Hi everyone,
Well, tomorrow is the big day. We go in at 7:00 am to check in and get started. They will give Natalie an oral sedative to begin, that way they can give her IVs and do other prep work without causing any additional stress. We will get to give her one last hug, and hand her over to the anesthesiologists. That is the toughest thing I have ever done. A parent handing over his/her daughter to a stranger and putting her life in his hands is hard. We draw comfort in the fact that she is, in fact, in God’s hands.
We had another discussion with Dr. del Nido today. It is really comforting knowing that we are giving our daughter to the best surgeon in the world for this type of procedure. I told Heidi that it’s like talking basketball with Michael Jordan. He (Dr. del Nido, not Michael Jordan) thinks that the surgery will go well, and that she will have a fully functioning, two ventricle heart when it is all over. If that’s the case, then Natalie won’t have to endure another one of these; thankfully. There is still a slight chance that the heart won’t respond well, and they’ll have to change what they’ve done. Then they’d have to come back later (6-12 months from now) and try again. He thinks this is highly unlikely, and is optimistic that everything will go as planned. He just wants to make sure we’re aware of the possibility. Once again, it is an awesome feeling to be able to sit and have a conversation with the best in the world. It is very reassuring and comforting. God has put Natalie in the hands of some very capable and talented people in her short life. Dr. St. Louis in Minneapolis, and Dr. del Nido here in Boston are truly blessed with talent.
Well, I’m done for now. Hopefully, we can manage to sneak in a little sleep tonight. We really appreciate all of the prayers and support we’ve gotten from all of our friends and family back home, as well as our church family at Century Baptist. I also have to thank MDU for allowing me to spend this time with my family. I haven’t been there long, and they could have easily told me that I had to come back to work. It’s a true blessing to work for such an organization. I’ll turn this over to Heidi and let her say a few words before bedtime. God bless.
Brad has done such a nice job, I am not sure what to add. We love this little squirrel, as Brad calls her, more than we ever could have imagined we would. She is just such a bright eyed and inquisitive little girl. She wants to see and touch everything. She even started trying to drink from a cup this week. It will be hard to have a set back just as she has become so social and outgoing. She loves to see new people and engages them as they pass by.
I laughed about the size of the beds at the Yawkey house, but it may have been a small blessing allowing me to learn more about Natalie and snuggle her every night. I will still be happy to get back home into a bigger bed, that is for sure.
We continue to meet some great people here. As hard as it has been to give up the comforts of home to live in the Yawkey house, we have been blessed to meet some amazing people. Our new friend Tyler has been here 14 times for back surgery. He is such a bright and friendly young man and is only 13 years old. He gave Natalie a note that said, “I know what you are going through, and when the going gets tough, Go On! Never Give Up” He was the biggest sports nut I have ever met. I can’t wait to see where his life takes him. Some team better snatch him up, because he knows football like no other 13 year old I’ve met. We will always cheer for the 49ers, Just for him…. Well unless they play the Vikings of course. Tyler, thank you for blessing out stay and making us feel normal, even if it was only for a short period of time. We will miss seeing your smiling face here.
Life at the Yawkey is good and we are fortunate that they have room for us here through the middle of January if we need it. Small community groups come in and cook or donate meals most nights. We met some folks from the Boston Bruins one night and a church group last night. It makes Brad and I think about how we should be giving more back to our community and the people who are in the same position as we are. God once again, shines through the people who love Him.
Well we better try to get some sleep and spend sometime, just the 3 of us. It will be the last night for a long time that we get to be together just the three of us. We love you little bug and we can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together…
Christmas in Boston
Bright eyed and bushy tailed.
Not anymore. Sweet Dreams.
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