Community Corner

Leslie Jablonski: 'One Step Up, Two Steps Back'

Jack Jablonski's mother said it's hard to see him at the hospital after being discharged so recently.

Leslie Jablonski, mother of Jack Jablonski, said it's hard to see her son at a hospital after being .

Jablonski, the sophomore who sustained a serious spinal cord injury during a hockey game last December, was released from the Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute on April 18. But days later, he was with a setback.

On Jack's CaringBridge page, Leslie said the situation reminds her of a Bruce Springsteen song:

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One of my all-time favorite musicians is Bruce Springsteen. I am, after all, a Jersey Girl. So often his lyrics pop into my head as they seem to summarize my thoughts. 

For the last few days, the words from "One Step Up," a hit from his 1987 Tunnel of Love album, kept playing in my head. Although the song doesn't address the same issues, the title seems to reflect where Jack is at. He took a giant step forward when leaving Sister Kenny after almost three months of rehab, then only a week later landed back in the hospital...one step up, two steps back. 

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It's super hard to see Jack flat on his back in a hospital bed for several days. He was doing so well, but then a few issues occurred and now his team of doctors are diligently working to find the best solution and treatment for him. But as a parent, it's difficult to see your child slip from being upbeat and positive to downright sad and frustrated. 

If only we could fast-forward to a few months down the road. We'll be back in our home (oh boy...you should see the house now...renovation is underway, big time) and hopefully into a routine and some sense of normal. A new normal, but a better place than where we are now. We can only hope that Jack's body will have somewhat adjusted to the challenges of paralysis and that today's obstacles will be behind us. 

One step up. And up and up and up.


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