Entering Gad Valley

Dad was cleared to be moved up to the 5th floor transplant unit this afternoon - totally bypassed the intermediate ICU which is GREAT news! He's doing his best to try to swallow solid food but his throat has quite a scar from removing the large vent tube. As he was forcing himself to eat another bite of mashed potatoes, I said "just think of this as the biggest marathon of your life, Dad. Pick a spot up ahead, set a goal, and don't focus on anything else 'til you get there." He laughed and said "then right now I must be in the St. George Marathon entering Gad Valley. Definitely looking forward to getting to Diamond Valley." He's my hero :)

Pray for Diane

Please keep Diane Atwood in your thoughts and prayers.  She's the recipient of the left lung (my Dad got the right) and apparently she has to go back into surgery because of issues with the lower part of her new lung. She was doing so well?  Scary.

The tube is out!!!

Dad's off the vent- they pulled the tube out early this morning and he's breathing on his own with his new lung!!! He's getting a small amount of O2 through a nasal canula which they'll be decreasing throughout the morning. Bryan's with him now and said that he's in great spirits, talking well, slept well, etc. I was literally on my knees praying for that tube to come out today when my phone beeped with Bryan's text that said they had pulled the tube and he was breathing on his own. We're so blessed!

I should also mention that Diane, the other lung recipient, was moved yesterday from the surgical ICU to the intermediary ICU and was up walking the halls!  These are good, strong lungs and I'm sure Dad will be following her lead in a day or two.  Such a miracle!  How can we ever thank the donor family enough?  Thinking of them ... always.

From Bryan:

Got a call at 5:30 AM to hurry up to the hospital because my Dad wanted me to be there when they discussed pulling his breathing tube (This can really only be done once with a new lung) so its important to get it right. That drive was very cold, dark and long from Draper to the U. I realized when I got there that I didn't have the radio on the entire drive, a lot of things go through your mind. They ended up pulling the breathing tube and turning off the ventilator right when I got there. After quite a bit of suction and nervousness he started breathing on his own! He and I just sat and had conversations about everything. He looks great, feels great and is eating ice chips. He told me "I'm the luckiest man alive". He still has a long road to recovery but it looks like he's going to make it out of here.

Thank you all for your prayers and positive thoughts, they REALLY did help, what a roller-coaster

Tomorrow will be a better day :)

From Bryan:

Dad is doing well, still couldn't get him off the ventilator yet today but he is making progress. We will try again tomorrow to get the tubes out and have him breathing on his own. His mind seems very clear and he is pretty much off of the majority of the meds from surgery. Since he is unable to speak with the tubes down his throat he has to write everything down. As I was about to leave tonight he made sure he wrote down "Everything will be fine, tomorrow will be a better day". Then he stopped me and wrote "Please make sure you put the Jazz game on my TV before you leave". Now THAT let me know that everything is fine.

Not quite there yet

From Bryan: Just spoke to Dr. Cahill, he wasn't ready to come off the vent very well. They are putting him back on and will try again tomorrow. He can write very well and communicate fine. He is finally asleep so I think it will be best if we let him get some rest for awhile.

Trying to pull the tube

From Bryan: Dad looks good, was not able to sleep much last night. He is off all blood pressure meds for the most part and pain meds are minimal. His vent is off right now and he is somewhat struggling but if he calms down they may pull tube in 20 min. They asked me to leave for 30 min so he can relax. Say your prayers, crucial 30 minutes coming up.

.... If Only In My Dreams

I just got home from the hospital around 10:45 tonight and Dads still improving. The nurses have asked that only immediate family and his siblings and mother be allowed to visit him in the ICU. There will be plenty of time for visits once hes moved back up to the transplant floor and more stable. We're hoping that they'll be able to remove the ventilator tomorrow, but at least he's awake now and wanting to try to type things to say, which is still difficult for him. I know everyone's prayers have been heard and have helped contribute to his amazing recovery from such a traumatic surgery. Our family is so humbled and grateful to all of you and we're continuing to pray for the Atwood family and the donor family as well.

We just realized this evening, as our family gathered at Carter's house to have a little Christmas get together, that Dad wasn't aware until this afternoon that Christmas had come and gone while he was still coming out of the haze of sedation he'd been in for over 24 hours. He was expecting the surgery to be over by 2-3pm and that the rest of us would have time to still get home for Christmas Eve dinner with our kids. Thats why he was trying to type "go home for Christmas" yesterday to all of us.

It reminded me of the song "I'll Be Home For Christmas" which ironically, was being sung by Frank Sinatra on the radio on Christmas Eve morning as I was racing through the dark and empty streets of Sugarhouse back toward the hospital. I knew he was looking forward to having Christmas Eve dinner at my house with my girls, my Mom and his Uncle Ernie. We had joked the night before that if worse came to worse and he wasn't a match for the lung, that at least he'd get to be home for Christmas and enjoy the meal I was going to prepare for them. He definitely wasn't home for Christmas, but I know he was there in his dreams.

On Friday night, around 8pm, my girls and I had just finished setting the table for our Christmas Eve feast and were pulling some Christmas muffins out of the oven when I got the text that they had a lung and were on their way to the hospital. The last three days have been such a whirlwind that I haven't had the time or energy to put all the place settings away. Its all just sitting there, like its frozen in time. Sure it would have been nice to have had a "normal" Christmas, but it would have included watching Dad haul his oxygen tank around, with his grey skin and all of us wincing in empathy every time a coughing attack would strike, or he would get winded from just standing up to walk to the next room. It would have been another reminder that he most likely wouldn't be around next Christmas if he didn't get a new lung soon.

I think I just may leave the table like this for awhile, at least until Dad is taken off the ventilator and gets a chance to catch that second wind :)