Dancing, writing and a science scholarship...Oh my!

Hi everyone,

It has been five months since I last updated. Mainly because things are just going so well for Emily that to be honest I forget that she has a movement disorder! Emily had a visit to Dr. Starr in April and he made a minor adjustment to her settings to try to get her right foot absolutely straight. It is barely noticeable, but the foot still turns in just a bit and her doctors strive for perfection! I can't say that I have noticed much of a difference since the change in contacts were made, but I will continue to keep an eye on it. Dr. Starr does want Emily to have some physical therapy to help her balance and walking be the best that it can. We haven't started this yet, but hope to soon.

Emily's had her first dance recital for her Jazz class and she did an amazing job! It was so great to see her enjoying herself with the rest of the class.

Another great miracle is that Emily is now back to writing with her right hand. She had completely stopped her use of the right hand when it became too painful and her writing was not legible. She had to teach herself to write with her left hand. However, her writing with her right hand is neat and legible again and no longer painful, so she is back to using it full time.

The last update that I have is that Emily received a scholarship to attend a week long Science Camp (Tech Trek) for girls at the University of Santa Barbara this summer. She is very excited and she will get to live on campus in a dorm with three other girls as if she was really in college. I am so thankful to the Santa Clarita branch of AAUW for providing Emily with this scholarship and for the sponsors that made it possible. This has nothing to do with her dystonia but I wanted to share the great news anyway! The mission of AAUW is to advance equity for women and girls through advocacy, education and research. For more information, their website is www.aauw.org.

Thank you to everyone who continue to ask about Emily and her progress. Just remember, miracles can and do happen, but we still need a cure for this dreaded disorder!

Marci