A Horribly Amazing Day!

Today was quite a day. With Kaitlyn's surgery only days away the mood in the house has been, well...tense. We all seem to be wearing our emotions on our sleeves, even the boys. They have little idea what the next couple weeks will bring but clearly sense something is going on.

There is a lot to get done before Sunday. The biggest stress we've had is waiting for the official approval from the insurance company to allow Kaitlyn's surgery to be performed at the University of Michigan. We've been fighting this battle since we learned of her heart defect (complete AVSD) back in June. Surgery was scheduled last week. The doctors seemed confident the surgery would get covered but Blair and I remained less optimistic. We would believe it when we had an authorization number. The days have continued to come and go and no official authorization. Our family and friends have been rearranging there lives for this and all I could think is that our plans would fall apart at the last minute.

Tears of joy came this afternoon when we received the phone call that she is 100% approved. I literally felt weight being lifted from my shoulders. The fight was soooo stressful, but we won the war. We fought for Kaitlyn and it payed off. Her surgery will be performed by an amazing surgeon, Dr. Richard Ohye, at one of the top pediatric cardiology hospitals in the nation. (sigh) God is good!

We will leave for Ann Arbor either Sunday evening or very early Monday morning. Her pre-surgery testing will begin Monday morning at 10am. She will get a chest x-ray, sedated echo, EKG, and blood work. We will meet with an anesthesiologist and a cardiologist. Tuesday morning the surgery is scheduled for 7:30 AM. Her surgery will last approximately 4 hours. She will then go to the PICU where she could be 3-5 days. Once the ventilator is removed and she is breathing well on her own she will get moved to the general care floor. Her estimated stay is 10 days give or take. All healthy adult visitors are welcome! Hospital policy due to H1N1 is no kids under 16. The hospital advised our family and friends to watch a video to help us prepare for surgery and Kaitlyn's recovery. If you plan on visiting take a peak at the video. Thanks again to everyone for all your continued prayers. I hope to keep updating through her surgery and recovery.

Click here for the link to watch the video

When It Rains It Pours!

Surgery Is Scheduled

We went to Ann Arbor yesterday. The insurance company approved a consultation with Dr. Richard Ohye. We have been waiting (fighting) for this day since we found out about Kaitlyn's heart defect when I was 27 weeks pregnant. Due to her increase in symptoms, mainly lack of eating they saw no reason to wait for surgery. It is scheduled for November 17th...Ugh! Brady's 5th birthday! MOTT children's hospital seemed so confident the insurance company would give the final OK that they scheduled the surgery. Blair and I are cautiously excited! We still have the fear PH won't come through, but we have to keep the faith. I'll write more specifics about the surgery later. My main focus now is to plan a little party for Brady. He is at such a fun age, and he is well aware his birthday is very soon. I need to make it special since we won't be here on his birthday!

Please Pray For My Mom

My mom is having surgery tomorrow. She has been having a lot of pain in her left femur. After many tests finally a bone scan found a dark "suspicious" spot in her bone marrow in her left femur. They will go in and remove what they can and biopsy it. Our biggest fear is cancer, but the doctors said it can be one of many things. My mom is the strongest woman I know and unfortunately isn't new to battling cancer. When she was 21 she had Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and with great doctors (U of M) and a lot of determination she beat it. She needs a lot of prayers right now. Unfortunately I can't be there but my sister went down to be with her and my dad. Thanks Jenna! We are praying for a miracle right now. I'm so sorry I can't be with you tomorrow Mom!

Happy Belated Halloween!

Out of all the candy the boys managed to get their hands on the favorite item in their bags were these crazy vampire teeth. So silly! The week around Halloween H1N1 over took our house. Both boys were mildly sick with fevers and a nasty cough. I on the other hand got horribly sick. Definitely the sickest I've been as an adult for sure. We questioned whether or not to let them go out trick or treating but we decided they could go. Brady was much better and Bryce...well I thought a little fresh air couldn't hurt! For the first time in years Brady wasn't a super hero, he decided to be a pirate. Bryce had his heart set on Scooby Doo, and after much searching in stores and online (it was sold out everywhere) he settled for a "cute" monkey. He liked the costume at the store but on Halloween he informed me he didn't want to be cute :( Next year he wants to be scary! Kaitlyn and I stayed home. I didn't even dress her up! She slept through it all. There's always next year!