We've received confirmation from the transplant team that the Berlin heart has been ordered from Germany and the FDA paperwork has been started. We will know in the morning when the surgery will take place but everyones best guess is that it will be on Wednesday or Thursday of this week.
Brea received two units of blood today to prepare for the surgery. The doctor increased her Captopril (BP med) today and she has developed a mild fever so they have sent off some cultures to see what is causing it. Her heart rate shot up to 180 today but thankfully it is now back down in the 150s.
This morning as I came in to check on Brea I was met in the hallway by the transplant nurse who told me that they had another offer of a heart for Brea this morning. They passed on the heart because it was from a donor who had coded and was down for too long which would have comprimised the quality of the heart. This was the third heart that the team has passed on but I am ok with that because I know that taking a heart that is not a perfect match would mean trading one set of problems for another. I have faith that God will provide the perfect heart at the perfect time for Brea!
Today was an exciting day here in the heart center at ACH. An 11 month old baby who has been waiting on a heart since January received a perfect match today! The heart began beating as soon as it was in and her parents are smiles from ear to ear!!!!! There were four children waiting on hearts here at ACH including Brea. Three of those children are not on ventilators and I wasn't sure how I would feel if one of those kids got a heart before Brea since Brea is on so much support but I was so happy for Arianna and her family when I heard the news. I am so thankful that I have a peace about this and that I am trusting in God to provide for Brea or this could have been a very difficult day.
Today I received a call from my sister who shared with me their sermon today at church. It was about MIRACLES! The pastor talked about having faith. I am constantly amazed at how God is using others to send messages of encouragement to me and how He is confirming that my faith is exactly what it needs to be to get Brea through this.
So many times since this journey began I have stopped in my tracks and been amazed at how God has changed me through this experience. I have always been a person of faith BUT I have always felt like a persons religious beliefs were very private. Being a person who doesn't like confrontation I have always been very hesitant to provoke conversations about faith with someone when I didn't know where they stood in their personal relationship with Christ. NOT ANY MORE! I now know that my gift of "gab" as my hubby calls it is my gift from God! God not only has a plan for Brea but He has a plan for me! My fears are gone. My story is an open book that I want to share with the world. I have great hope that through this journey others will come to know God and will learn to lean on Him in the good times and the bad.
Keep praying friends for a miracle and remember...miracles come in all forms and fashions. Brea's miracle may be in receiving the Berlin heart to bridge her time until transplant or it may be in the form of a donor heart before the Berlin heart device arrives here...it is up to Him!
Goodnight from ACH where one little girl is resting with a new heart beating in her chest and another one waits for God's will.
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