March 3, 2008

March 3, 2008

Praise be to God! Our Garrett has a new, vibrant heart beating on its own inside his beautiful chest.

I went home last night, leaving Kathy and the kids up here, so I could get us some clothes and take care of a few chores. Great friends of ours gave me a ride so I could leave the car with Kathy. After hitting the rack about midnight, Kathy woke me around 2:45 am, saying we had a possible donor. I scrambled around and threw some things in a bag and broke land=speed records getting back. Was fortunate to beat the storm, but the wind was really howling. I got back to Kath and the kids about 0400 and we received a follow up call at 0915 saying it looked like a "go".

Kathy and I spend some time with Garrett to explain that God had special plans for him. That his heart was sick and the surgery they had done the other day was only temporary, and that he would need another stronger heart in order that he may not be sick again and be able to get back home to baseball, horses and all the things he loves to do. The little guy was scared, but accepted God's plan. We spent the next several hours getting prepared, signing forms and meeting with doctors. By 1300, the final piece was in place. The heart looked perfect and Garrett went into the operating room around 1430. He was scared, but very strong and brave.

Handing him over for the 19th time since his birth was no easier than the 1st.Everything went perfectly, and we just got back from seeing him in recovery. He has an assortment of 20 some wires, tubes and IVs in his little body, and that sight was tough to take, even though we had seen it before.Garrett is intubated and will remain so for the next 12 hours at least, heavily sedated.

During our "down time", we met other families in the midst of their own tragedies. One family, as it turns out, was the donor family. We had been sharing the waiting room with them for 4 days! They are a wonderful family who lost their beautiful 15 year old son. In his purely unselfish decision to donate his organs, we were among 7 who received the gift of new life. It was a difficult, yet wonderful experience to pray and cry with them. We ask your prayers for them, for peace and the knowledge that they gave us a gift we cannot ever repay. Only our solemn promise to take good care of Garrett as long as he lives is all we could offer. We also prayed with a family of a small baby in need of a transplant. We hope and pray the will get their wish, if it be in God's perfect design.

I will be signing off for now. I just wanted to send a quick update on our little Cowboy. He gave daddy a thumbs up today, even as scared as he was. He is something quite special. His baby sister Jessi wrote him a note on a grease board that read "Garrett, mommy and daddy love you. I love you and Jesus is with you. Cowboy up, Dinger!" From the mind and heart of a 6 year old. It was a moment I will never forget.

Tonight Garrett is resting under sedation and will start to come out of it sometime late morning. We will spend at least 4 days in intensive care, then be transferred to a step down room for another week or two. Our immediate future looks as though we will be in Denver for about 6 months. We still have to stay very, very cautious about any germs, so we ask anyone who is considering a visit to ensure they are not sick or have been around sick people recently. We have to be strict in order not to cause any rejection issues.

God Bless you all for your kind words, prayers and support. We have set our sights on the goal, and will work diligently to achieve. I know this will be a long road, but we're not afraid of the journey any more. God has given us grace and peace. I will update soon.

Thank you and God Bless you all,

JD