The elevator dinged to a stop on the seventh floor. The door opened to a long corridor. The walls were painted light green and covered with children's drawings - a crooked sun, a mother holding a child's hand, and a little man in a wheelchair. "Come on" was written under each drawing.
The staff pushed Tang Xiaoxiao into a special changing room, where several sets of light blue rehabilitation suits were hung. The cotton fabric was soft and breathable.
When Aunt Li helped Tang Xiaoxiao change her coat and put on her recovery clothes, she deliberately rolled up her trouser legs above her knees, revealing her slender but clean calves, which still had light red marks from being accidentally rubbed during training at home.
The rehabilitation training ground is very large and is divided into several areas. The bright floor-to-ceiling windows allow sunlight to fill the entire space. The floor is covered with thick non-slip mats, and various equipment are placed against the wall - there are vibrating massagers, training beds with adjustable angles, and tall standing stands. The metal brackets emit a cold light in the sunlight.
Several children were training next to different equipment. Some were practicing leg lifts accompanied by their parents, while others were trying to stand with the help of a rehabilitation therapist. Occasionally, a child's soft humming could be heard, but it was quickly drowned out by encouragement.
Tang Xiaoxiao was pushed to the training bed. Aunt Li helped her lie down on the bed and put a soft pillow under her knees.
"Let's do electrical stimulation first to relax the muscles."
Aunt Li took out an electrode sheet, dipped it in conductive gel, and gently placed it on Tang Xiaoxiao's thigh muscle. "It's a little numb, don't be afraid."
The moment the current was connected, Tang Xiaoxiao's body trembled slightly, and her little hands tightly grasped the edge of the bed.
Tang's mother immediately rushed to the bedside and held her little hand:
"Don't be afraid, Xiaoxiao. Mommy is here. Look, the muscles are moving. They're saying hello to you."
Tang's mother's voice was as gentle as a feather, and her eyes were fixed on her daughter's slender calves without blinking. The muscles under the electrodes twitched slightly with the electric current, but that tiny tremor seemed as heavy as a thousand pounds in her eyes.
"Yes, that's it. Let the muscles wake up slowly."
Tang's mother spoke softly, stroking Tang Xiaoxiao's hair lightly with her fingertips, trembling slightly.
After the electrical stimulation ended, Aunt Li began to help Tang Xiaoxiao move her knee joints.
She held her knee with one hand and her ankle with the other, slowly and firmly helping her bend her knee.
Later, Tang Xiaoxiao was asked to use her arms to hold the handrails for support, and to mobilize the strength of her legs little by little.
"Slow down, slow down... Relax a little, don't fight it."
Aunt Li spoke in a very patient voice, pausing for a moment after each movement.
After an unknown amount of time, beads of sweat appeared on Tang Xiaoxiao's forehead and her face turned a little red, but she gritted her teeth and said nothing.
This little bit of suffering and tiredness is nothing.
The poor little girl has already gotten used to it.
Tang's mother was so nervous watching from the side that she clenched her fists tightly at her sides, her nails almost digging into the flesh, but she kept cheering him on:
"Little Zhenji! Just hold on a little longer, it will be fine soon! Look, you're much better than before! Mommy knew you could do it!"
Tang Xiaoxiao felt the sweat dripping down her forehead and gave her mother a sweet smile:
"Hehe, don't worry, mom, Xiaoxiao will stick with it!"
Seeing this scene, Tang's mother pursed her lips tightly, and her heart felt as if it was being pricked by needles, extremely painful.
When it came to the standing frame training session, Tang Xiaoxiao was fixed on the frame, her body leaning forward slightly, and her legs barely standing straight with the support of the equipment.
Her legs were still shaking, and the metal support of the standing frame was causing some pain in her body.
"Look here, Mom!"
Tang's mother immediately ran up to her, opened her arms and smiled, "Xiaoxiao, you've stood up! So impressive! Look, this way you can see Mommy's eyes without having to look up!"
As she spoke, she exaggeratedly gave a thumbs-up gesture, but a tear finally fell from the corner of her eye. She quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand, afraid that her daughter would see it.
"Come on, my little angel, you are my mother's pride!"
The sunlight streamed through the window onto Tang Xiaoxiao's face. She looked at her mother's tearful smile and suddenly blinked away the moisture in her eyes. She suppressed her fluctuating emotions and gave her mother another big smile.
"Mom, the little angel will not let you down!"
This scene often happens in rehabilitation centers.
Different protagonists, but the same characters.
For the sake of my family and myself, I persevere.
In the training ground, the humming sounds of running equipment, the guidance of rehabilitation therapists, and the encouraging voices of parents are interwoven together. The warm autumn sun shines down, giving each hard-working figure a warm golden edge.
Tang's mother looked at her daughter standing there, feeling very sad.
🥍—— Even if the road ahead is long, as long as her daughter is still here, she will always be the most steadfast cheerleader.
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