Answered prayers

Good evening!

Well, many prayers were answered today. Natalie had her catheter procedure this morning, and all of the pressures were much better than they were in June. This was much better than what the doctors had expected. Therefore, the surgery which had been scheduled for Monday is not going to take place, and we’ll be able to come home soon. They allowed Natalie to come home to the room with us tonight, and we’ll spend a day or two in Boston just in case any complications would arise from the catheter.

We’re still not done, as we’ll continue to monitor Natalie to be sure she continues to gain weight and stay healthy. If she stays on the path she’s on, then we’ll be back in Boston in a few months for another check-up. They’re still expecting some sort of surgery at some point, but they are expecting to be able to possibly modify the current anatomy. This would mean that a transplant or reversion to a single ventricle pathway is not as imminent as was the case before today.

Obviously, we’re extremely excited and grateful. God has granted the miracle we’ve been asking for. We want to be sure to thank everyone who has been praying for Natalie through this ordeal. We know there are many of you who are praying, and we are very thankful for all of you. Mostly, we want to give thanks to God, He is the one who performs miracles, and He’s shown that He still does so today. Heidi and I are both extremely grateful.

Heidi here! Answered prayers to say the least. We are so grateful that we are not staying here for surgery on Monday. We have prepared ourselves for the long haul, and although we are not in the clear by any means, we are so grateful to have passed this hurdle. Every indication from every doctor that Natalie has seen, has been to prepare for surgery. In our minds we were as ready as we could get. I have had the best four months with Natalie at home. In June we knew that we had to make some changes that God was calling us to do. That change meant stepping out in faith that God would provide a way for me to stay home with Natalie. We knew that we had to give her a chance to make this heart work. Although it’s been a huge change for all of us, it has come with so many blessings. Natalie has gained weight consistently since I have been home full time with her. We have been blessed with so many pray warriors and support.

Natalie will have to continue to gain weight and show signs that she can make this work, but for now we are just celebrating. And we are still a bit in shock; at least I am. As I have said before, I live each day in a little bit of denial of the real situation. That’s how I get through it. I am glad that this denial will be for a good reason. When doctor del Nido told us to come back in 6 months I was shocked. It almost scared me. I even asked him if that was too long and if he was sure that wasn’t too long between check ups. He assured me that Natalie is showing positive changes. Small, but positive. He believes that 6 months will be safe for her unless she starts to lose weight or fail to increase weight. My heart was so happy for her. No big visit or procedures for 6 months. AMEN.

God is so good to us. We are so blessed and grateful to have friends that have prayed us through this. We continue to need prayers and we know that this is not the end of this journey, but for now we are going to enjoy it. Right now Natalie is sucking her thumb so loud you can hear her across the room as Brad and I sit and giggle to ourselves. What a blessing she is in our lives. Amen.