Team Tanner- #TannerStrong

Team Tanner- #TannerStrong Rallying behind Tanner with strength, hope, and love. �
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05/22/2026

Big day today!

We finally made it to The Motion Project Foundation for Tanner’s first visit. They did an assessment and Tanner also got to try a really cool machine (shown here 😂) that I can’t remember the name of. It was pretty incredible to watch because it’s just like riding a bike… and he was able to move it completely on his own without assistance.

The staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming. It was a long day — 1.5 hours there, 1.5 hours back, and 2 hours spent there — but absolutely worth it. We do pay out of pocket by the hour, but they have SO many machines, technology, and tools focused on helping Tanner get stronger and hopefully regain more function. We’re hoping to make the trip twice a week.

Meanwhile Dominic headed to Stars of Tomorrow in Rochester tonight to cheer on his friends who will be heading to NYC to compete. So proud of him too.

We’ve also been incredibly blessed this week by so many generous people and businesses. Revive Cleaning donated their carpet cleaning services for us and Highline Moving donated their services to help move the heavy items into our new home. They actually generously offered to move everything for us, but because we are so anxious to get in ASAP, we decided to tackle the rest of the moving ourselves this weekend.

We are beyond grateful for the kindness, support, and community surrounding our family right now. It truly means more than we could ever put into words.

We’re finally moving stuff in!!! Slowly but surely for now… but this weekend we get the U-Haul and really get after it. ...
05/21/2026

We’re finally moving stuff in!!! Slowly but surely for now… but this weekend we get the U-Haul and really get after it. Thanks to my mom for the help today!

It feels SO good to finally be getting into our new home after everything it took to get here. There were moments we truly wondered if this day would ever come.

Tomorrow is another big day for our family too. Tanner will be going to The Motion Project Foundation for the very first time. The Motion Project Foundation helps individuals with spinal cord injuries and neurological conditions through specialized fitness, recovery, adaptive training, and community support focused on improving strength, movement, independence, and quality of life. They also have the ArcEx which we're excited for Tanner to try!

We’re hopeful, nervous, and grateful all at the same time. Every new opportunity matters so much now, and we are praying this is another step forward in Tanner’s journey.

Big week for our crew over here.

Also… as we prepare to list our current home soon, we will be looking for recommendations for:

✅ A house cleaner for a deep clean
✅ A professional carpet cleaning company
✅ Possibly someone to spruce up our landscaping at our current house

If you know someone amazing, please drop their name below!

Note: we promise to give a new home tour soon!

05/20/2026

Landed safely AND we got the battery back! All is well.

05/19/2026

Watching Dave push Tanner’s wheelchair through the sand hit me hard. It was not easy at all, and every step took so much effort, but not once did he complain. He just kept going because he wanted Tanner to experience every view, every breeze, and every moment of being on that beach.

People see the big things after a spinal cord injury, but they don’t always see the quiet love behind the scenes. The exhaustion. The physical work. The determination to make sure your child still gets to experience life fully.




Last full day in the Dominican Republic. We soaked up the sunshine, enjoyed the cool breeze all day long, hung out with ...
05/19/2026

Last full day in the Dominican Republic. We soaked up the sunshine, enjoyed the cool breeze all day long, hung out with our peeps, and truly relaxed.

Meanwhile back home, EV Energy and Marlock Electric, Inc. got our propane and generator all set and ready to go. We are officially ready to head home tomorrow and begin our big move to freedom.

What a week it’s been… sunshine, gratitude, friends, and now a brand new chapter waiting for us back home.

Day 3 in Punta Cana ☀️Today was all about slowing down a little. We spent time at the pool, relaxed, soaked up the sunsh...
05/18/2026

Day 3 in Punta Cana ☀️

Today was all about slowing down a little. We spent time at the pool, relaxed, soaked up the sunshine, and enjoyed a great dinner tonight. These moments together have been so needed.

Tomorrow is already our last full day here. Feeling incredibly grateful for this time away, the memories we’re making, and everyone who helped make this trip possible.

So much to share from our first full day in Punta Cana. ❤️We kicked things off with a pool party and something incredibl...
05/17/2026

So much to share from our first full day in Punta Cana. ❤️

We kicked things off with a pool party and something incredibly special happened… Tanner got in the water for the first time since his injury. He said it was such a strange feeling that he can’t even fully put it into words. Watching him experience that moment hit all of us hard. There are so many things people take for granted until life changes in an instant.

We spent the day soaking in the beautiful views, enjoying great food, sunshine, and reconnecting with so many people from our Lemongrass family that we rarely get to see in person. These trips are always special, but this one feels different. More meaningful. More needed than ever.

Tonight ended with the annual Lemongrass awards celebration dinner, and I was completely caught off guard when Dave got up and gave a speech about this past year… the heartbreak, the challenges and the incredible support our Lemongrass family has surrounded us with through it all.

There truly aren’t words big enough to explain what this community has meant to us this year. In our hardest moments, people showed up. They prayed, donated, messaged, checked in, cried with us, celebrated victories with us, and reminded us over and over that we are not alone.

Today gave us a little piece of joy, healing, and hope. ☀️

What a day.Our morning started with travel issues and a lot of stress, but we made it… and right now that’s what matters...
05/16/2026

What a day.

Our morning started with travel issues and a lot of stress, but we made it… and right now that’s what matters most. We arrived in beautiful Punta Cana and were welcomed with so much love by our Lemongrass Spa family.

Being here is emotional in ways I didn’t fully expect. Last year’s incentive trip to Costa Rica was our last big family trip before Tanner’s accident. Walking into this trip brought back so many memories of who we were before life changed so drastically overnight.

There’s a part of us all grieving that version of life while also trying so hard to embrace this new one. And if I’m being honest, just getting here took strength I didn’t know we still had left in us. The planning, the fear, the “what ifs,” the medical prep, the exhaustion… it’s a lot.

That’s part of why these Lemongrass incentive trips mean so much to our family. Everything is taken care of for us. The hotel, the travel, the food… there’s no pressure to plan every detail or carry the mental load for a few days. After the year we’ve had, that gift feels bigger than ever.

Watching Tanner here tonight, seeing him smile, seeing our family together in the sunshine after one of the hardest years of our lives, reminded me why we fought so hard to keep living and making memories anyway.

We are incredibly grateful to Heidi Leist and Bryan Leist for continuing to offer these incentive trips every year and to the entire Lemongrass home office staff for all the hard work they put into making them happen.

Our family needs this sunshine, relaxation, laughter, and healing now more than ever before. And tonight, for the first time in a while, it feels okay to breathe a little.

Today was the day… we officially got the certificate of occupancy for the new house!Now we just need to get some propane...
05/14/2026

Today was the day… we officially got the certificate of occupancy for the new house!

Now we just need to get some propane issues figured out. Cross your fingers it’s all fixed before we get back from vacay.

We also got to show Grandma Brenda the finished home today, which made the day even more special.

We’re officially all packed and ready for a VERY early morning flight tomorrow. Between all the medical supplies, extra equipment, and regular vacation stuff, packing for this trip was no joke!

We promise we’ll give you all a full tour of the new place when we get back. We cannot wait to finally share it with you after this long journey.

In the meantime, here's a pic of the garage.

05/14/2026

Fun fact: wheelchair users are required to be the last to deplane from a flight.

Why does this matter? Because when booking connecting flights, you have to allow extra layover time for deplaning. It’s not as simple as just hopping off the plane and getting to the next one.

Why are wheelchair users the last to deplane? Because they have to wait for their wheelchairs, which are stored under the plane, to be brought back up… and hopefully returned in one piece when they arrive.

For our trip tomorrow, for example, our group lands around noon to 1 PM… but because of the longer layover we need with Tanner’s wheelchair and equipment, we don’t land until 3:24 PM.

It also makes for a very long travel day. Our first flight leaves at 6 AM and we likely won’t arrive at the resort until around 6 PM.

Just one of those little travel realities most people never have to think about but accessibility impacts every single step of travel planning.

Well we don’t quite have the go ahead to move into the new house yet. Fingers crossed we get that tomorrow. 🤞Today Marks...
05/14/2026

Well we don’t quite have the go ahead to move into the new house yet. Fingers crossed we get that tomorrow. 🤞

Today Marks Engineering, P.C. came out and did the as-built survey, and they have been absolutely incredible for us this entire process. They were so gracious to donate their services to our family and we are beyond grateful for their kindness and support. If you could, please share their business and help give back to them the way they gave back to us. ❤️

We also spent today packing for the Dominican. Traveling looks very different for us now. We have to pack so much extra medical and adaptive equipment. One entire bag is just for the mattress that helps prevent pressure sores, plus all of Tanner’s nighttime routine supplies, blood pressure cuff, and so many “just in case” items.

I’ve gone through the checklist in my head, the checklist on my phone, and I’ll probably do it a few more times tomorrow just to make sure we aren’t forgetting anything important. I’m honestly not worried about forgetting clothes… it’s all the medical and specialized things the resort definitely won’t have on hand that I want to make sure we have with us.

Also a huge shout out to Dr. Campbell for helping us prep for this trip. We ran labs beforehand just to make sure nothing is brewing, and he made sure we have extra medications packed just in case. Having doctors who truly care and help us think ahead makes such a difference, especially navigating traveling out of the country for the first time post accident.

One day at a time over here. 💙

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4820 Genesee St.
Cheektowaga, NY
14225

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