This Giving Tuesday, be the link to pediatric therapies children need to thrive. A donation to Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley helps support families through the unexpected and connects them to comprehensive services and support. Please join in their mission to ensure children with disabilities and their families are empowered.

Generous partners are matching donations to help them reach their $225,000 goal. Every child deserves critical therapy services. We hope our Super Lili will inspire everyone to donate. Please join us on Giving Tuesday with a gift to our page. 

We are incredibly lucky and blessed to be a part of the Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley family. When we started physical therapy services about three years ago, we had no idea the amount of progress Lili would make from her very first day up until now. It takes a village, and we could not be happier or prouder of all that Lili has accomplished during her time at Easterseals.  

This past year has been Lili’s toughest year yet. At the end of February 2024, Lili had an 8-hour spinal fusion surgery at Shriner’s Hospital of Chicago to correct her severe “S” curve. Within a day and a half post-surgery, X-Rays showed that Lili needed to go back to the OR and have more fusion done to her spine, which entailed a 4-hour surgery to add additional rods and screws to be placed along the bottom of the spine and fused to the pelvis. As a family, we were prepared for surgery number 1, but definitely not surgery number 2. We were devastated to say the least, and nervous about what would be in store for Lili and her road to recovery.  

The average spinal fusion recovery time frame is 12 months, but the surgeons anticipated it would now be longer for Lili. As a result of both surgeries, Lili’s overall gait was going to be dramatically different. Lili would have to learn to find her center of gravity, as well as adjust to losing flexibility in her back and hips. We knew that life was going to be a HUGE adjustment for Lili, and that there were going to be certain things that she would never be able to do again because of permanent restrictions in her spine. The surgeries were the right thing to do to help Lili and her quality of life, but our hearts felt heavy because we didn’t know how we would get through these next few months of recovery.  

Our incredible PT, Kaitlyn Urick, has been by Lili’s side every step of the way both pre and post spinal fusion surgeries. When Kaitlyn was made aware of Lili’s upcoming surgery 6 months before the big day, she worked closely with us to put together a solid physical therapy plan to keep Lili strong and ready for surgery. Katilyn even took it upon herself to work closely with Lili’s school PT to make sure everyone was on the same page and focusing on the same goals for Lili pre and post-surgery.  

To our surprise, Katilyn worked with us and the surgeons to get a homebound PT plan set up while Lili was unable to be at the clinic. Our biggest concern post-surgery was figuring out how to help Lili do simple things, such as getting out of bed without too much bending and twisting. With Kaitlyn’s help and guidance, we were able to accomplish and crush all the goals we set for Lili in the homebound plan. From mastering stairs without bending and twisting, to walking outside safely and building endurance - Lili did it all because of Kaitlyn!  

Lili is about 9 months post op and is back in the Naperville clinic for PT while she works with Katilyn on getting stronger every week. The dedication, knowledge, encouragement, and compassion Kaitlyn has demonstrated is the reason Lili continues to thrive and make progress. There is no doubt in our minds or hearts that Lili would not be the girl she is today without the care and services she has received at Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley. Lili’s smile says it all - thank you Kaitlyn and Easterseals!  

Love,  

The Rybak Family