MOORHEAD - It was two years ago this week that the Grommesh family of Moorhead first set eyes on their new home, courtesy of the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" TV show.
The house was designed largely with Garrett Grommesh in mind. He was 10 when the family moved into their newly refurbished home near Eighth Street South.
Garrett was born with spina bifida, a disorder that left him paralyzed from the waist down and required a shunt to drain excess spinal fluid from his brain.
In the past two years, he has been through numerous surgeries and fought various ailments, including untethering of the spine.
Come November, he will face more spinal surgery, according to his mother, Adair.
ADVERTISEMENT
"Quite honestly, I would go back to our junky old house if I could just get his health back," she said recently, just days after learning her son needed more surgery.
As the one in charge of updating her family's page on the CaringBridge website, Adair acknowledged fresh reports have been few and far between; a result, she said, of trying to relate a story that remains painful to tell.
"I don't do too many updates anymore. I hate to always be so negative," Adair said, adding that she is also hesitant to call attention to her family when she knows so many other families in the community have challenges of their own.
Her most recent CaringBridge update was posted Sept. 20.
It reads in part:
"Garrett is back at school full days. ... He tires easily and has stomach, back and head pain most of the time.
"He has few hours where he is feeling OK, but mostly times when he just feels like crap. I have been reading a lot about people who have had C. Diff. (a serious infection) like he has. Many have never fully recovered from the infection. They suffer chronic fatigue and really bad stomach pains. We don't know what else to do for him," she wrote.
The family has "kind of shut down from the outside world last year" for fear that Garrett could get another infection, she wrote.
ADVERTISEMENT
Still, Adair is grateful for small victories, like the fact her son has already spent as much time in class this school year as he did all of last school year.
"We have to step back and be very thankful that he has made forward progress," Adair said.
"He is much better than a year ago. He may never get back to normal, but we can continue to hope and pray he will," she said, adding that her son's improvement has been good for his sister, Peighton, now a ninth-grader at Moorhead High School.
"It was a difficult last year for her, too," Adair said.
"There was a six-week stretch where she (Peighton) was here and I was in the Cities," Adair said, adding that the situation was tough on the entire household.
"Our family has been blessed," she said. "But, unfortunately, we've also been burdened."
Have a comment to share about a story? Letters to the editor should include author's name, address and phone number. Generally, letters should be no longer than 250 words. All letters are subject to editing. Send a letter to the editor.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Dave Olson at (701) 241-5555
