THIS BOY TURNED THREE IN A HOSPITAL BED—

Kye, only three, spent his birthday in a hospital room, legs in casts after a fall that required multiple surgeries. We planned a surprise—streamers, balloons, a small cake—but when he woke, he sobbed, asking, “Can I wish to go back before the stairs?” His words, hinting at memories of the accident we’d called a slip, stunned us. Despite our efforts to comfort him, Kye longed for life before the fall. Days later, my husband set up a small playground in the

hospital courtyard. On the swings, Kye’s face lit up, giggling for the first time since the accident, a spark of hope returning. Weeks later, he took wobbly steps with a walker, beaming, “I did it.” We couldn’t erase the past, but we built something new. Kye’s strength, and our love, showed us healing wasn’t about going back—it was about moving forward together, step by step, creating joy amidst pain.