|
Today was a big day for Brea. She had a visit from Grandma and Grandpa this morning and then she got to leave her room for the first time for a trip to radiology to get a PIC line put in. When she returned the nurse took out her central line in her neck and her ART line in her groin area. Not long after that, the nurse practitioner came in and removed the pace maker wires from her heart. Her wounds were cleaned and the dressing were removed. This was my first time getting a good look at them and I must admit that I felt a little light headed. Her had physical therapy this afternoon and she threw the ball and sat in a little chair for a bit. She has been winning hearts all day with her award winning smile and she insist on stopping whatever it is she is doing to blow a kiss and wave bye bye to anyone who leaves the room. It is so good to see her little smile again. She is still very weak and can't yet pull apart the snapping beads in OT but she trys so hard and is getting a little stronger every day. Last but not least...Brea had an echocardiogram this morning and the doctor came in and told me that the results were PERFECT! She has a beautiful, working heart now and I am so thankful to God and the donor family for this precious gift.
The nurse weighed Brea tonight after her bath and she weighed 18 pounds and 3 ounces. She is 33 inches long and 22 months old today. She looks so long and thin and I can feel her tiny ribs when I touch her. Her hair has grown a great deal in the 7 weeks that she has been sick and her nails are growing like weeds. Her lips, hands and feet are a beautiful shade of Pink and she once again has the beaitufil coloring in her skin that I love so much. She is starting to look like my little China doll again...just a little thiner.
Rumor has it that we will be moving to a new room on Friday in the East wing of the heart floor. The East wing is where the mom and dad stay in the room with the patient and does all of the patient care including drawing and giving the medications. This is where we will learn to care for Brea once she is home including looking for signs of infection and rejection.
Tonight I called security to bring me over from the Ronald McDonald House to the hospital since it was dark out. When I got in the van the driver started telling me how he had learned that if he gave all his cares to God he was so much better off. He told me that it took him a long time to learn to let things go and to let God deal with them but he had finally reached a stage in his life where he was able to do this and it had made his life so much better. I shared with him our story of Brea's broken heart and how we had trusted in the Lord to provide for Brea the perfect heart. As I got out of the van and walked towards the hospital I felt a great sense of peace that the Lord had sent this messenger to tell me that by trusting in Him, all my cares were taken care of.
Please continue to pray for Brea's recovery, her donor's family and three special children here in the CVICU with Brea as well as all the children here at ACH. The three children I'm speaking of are named Tanner, Braden and Jalisa. They each have very different problems that are way too complicated for me to explain (or understand) but God already knows about them and knows exactly how to care for each of them. Pray not only for healing for them but for peace for their families as they travel this bumpy road. One of Brea's favorite songs is "Jesus loves the little children" and as I sing it to her I am always reminded that He does love His children...all of us.
Goodnight from the bedside of a sleeping peanut...minus 99% of her tubes and wires!
|
 |
|
|
|
