Birthday Blessings

I've spent my fair share of holidays bedside at the hospital. 

Usually, birthdays spent in the hospital are my least favorite. 

But this year was different.

Today is my birthday, and I got the best birthday gift!

Yesterday, Bodie had his first post-transplant cath and it went great! All of his pressures looked fantastic and his biopsy showed NO REJECTION! And today, after 24 days in the ICU, Bodie moved to the step-down floor! 

Bodie's health is truly the best birthday gift I could have asked for!

To top it off, yesterday, Bodie kicked me out off the room so that he could arrange a surprise with his nurse. He sweetly asked her if she could get a cupcake for my birthday, since he really wanted me to have one, but he can't leave the hospital. The nurse wasn't quite able to accomplish that, but she did manage to snag me a couple of pastries from the cafeteria! 

She was so touched by Bodie's sweet request. And so was I! My sweet boy is definitely back!

He paid me back by making me watch Saw with him. 

Which he was super excited about.

Clearly, I did not agree with his assessment.

Have I mentioned how much this kid loves horror movies?

Now that Bodie's on the floor, we'll be hard at work on weaning his Oxygen, getting him off Dopamine, transitioning all of his medications from IV to oral, gaining his physical strength, and strengthening his vocal cords so that he can eat and drink again! It's a tall order and it's going to take time, but if anyone is up for it, it's Bodie!

As we move into this next phase of healing for Bodie, please keep praying!!!

Your prayers have provided miracle upon miracle for Bodie and we are so deeply grateful. 

Please pray for both strength and patience for Bodie. 

He has lost of lot of weight since being inpatient, and he's going to have to work hard to regain his strength. And not being able to eat or drink is so hard on his spirit. ENT re-scoped him yesterday and there is still no movement in either vocal cord, although he is able to make noise using a muscle in front of his vocal cords. But as a result, he still hasn't been cleared to eat or drink, other than practicing swallowing with 3-5 sips of water 5 times a day. This was NOT how he planned to spend his summer and he's trying to be a good sport about it, but he's a 14 year old boy and he should be spending the summer outside, swimming, eating ice cream and going to the beach, not cooped up inside a hospital room and only allowed small sips of water. So please please pray for his body and spirit. Pray for his vocal cords specifically, and that he doesn't catch any other infections. 

Please pray for patience and flexibility for all of us. 

I know in the grand scheme of things, this will just be a blip on our radar. 

But a blip we didn't plan for. 

And being separated this long wasn't on any of our Bingo cards for 2024. 

Dusk and Sierra are having to pick up a lot of chores at home that Bodie and I usually do, while they're both trying to work. And I've been trying to do client work when I can, but it's been hard when Bodie's needs have been so unpredictable and practitioners are in and out of his room constantly. We all miss each other, and Bodie and I miss sleeping in our beds, loving on our animals and all the comforts of home. We're just tired and trying to remain flexible and patience as all of this unfolds. 

And, as always, please continue to lift his donor family up in your prayers.

At the end of the day, we'll give all the flexibility and patience in the world because we have the hope of newfound life for our son thanks to their generosity.