On Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Day I was scheduled for a tendon transfer, essentially moving my index finger tendon to my thumb. This move was necessary to fix my limp left thumb, an injury that wasn’t immediately obvious after the shooting.

One of the bullets entered and exited my left forearm, bruising my bone and leaving little room for my thumb tendon to thrive. Over time it ruptured but luckily for me, the nerve damage I had sustained masked the pain.

That same nerve pain has proved problematic in other ways, with even simple things like my children grabbing my forearm, leading to what feels like an electric current reverberating down my arm. Monday’s surgery ended up addressing both the limp thumb and my nerve damage.

I’ve undergone three surgeries at this point and every time the recovery is different. This time I am in a good amount of pain because of the nerve work. In fact, I will venture to say that nerve work is the most painful recovery yet. Still, I am encouraged to have a wonderful team of medical professionals surrounding me with great ideas and solutions for moving forward.

Once I’m up for it, I’ll get back to physical therapy on my right arm, physical therapy on my left hand, and then a bit of “wait and see” for the nerve pain in my left arm.

I am still filled with gratitude that I am here! While I am not perfect at relishing in my gratitude, I do have plenty of moments where I pinch myself thinking about the blessings of family and living a life of purpose through Whitney/Strong. Thank you to everyone for the support and prayers through this latest surgery.

I look forward to providing you with updates on Whitney/Strong again soon.

Fun fact: When repairing my nerve, the surgeon found a good amount of blue fiber in my arm. It must have come from my clutch that was retained as evidence by law-enforcement. When I received that clutch as a gift from my favorite make-up store in Chicago, Mojo Spa, I never imagined it would enter my body months later. So absurd.