About Nicole
UNDIAGNOSED & RARE DISEASE
Nicole lives with an undiagnosed bleeding disorder that affects her lungs. In 2018, her lungs bled so much that it almost took her life. At any time, that could happen again. Nicole chooses to live life with hope and joy to the best of her ability. Her lungs limit her physical abilities but they don’t stop her from loving her friends and family deeply, worshipping her Savior freely, or sharing the hope she finds in her health struggles. “The hard is what makes it great.” Corny but true.
(Watch Nicole share the story of her lungs in the interview below.)
Spinal Cord Injury
In 2021, a lung bleed led to a very rare complication in a medical procedure necessary to save her life. The complication led to a spinal cord injury (SCI). It was not a mistake. God wasn’t asleep on the job. Nicole’s SCI is simply the next thing God is using for his glory and her good. It is creating in her a deeper dependence on him.
Nicole’s injury is called an Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury, which means, she was paralyzed at the start but has now recovered some nerve function. By God’s grace and with a lot of work at the gym she can now walk with the aid of a leg brace, a cane, and a sturdy friend. Nicole truly is a walking miracle.
Why You Should Read This Blog
Nicole believes we learn to trust God when He brings us to places where we have to trust God.
To be human is to experience suffering. And sometimes suffering lingers with no end in sight.
If this has been your experience, Nicole would like to encourage you—you are not alone!
Here, you will learn:
Jesus loves you and is with you. You are never alone. His sovereign control is the key to your ability to accept your circumstances and even flourish in them.
We were created to endure within community.
God is still at work. This hard season is not the end of your story.
Hope is never inappropriate. Never!
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AFO’s require wearing shoes 1-2 sizes bigger than your foot and often require the removal of the insole. On top of that, a person wearing an AFO should be in a shoe with ample support for the whole foot, a backstrap or heel cup so the shoe stays on, and a sole that makes firm contact with the ground but without too much tread (which could be a tripping hazard).
After two years of searching, I have found a few options worth noting. For my fellow shoe-lovers with limits, I’ve listed 5 options that meet my requirements for shoes I can wear with an AFO.