I take no responsibility for the writings contained in this blog! You will have to blame "Ambien"- my best friend, when sleeping on a strange chair they somehow reconfigure and then call it a bed! There is a great chance that I won't remember a single word I typed here tomorrow morning. I'll come back and check the facts when I'm more "sane" though... so you can read knowing that I will ultimately protect you from the completely outlandish statements I might make tonight...
It has been an incredibly long day... to put it mildly! I am typing right now, from the same ICU room where Rachel recovered following her first open-heart surgery. Strange.... almost as if time has stood still! At least in this place it does! But you're probably not reading to hear about the hospital... I'm bettin' you're here to find out about Rachel's cath.... Here goes!
Rachel handled the heart cath beautifully today! She had cried some of the saddest tears you've ever seen when I told her we were coming back here for her heart cath, but you would have never known it, looking at her now! She was the perfect little patient! A delight to everyone that she came in contact with today! And amazingly, she's done it all with zero translation from our Chinese friends! Her English skills astound me after being in America for only 5 months!!!
Unfortunately, the catheter results revealed what the cardiologist had feared. Pressures are too high and the single ventricle too weak to support the second open heart surgery she needs (the fontan). There is still much discussion needed between the cardiology team and for us - much time spent in prayer with the Great Physician, but the decision was made today to go ahead and list Rachel for a heart transplant. She is still able to function and live a "normal" life, so we will return home tomorrow and begin a new season of "waiting" in our lives. I can't really imagine what that wait might look like and there are many emotional issues that I will need some time to "process". First and foremost is understanding the realities surrounding a heart transplant. One parent will loose everything... while we receive an indescribably beautiful gift from their hands.
We are so grateful for the outpouring of love we have felt through so many of you! Thank you for being vigilant in prayer on our behalf. God has heard, and has responded in ways that astound me! Just today, I was overwhelmed by the absolute peace I felt... and joy! Real joy! Strange emotions in the really hard places! But I am discovering a God who meets His children in those very places, in sweet, overwhelming ways! This is a strange road, indeed... but one I wouldn't trade for the world!