"We learned many techniques that we can work on at home."

After 14 months of pain and not being able to do the things I love, I began to wonder if anything would help. More than a year ago, I hyperextended my knee on our trampoline. That event was the beginning of something I never knew was possible. Every day when I wake up, my pain is there to greet me. During the day it stays right with me, like a bully. It’s also the last thing I feel right before bed.

Before I heard of the Comfort Ability program, I thought for sure there was nothing to be done. The idea of that made me depressed and anxious. I had worked with two amazing physical therapists at Children’s Mercy, had X-rays and an MRI, and even had a blood draw to rule out scary things like leukemia and thyroid disorder. I believed my pain would continue for a very long time, if not for the rest of my life.

When my mom told me about the Comfort Ability program, though, hope flickered inside of me. Then the worry returned, and I wondered, ‘What if the clinic had nothing to offer for me? What would happen next?’ Would it only make me more upset, or would it assuage the melancholy attitude and pain that affects every day of my life?

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