the fact that he is still here today is all I could ever ask for — this time next year, we’ll be off celebrating my 30th birthday and hopefully this will all be a distant memory.

I know I’ve said it before, but we truly can’t thank you enough for all your kind words, positive comments, and just down right genuine caring and loving for us during this time. Just remember… you can have a bad day or a bad five minutes. Love — The Danleys

Day 59

Guess what? We’re home!

Which means we’re now able to have guests at our home! I can’t wait for this next chapter of our journey to recovery. After 59 days in a hospital, it just feels good to be back in our own space. We will be starting out-patient therapy tomorrow at OSU’s Marth Morehouse! — Kelsey Danley

Day 79

Whew! It’s hard to believe we’ve already been home for two weeks now. We’ve been getting settled into our new routines and have been going hard at out-patient rehabilitation. Since our last update, Ryan has gained more arm strength, more trunk control, significant improvement in his posture, and among other things, he’s officially been free from pain medicine since we got home.

I’ve learned so many things through this process so far. For example, the wheelchair ordering process. For starters, they are wildly overpriced. And did you know it takes on average 90 days for a wheelchair order to be created, submitted, and approved by insurance, then finally having the chair built and shipped? We are a little over a month in the process of getting Ryan’s electric chair, similar to what we were using at in-patient therapy.

But regardless of the wheelchair ordered, you’re sent home with a chair equivalent to an airport transport chair. These chairs have wheels positioned further back, making it very difficult for Ryan to push himself. Thanks to everyone’s support on our GoFundMe page, we were able to purchase a manual chair that is arriving on Monday!

Also, did I mention that the manual wheelchair will be 20 pounds lighter than the loaner too? This way, we’ll be able to have a chair that is fit for Ryan and will give him the mobility to get himself around until we finally get his electric chair this summer. In other news, Ryan has officially taken back over the management of his phones, so if you reach out to him you’ll be hearing from him from now. We can’t thank you enough for all the support and keeping us in your thoughts. — Kelsey Danley

Day 81

Someone got a new set of wheels today!

Day 91

Yesterday was three months since Ryan’s snowmobiling accident. Although life looks a little, okay a lot different right now, we’ve grown and learned so much during this time. It’s pushing us to adapt to a different norm, but it’s also brought light to so many beautiful things around us. There has been a lot of things we could add to the ‘not being able to do right now’ column, but there’s also been a lot in our ‘great opportunities’ column as well.

I can’t begin to put myself in Ryan’s shoes, but I know he’s fighting harder than he ever has before. Each day brings its own set of challenges and new opportunities. For 90 days, Ryan hasn’t been able to move his lower limbs, how quickly life can change. We haven’t been able to sleep in the same bed yet, but we’ve spent more time together, had some of our best conversations, have been showered with so much love and support from everyone around us, and most of all we’ve developed a deeper understanding and appreciation for the human body.

It’s amazing to see what changes we’ve seen already; heck, we spent 59 of those days in the hospital. Sometimes, it’s easy to get discouraged on the day when it feels like things aren’t moving along as fast as we’d like, but when we really think about the times not too long ago that Ryan would dread having to even get up into a chair at all, and now we’re up for the majority of the day in one way or another.

He’s getting around a little bit more in his manual chair, but due to arm and grip strength, he’s only able to go short distances on his own. This means that I am still pushing him the majority of the time, so the wait continues until our electric chair is finally here. Between doctor appointments and therapy sessions, we keep pretty busy during the week, but it gets us out and about. We’re slowly adventuring out more with the nicer weather peaking out lately too. Overall, our first month of therapy has been going well.

We’ve been putting in a lot of work on the treadmill to continue to strengthen Ryan’s trunk support and get some assisted movement in his legs. Our current focus with out-patient therapy is to regain as much function as possible in his left hand while continuing to strengthen his right hand. Although his right hand is and has been the stronger hand, we still have a lot of strength to regain in his grip and pinching before he is closer to where he was before the accident.

Another factor involved in spinal cord injuries that we’ve been dealing with lately is temperature regulation. Ryan seems to always be running cold, yet sweats like crazy at night. and he only really sweats above the level of his injury. To give you an example, earlier this week, I was in the car in a tank top, my side of the car vents turned off and Ryan in a sweatshirt and the heat blasting. On a real note, life has been an adjustment lately as I’m sure you can imagine. I’ve been back to work since we returned to Ohio back in February.

I am very fortunate to be able to work remotely with flexible hours so that I can be where my family needs me most. Thank you to my co-workers and bosses for your support and helping me through this time. Shout out to my Cardinal Health family! This past week, we were able to take Ryan into see his Honda family. We actually had to move to a different conference room because of the number of people who stopped by to see him!

For as tragic as this accident has been, we truly are so fortunate for our overall situation. We’ve had countless visitors, calls and FaceTimes, cards, donations, meals, and just pure love and positive energy from all of you. I can’t imagine what this situation would look like without all of you. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Every little bit of help has allowed me to give Ryan the best tools for success in his recovery. Love always — The Danleys

Day 100

Day 114

Ryan posted the following on Facebook last week and I wanted to share his pure, honest, and vulnerable words for those that may not have seen.

I cannot begin to describe what it’s like to be a prisoner in my own body, unable to move. I can’t tell you what it’s like to go from being in the best shape of your life to watching your body atrophy and being able to do nothing about it. I can’t tell you what it’s like to wear a diaper as a 30-year-old man. I can’t describe the mind fuck that one goes through having an ailment with no cure or being labeled as ‘disabled.’

I can’t tell you what it’s like to turn 30, entering the best years of your life after fighting and fighting to better myself only to have it all halt 22 days later. But, I can tell you one thing: I lived. Life may not ever be the same, but I’ll never give up. This is just right now. And right now, the parking is better. I can’t step on legos. I get a lifetime pass to all the national parks. I get on airplanes first. I ALWAYS have somewhere to sit. And I’m finding out just how beautiful people can be. Love is getting me through this — so much love.

Thank you all and let’s spread love together!

Ryan continues to be his humorous self while sharing one of his hardest life challenges yet. Sometimes, it’s hard to describe how much Ryan has already improved as we’re living it day to day. So, Ryan put together this video to show the progression of his treadmill training so far. And my has he come a long way… I’ll let you watch to see for yourself. Much of his physical therapy consists of his body weight supported by gait training on a treadmill. This type of training helps with posture, core and neck strength, maintaining bone density, blood flow, and has so many other benefits.

While therapists are manipulating his legs, Ryan thinks about moving them. The theory is through neuroplasticity, he can help remake some of those connections. On February 21, collar, hand rails, front spotter, almost falling over and struggling in general — on April 8, weird arm training, makeshift head support because his neck was weak and bouncing like a chicken — on May 14, better posture, improved core strength, and minimal neck bounce.

During our latest progress report at therapy, Ryan met or exceeded expected progress based on the time since his accident. From a medical perspective, the future is still unknown, but we fully believe he will be back. We’re still seeing changes day by day and those little changes add up to big gains over time. He’s getting increased sensation throughout his legs, gaining strength in right hand/arms/abdomen, and looking more and more like himself each and every day. So taking the time to sit down and see this progress is giving us that extra motivation to keep charging forward.

Love — The Danleys

It’s been a little while since we’ve updated you on what the heck has been going on with us, so here it goes: Our weeks consist of therapy, starting and finishing Game of Thrones, and enjoying some much-needed sunshine on our back porch.

We even put up a window bird feeder by Ryan’s window to enjoy some bird watching. Ryan’s recovery continues to progress in a positive direction, though at a much slower rate than anyone would like. Our newest trick to share is getting Ryan up in these stall bars my mom and step-dad built for us. These give Ryan an opportunity to bear weight in his feet and allow more oxygenated blood reach areas that are prone to pressure when in the seated position.

We’ve had two new milestones at therapy - Ryan moved to a new harness for the treadmill that provides less support as his core is getting stronger. He also used 40 lbs. on each arm for Lat pulldowns, a big jump from the 3lbs he used to be able to do! We’ve been focusing on living in the present moment and full heartedly believe you define YOUR destiny.

You must feed your mind with positivity. We believe that everything happens for a reason and have already been able to take so much away from this experience. I personally feel like it’s pushed me to see what I can truly handle, learning to advocate for my family, and finding my inner voice. We’ve also gained a new appreciation for handicap parking and accessible buildings, the importance of educating yourself through research, networking, and sharing our story.

After being together for more than nine years now, I would have said we knew each other pretty well, but I feel more connected to Ryan in these past four months than ever before. All of our previous bickering topics disappeared, our inside jokes tripled, and our love for one another is immeasurable. I thought I knew what deep true love felt like and how to show it, but I was so wrong. I can’t image what it would have been like coming back without Ryan, my heart still sinks even thinking of that being a possibility.

So, although being a caretaker is one of the biggest undertakings I’ve ever done, it’s worth every single second to be able to sit front row to see the miraculous ways the body can heal. We’ve started a new GoFundMe Page that is in U.S. currency instead of Canadian to help ease the process of getting raised funds to our family. This road is a long one and we’ve just begun.

We are currently working on changing the floors in our home as Ryan is unable to independently maneuver around house and trying to purchase a FES (Functional Electrical Stimulation) Bike, which uses generated, low-level electrical pulses to the leg muscles. FES bikes provide coordinated contractions via electricity and the motion of pedaling, which provides real aerobic exercise, boosts heart and lung function, improves strength and circulation, and builds muscle mass.

Having access to more therapy equipment at home allows Ryan to get in more therapy outside of our outpatient appointments. Please start to follow us on Ryan’s New Page: www.gofundme.com/ryandanley I will continue to use this platform to post progress updates on this journey for everyone to follow along with us! This is a completely new world for us, and we want to use this as an opportunity to help educate others as well. Every dollar, comment, and share we deeply appreciate. We absolutely love hearing all of your positive encouragement and kind words during this time, you keep us pushing! — Kelsey Danley

Day 147

Enjoyed a fun day at the Dayton Air Show!

Day 149

Instagram is where you post highlights. I guess that’s why I haven’t posted about me breaking my neck. I was devastated. I was a huge proponent of fitness and spent over five years weight training to create what I thought was the perfect me. Sure, some of it was vanity, but the gym became my happy place. It made me feel great.

After my accident I lost 30 lbs. I now weigh five lbs. more than my high school weight. Back to square one… that hurt. My homie, Samantha Shea, introduced me to her sister Mika Zazon and she’s huge in the positive body movement. It took her inspiration for me to realize that no matter what, I still love my body.

My legs don’t work (right now). My left hand doesn’t work (right now) and I’m skinnylicious, but I’m grateful for my body and I’m grateful to be here. I survived. Now it’s time to recover! #SpinalCordInjury — Ryan Danley

Day 152

This is my homie Molly. I met Molly during my inpatient rehab stay and since then she’s been special to me. Being paralyzed or having Lazy Leg Syndrome as she likes to call it, is brutal. Going through it is easier when you have someone who understands. Molly and I compare notes about what we’re feeling, share info, and send each other words of encouragement.

Sometimes we like to just see if the other is smiling since smiles are hard to come by some days. Our families have also become friends and share knowledge and resources. It’s a beautiful thing. Like me, Molly has decided not to drink alcohol until she walks. Can’t wait to pop bottles together my friends. We WILL walk! Much love – Ryan Danley

Day 153

I don’t share moments like these… does anyone really?

Social media is primarily about posting highlights, but it’s also okay to be vulnerable. Not all mornings, but many mornings start off like this… waking up and realizing we have a lot of the same routines to go through again, more appointments, and fighting for the drive to keep pushing.

But instead of letting these moments define our day, we let the tears flow, hug each other a little tighter, then wipe those tears and face the day. It’s okay to have these moments. You can have five minutes, but never let that direct the rest of your day. There hasn’t been one day that we haven’t been able to dig deep and get out of bed or cancelled a therapy session.

It’s been almost exactly a year since I got my little wrist tattoo… a simple symbol that means ‘stay open to change and keep moving forward.’ I didn’t know this is what life would look like for us a year later, but it still rings so true. We’re open to the changes that come with this injury, but we’re not letting it keep us from pushing forward.

I have a good feeling, things will look completely different for us in a year from now, in the best ways possible. — Kelsey Danley

Day 155

We’ve been very fortunate overall in terms of accessibility changes needed for our ranch home. Some have been as simple as just removing things. Instead of completely renovating our master bathroom, we just removed the glass shower doors, removed the toilet to open up space to get to the shower, and removed the bathroom door.

One major change we did need to do was changing the flooring. Due to multiple floor transitions and plush carpet, Ryan was only truly able to move freely in our kitchen. But not anymore. This week, we were able to have new floors installed, allowing Ryan to finally move throughout our entire home. It was quite the undertaking but the results made it all worth it.

This wouldn’t of been possible without the generous donations from so many loving friends and family. We love you! — The Danleys

Day 161

One thing is for sure, this injury hasn’t kept us from witnessing the marriage of our dearest friends this year! So happy we were able to celebrate the nuptials of Hannah and Steve this past weekend. — The Danleys

Day 186

This past Friday, we celebrated the six month anniversary of Ryan’s accident. I am so freaking proud of the hard work and dedication he has put into his recovery so far. He truly continues to amaze me every day. During our latest therapy progress note, Ryan’s right hand grip strength has doubled since we started out-patient back in April. A hand that could previously not pull a tissue from a box is now able to shake a hand and open a bottle. Now to work on being able to press spray bottles as we continue to strengthen his fingers.

The left hand has slowly been making an appearance as well with some new finger movement in his ring finger! Slow and steady wins the race. But, that’s not it! Ryan is still having increased sensation throughout his entire body and gaining core strength and balance. We’ve even been able to stand face-to-face a little as Ryan keeps getting stronger standing in his stall bars.

We’ve met some pretty stellar people along the way. One in particular, Molly, has been a positive shining light as we travel through this journey together. Her family has treated us like her own and invited us to their lake house this past weekend, where we were able to get Ryan out on a boat and some floating time! It’s been great to have a resource for bouncing ideas and research off as we navigate this recovery… and heck just having someone to know what you’re going through. We love you, guys!

I can’t wait to see what another six months will bring in Ryan’s recovery! — Kelsey Danley

Day 198

Kelsey,

It was not supposed to be like this until we grew old, one of us caring for the other.

We have not argued since the accident, a fact often met with disbelief from people. Lucky for us, we no longer live constrained by the opinion of others for we know firsthand the fragility of life and therefore live on our own terms. How silly bickering over the thermostat now seems. When I’m cold you simply bring me a quilt, tuck me in, and ask if I’m okay.

You have seen me at my lowest, a depth I previously thought reserved for melodramatic films and perhaps those with extreme and mental disorders. How unnerving the feeling of not wanting to live yet not wanting to die. How exhausting the emotional gauntlet of teetering between wanting to give up and wanting to press on. How hard it is to have to fight so hard for abilities I once had and lost in a blink of an eye. Abilities I watch everyone around me take for granted. How lonely this place could be! But it is not, for I have you.

When you cradle me in your arms, I melt as my sorrows fade away. I can think of nothing else besides your warmth and the steady beat of your tender heart. You set and slow the pace of our breath, and I become calm. In those moments, I am present. All I need is right here. You are my world.

I wish everyone could see your strength. I wish everyone knew how you wake up in the middle of the night to care for me without complaint. Sometimes even with a smile, soft like the closet light which illuminates it during those morning hours. My duties are now yours. You carry the heavy groceries, tinker on the gadgets, and open jars. And you somehow still find time to quilt and grow tomatoes. These words only scratch the surface of your sacrifice.

You are a real life superhero, and my role model.

My search for the meaning in this situation tends to lead me always to a theme of love. We have been shown so much love by friends, family, and even strangers. And my, has our love grown! I love you more than anything in the entire universe and that will never change.

“If you want to leave me, I understand,” I uttered to you in the hospital, to which you replied poetically, “Shut the fuck up! I’m not going anywhere!” On this day of our second anniversary, I make that same promise to you. As long as I have you, this fight is all worth it. I’m not going anywhere! You give me meaning. I will never be able to thank you enough for all that you have done. I love you, always and forever. Here’s to many more.

— Ryan

Ryan,

To avoid bringing tears to everyone’s eyes twice in one day, I’ll leave you with this…

Today may not look as we had previously envisioned, but it’s exactly where we’re meant to be. The challenges we’ve faced, laughs we’ve shared, and struggles we’ve pushed through have made us who we are.

I love you more today than I’ve every loved you before. And would pick you as my husband again and again! You are my everything and there is nothing in this world I wouldn’t do for you.

Today and everyday… I love you, always and forever!

Happy anniversary, my love!

— Kelsey

Day 205

Photo booth fun at Megan and Abe’s Wedding!

Day 216

Each year, Honda hosts a multi-day learning summit where HR/Learning representatives from each company across North America come together to foster alignment, share initiatives and resources, and spend time together. The theme this year was “Know, Show, Grow Your Passion.”

I had the honor to tell my story as the closing speaker for this event. I recounted my accident and shared tales of my hospital experiences. I spoke of my physical struggles and the new reality in which I now reside. And for the first time publicly, I disclosed the depths of my mental turmoil.

I went out to describe how through my search for meaning, I realized how fortunate I am. I spoke of my family and friends, who are helping me get through this, I spoke of lessons I have learned, and the meaningful interactions I have had with others. Through these things I was able to foster hope.

I also spoke of how freaking fortunate I am to work for Honda. I spoke of the financial devastation that can occur as a result of a spinal cord injury and how I saw others unable to purchase necessary items. And how I witnessed others only allowed to spend 1-2 weeks in inpatient rehabilitation, where I got to spend the full recommended six weeks.

Life looks a lot different now, but my passions remain the same. Love is getting me through this — I am grateful for my wonderful colleagues who organized this event and invited me to be a part of it. I am grateful for Honda striving to be “a company that society wants to exist.” Some companies talk a big game in news articles, but Honda truly lives its core value of ‘Respect for the Individual.’ If you are in the market for a vehicle, consider buying #HondaForDanley — Ryan Danley

Day 226

September is Spinal Cord Awareness Month, but did you know it’s only been dedicated as such since 2014? This injury has just recently starting to get the recognition and research funds it deserves to try to find a cure, which is mind blowing to me. Can you imagine what it must be like to lose your ability to move? A functionality each and every one of us take for granted on a daily basis.

When was the last time you observed your hands, the function of each of your fingers? How they move so easily without thought, providing you the ability to pinch, type, pickup items, open a bottle, play an instrument, prepare food… the list goes on and on.

What about the use of your legs? Quickly jumping up to run to answer the door, readjusting yourself in bed, maneuvering through tight spaces, getting into a car, or the simplest of them all… taking one step or wiggling a toe. Before the accident, I had never known anyone with a spinal cord injury, nor did I know much about it in general. I sat at the computer in that empty ICU waiting room looking up everything I could about spinal cords, savoring the few percentages of battery I had left on my phone waiting for my husband to get out of surgery.

But now, I’m having a hard time summarizing everything I want to share about what I’ve learned over the past seven months. The #1 thing I learned very quickly is that this type of injury could happen to anyone, anytime yet there is such a small chance of it happening to you. We’ve read and heard of stories that vary so greatly, some may be a simple trip while others involve very serious motor vehicle accidents. There are around 17,500 new spinal cord injuries every year in the U.S., with males making up 81% of new cases.

Along with the loss of movement, the injury also presents you with a mental health roller coaster that isn’t always publicized. You are mourning the loss of movement and the loss of independence, such as being unable to get out of bed on your own, loss of being able to control your bowel/bladder… to name a few. You become a prisoner of your own body, having to rely on someone else to help with so many daily needs.

It is also full of many unknowns. Some label it as incurable yet many have overcome unbeatable odds? There is and will always be hope! Each and every spinal cord injury is unique, even in regard to injuries at the same vertebrae levels. I challenge you to be more mindful of your movements this month, take time to observe and appreciate the smaller things in life. Slow down, take a moment to look around, and be present with your current surroundings.

We’ll keep pushing and fighting the good fight… because we WILL overcome the unbeatable odds. #RallyForRyan — Kelsey Danley

Day 230

There are only four words that mean so much more than I love you, and those words are I am here for you. — Kelsey Danley

Day 237

The news article read: “American suffers ‘life-altering’ injuries…”

It makes me feel uneasy reading that. The possibility that our life may never be the same. But it’s true, especially mentally. This experience has reshaped how we live our life. How Ryan and I operate as a couple. Opened my mind to understand different situations, people, and value of happiness.

Before the accident, I thought I would of freaked out and panicked when faced with such a challenge. In fact, I was sure I would have. Anxiety flooding my mind trying to figure out what the heck to do. Quick decisions were required. Along with other personal development items I had claimed ‘couldn’t be changed overnight.’

Come to find out it was all possible, in the blink of an eye.

I became ME. Confident in my decisions and my voice, jumping up to immediately start advocating for my husband. Who was this person? Some days I used to be so indecisive I could hardly pick out where to eat dinner, too shy/nervous to make certain phone calls, or overthinking just about everything. But here I was, doing it all. I am by no means perfect, I didn’t know what I was doing, but I knew I could handle it.

I didn’t know the right questions to ask, but I used our time at in-patient therapy to ask anything that came to mind. I discovered that you are capable of more than you could ever imagine. And most importantly…CHANGE IS OKAY! It makes you grow, it challenges you, and it makes you a better you. So in an effort to continue embracing change, I cut off about 7 inches of my hair and I love it! Not to mention the benefits of having less hair in my face during transfers (which can be anywhere from 20-40 a day) and a fun fresh start essentially living in a hospital for two months.

Do you have those personal development goals that you keep putting off? Or simply claiming that changes can’t be made overnight? Don’t wait until faced with a ‘life-altering’ event to make your changes. Start implementing small changes into your life today! — Kelsey Danley

Day 240

Scored some major aunt and uncle cool points for taking out niece and nephew to Other World over the weekend! Fun for all ages! — Kelsey Danley

Day 272

We checked a few big post-accident things off our list this past weekend.

• First flight

• First layover connection

• First international security checks

• First time in Mexico for both of us

• Celebrate our friend, Ryan, marrying his beautiful wife, Gabby

We are both so happy to have been able to make this trip. It involved a lot of planning, a few language barriers, and cobblestone roads, but we did it! Honestly, nothing could have made us miss this celebration! — The Danleys

Day 279

It’s been a LONG process, but we officially have Ryan’s standing wheelchair! It takes about 50 seconds to go from seated to standing so we made a quick time lapse for you to see it transform. A huge thank you to everyone that has donated and supported Ryan’s recovery, it’s because of you (and insurance — Honda) that we are able to get these tools! Love — The Danleys

Day 298

Happy Friendsgiving — Love, The Danleys