Bye Bye Braces...Hello movement!

Taylor here,
I've returned from touring through China with the BYU Young Ambassadors, and somewhere along the line... the brace fell off and I never put it back on! That doesn't mean I've started doing back flips again or anything of the sort, but it's another step on the way back to normalcy. Even if I never return to where I was, I'm certainly excited to move towards a new normal. 
I went swimming today to celebrate Memorial Day, and by "swimming" I mean slowly walking into a pool and dunking my head a few times. I did a few of the movement exercises that I was given in physical therapy while I was in the pool, and the added resistance of the water made the twisting exercises a little tricky. Outside of the pool, I mowed the lawn and worked out for a while, all this morning before 9 am. It's incredible how an injury like this (and doing basically nothing physical for 6 months) really takes a toll on your muscles. I did 3 sets of 15 push-ups from my knees and used my computer bag to do various types of bicep curls. 
On a different, and much more important note, my sister, Rachelle, has started a non-profit organization called Rose Runners that has really taken off. With Rose Runners, running is more than a sport... you are running for a reason. My younger sister, Madeline Rose, who departed from this world just over 6 months ago in the same car crash that nearly took my life, loved to run! She never ran track or cross country, and she definitely never ran a marathon. She was just your average runner, but she loved it! Rose Runners is designed to raise money to help those who, through tragedy, have overwhelming debt. Right now, Rose Runners still focusing on getting Bailee and I out from underneath the weight of my medical bills. We've had tons of people help us out in remarkable ways and who have given very gracious amounts, but with over $300,00.00 still unaccounted for, we're running out of options. I'm still communicating with the hospitals and trying to work things out, but who knows what the outcome will be.
There are tons of races (5K, 10K, half marathon, marathon) going on around the country, and no matter where you live, you can be apart of Rose Runners. One of the best ways to help is to become a Fund Raising Captain and head things up for the race of your choice. Talk with your friends, family, and coworkers to let them know what you're doing. Tell them you're going to be running in a race and that you're running in memory of Madie, and supporting a great cause at the same time. People can run with you, or they support you in your run by giving you a couple dollars for each mile you run. By raising money and running in the race or if you are a supporter of someone else running, you can get you very own Rose Runner or #tayandbay active wear shirt to wear while running.
Find our more at http://roserunners.org/
My goal is to get well enough to run/walk a half marathon at the end of this season!
Let's run together. Let's cheer for each other. Let's make a difference!
Tay