Tuesday, November 11, 2008

7 years ago today.

Seven years ago today Jason and I handed our 7 week old baby girl off to total strangers. We put her life in the hands of a surgeon we never even got the chance to meet. Just days before we found out that Anna had a terrible liver disease and would one day need a liver transplant. Our whole world came tumbling down.

During those 7 hours of waiting, with very few updates, Jason and I sat in the surgical waiting room very quietly. I don't think we knew what to do, what to say to each other. We were just so worried our baby. Not only about what was going on during the time she was in the operating room, but about the rest of her life. There was so much to learn about this disease, there where so many unknowns, we only just heard of Biliary Atresia a few days before, when her diagnoses was confirmed by a liver biopsy. From what we read, and the way the doctors talked about, it sounded so terrible. It was so terrible.

It was so hard to see her afterwards, that long incision across her belly, all the lines she was hooked up to; machines, medications. At that point of time I felt bad for Anna. I never thought she would live a normal childhood. It seemed to me that this was going to be it, she would spend all of her childhood in and out of the hospital, her quality of life would not be good.

I had not thought of this today until I was in class, drawing a classmates blood, and filling out my orders. I asked someone what the date was, and then I remembered. Memories came flooding back to me. I would have never thought, 7 years ago while sitting at Anna's bedside in the hospital, that we would be where we are today. Just earlier this morning I got a phone call from Children's letting me know that Anna's blood work that she had drawn yesterday was perfect. Again. Music to my ears every time I hear it. It never gets old. She is in perfect health, she is like any other healthy 7 year old, she is thriving in 1st grade, she is a little gymnast. She enjoys life, she lives it to the fullest, she doesn't let anything get in her way, she is a fighter.

She is my inspiration. I have had a feel good day today. I love what I will be doing for a living. Working in health care is what I want to do. I am good at it, I enjoy it, I want to help people. I don't know if I would have been inspired to do this if it wasn't for the road I have traveled with my little miracle baby. I was Anna's nurse for those times in the hospital, I jumped in and did anything they would let me do. I know I still have so much to learn before I am a certified nurse, that wasn't my training, but it sure didn't hurt.

Thank you Anna, for the lessons you have taught us, for being you.

Wonderful little girl.

Monday, November 03, 2008

Halloween Pictures

We had a fun filled Halloween! Not only did the kids get to dress up on the day of, but they dressed for a fun fair at the park district where Mary won most beautiful costume, and Alex cried her little eyes out because she thought she deserved a trophy too (and if you ask me she should have won cutest superhero!). We also went to a birthday/costume party the day after Halloween, so that was three times the fun this year!

In other news Anna is now on a once a week, once a day dose of her immunosupression! I can't even believe it, not even a bump in her liver numbers! She'll take her last dose in early December and then that's it! After that she will still go every other week for blood draws and every three months for clinic for a while, and in February she will have a biopsy to make sure her liver is handling everything. Also, Annika is doing great, she got released from the hospital and is staying at Kohl's house for a while as she needs to be monitored very closely. Let's hear it for healthy livers!!!!!




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Oh yes, let me also post pictures. We actually also went to a little fun fair at the girl's school where they got their faces panted, so it wasn't a Halloween thing but I'll post those pictures too!