Another trip to Greenville is in the books. While it wasn’t the busiest or most eventful visit we’ve ever had, Trip 28 still holds its place on the path. In the grand scheme, it might feel more like a footnote, but every step matters, and this was the next one.

This particular trip was a one-day visit focused solely on a checkup with Dr. Pete to take a look at Harrison’s spine. And, as is the tradition with Dr. Pete, everything starts with an x-ray—which is always an adventure depending on Harrison’s mood. This time, instead of trying to get a standing x-ray, we opted to do it with him sitting up, and that turned out to be a win. With his limb discrepancy and alignment issues when standing, the sitting X-ray actually gave us a better look at his spine and hips.

Oddly enough, one of the biggest surprises of the whole visit came early on—this was the first time since Harrison has been able to stand and knee-walk that he willingly let someone measure his height and weight. It might seem like a small thing, but in our world, that’s real progress.

As for the spine news, well, it was what we expected… maybe even what we hoped for, if that makes sense. We knew going in that his curve had regressed a bit, and Dr. Pete confirmed that. Part of that is just the reality of a recent growth spurt. The problem is, Harrison’s curve is situated right at the level where his brace ends—basically, if you imagine a line just under your armpits, that’s where his spine starts to curve.

For a brace to correct a curve, it needs to reach above it—not sit on it. And with where his current curve is, the brace just can’t get there. So, instead of trying to correct anything right now, we’re focused on maintaining. We know spine surgery is in his future, but the longer we can hold it off, the better. That’s the goal: hold the line, extend the timeline.

With that in mind, Harrison was fitted for a new brace—his third. We’ll head back down in a few weeks to pick it up. Just another piece of gear in what’s becoming a collection worthy of a superhero’s lair. Honestly, I could probably decorate an entire room with all the casts and braces he’s outgrown—each one like a different suit in the Batcave. Not a bad metaphor, really. This kid’s been suiting up and showing up for years now.

But overall, the visit was what we hoped: nothing unexpected, nothing alarming. It could have been worse, and it wasn’t. That’s a win in my book.

Breathing Room

What made this trip feel a little different was the timing. For once, our appointment with Dr. Pete wasn’t at the crack of dawn—it was midday. That meant we had a rare luxury: a few hours to ourselves in Greenville. And we took advantage of it.

Usually, these trips are a whirlwind. We leave late the night before, check into the hotel around midnight, then turn right back around and get to Shriners by 7:30 or 8. It’s nonstop. But this time, with a late appointment, we got to slow down for a minute.

We headed downtown, walked around a bit, even ditched our usual spot (Sully’s Steamers), and found a little hole-in-the-wall lunch place to try something new. Greenville was decked out for the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament, with banners for all the teams lining the main strip. Naturally, before we left, we had to hunt down the UK banner—and we did.

That couple of hours gave us space to breathe. It didn’t change the fact that we got home after 8 that night, but it did make the day feel less heavy. And that’s a gift, especially when your main stop is with Dr. Pete.

Looking Ahead

We’re now just weeks away from wrapping up Year 4 of these journeys to Greenville. It’s wild to think about how far we’ve come—and how much further we still have to go. Trip 29 is right around the corner, and Trip 30 will kick off Year 5.

But for now, Trip 28 did what it needed to do. One more step forward. One more piece of the puzzle in place.

Here we go.