Still in the OR

It's about 2:30am. Jen is still in the OR, but we heard from the DR about 30 mins ago, and he said he was finishing up the transplant. I'm sure he'll want to talk with us after it's finished to give us the run down on how everything went. I'll keep everyone posted.

Jen is in the OR, the wait is over, the wait begins

This is Cameron, Jen's boyfriend. The waiting is over. She got the call for lungs around 11:30am. I drove back from work and Ray (Dad) did as well. We met Caroline (neighbor) and Teresa (aunt) and her Mom at the house and left. Our friend, Michelle, met us on the way up, and her sister, Kelly, is also came. They allowed us to drive instead of flying which gave everyone a little more time to breathe. She sent out a text message to some of her friends, and apparently one of the numbers was wrong. A guy messaged her back asking who she was. After she figured out she had the wrong number, he said she sounded cute and asked her how old she was. She replied that she was married. We laughed about that all day. After a long (mileage) and quick (speed) trip to Cleveland, Jen was admitted to the OR at 7:30pm. We found out the lungs were in good shape about an hour ago, and we were with her waiting until she left for the surgery. She was in EXCELLENT spirits, cracking jokes with whole time. Minutes before she left she had a typical bout of coughing, looked at her Dad and said, "It's ok, I'm going to go cough up a lung now." She will be in surgery for the next 8-12 hours. If I get any updates throughout the surgery, I'll post them here.

IVs yet again

Just a quick little blip about what's going on at home right now.

Most of our nerves have settled since "the call," but we still jump a bit when the phone rings.

I've gone back on IV antibiotics. My cough was incredibly croupy and I overall just wasn't feeling well. I also have been using my O2 more, but that was something Dr. Budev had told me to do anyway. Being on IVs will not change my chances of receiving my transplant. If the lungs are available, I still get them. What it does change is my post-op care. They want to make sure that I'm on the drugs afterward to make sure I'm clear of infection. While I'll have new lungs, I still keep some of my old airways. Sinuses, throat, and a small portion of the bronchi. They all still have CF and the mucous that comes with it... don't want those things ruining those beautiful lungs I'm about to receive :D

I'm as ready as I'm going to be for all of this... so if it's going to happen, it needs to happen soon!


Oh, and update on Garren - He's doing great, is now able to eat and is down to 2 chest tubes. He has a slight upper respiratory infection so they're waiting on that to clear. He should be able to go home on Friday or Monday though. I can't wait for this little man to start living life!

And That's What We Call A "Dry Run"

Ok, so not really a TRUE dry-run, but close.

It's 3am Saturday, February 7th. Just a couple of hours ago I got the call that I've wished for/dreaded. Mike from Cleveland called... sheesh! I picked up the phone, saw the caller ID and immediately sat down. I was all ready to yell at whoever was calling. In hindsight, I'm glad I didn't pick up the phone yelling :) I'm guessing so was he, haha!

He said he had lungs and was 97% sure that they were going to be mine. He'd run a bunch of tests and it was a great match. There were a few tests left and he'd do those while I got my things together. Time wasn't an issue for this pair and he told us he was going to have us drive up. It made things a little more easy going. I said a little... it was still chaotic! I went to wake Mom up and then decided I desperately needed a shower. Poor Kelly stood in her room and stared at her bed saying "I just don't know what to do!" - She's had a tough few days, but she did get her driver's license today (AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! So SCARY!!!) And then I called Cameron to tell him to come back over so we could all drive together.

I got in the shower and washed my hair and shaved my legs - 2 things that should have been done a while ago - and a million things passed through my head. It's amazing what you think of in times like this. "I still need to return that DVD from Christmas" "I haven't finished my cross-stitch yet!" "It's too early, I still need more time to prepare" "I wonder if Dr. Budev got all of my paperwork from the fax" "But I have a dentist appointment Monday" "Guess I won't have to call Dr. Trapnell about IVs on Monday".... and the list goes on. I sat in the bathtub and said a quick prayer and placed everything in God's hands. As I tried to figure out what clothes I was going to wear, Cleveland called back. The lungs weren't good enough. Apparently Cleveland is INCREDIBLY picky about accepting lungs, and I couldn't be happier for it. They called me back before I had too much time invested in the anxiety. We had made a few phone calls. A couple aunts and my neighbor. So Mom sat and called them all back, letting them know it just isn't time yet.

Caroline came over and sat with us for a while. It was a while before any of our heart rates had returned to some "non-stroke" range of normal. Finally my eyes are getting heavy again, my body tired, and it is time for me to lay here and attempt to get sleep.

Garren

Garren is a young boy with CF. 7 years old to be specific. For being so young, this kid has been through more than I have. For a while now he's been having some serious trouble and last July he was listed for a double lung transplant.

For children, the allocation system is different. It's the old system. The crappy system. I think I heard it best when someone referred to it as the delicatessen system. Take your number and wait. Complete garbage if you ask me. Don't we all deserve to get lungs when we need them the most?! Luckily, this boy did.

As of 2:30AM February 2nd, he has new lungs. And as of tonight, he's already gone on 3 small walks on the unit. Granted, one of those walks was only 50 feet, but seriously, the lungs have been in there for less than 24 hours!

I'm writing this to ask whoever is reading this to please say a prayer for him and his family tonight. That his recovery continue to be as speedy and smooth. Also, to pray for his donor's family. For as great as it is that Garren has received his second chance... we all know what has to happen. God Bless you G-Man, you are quite the amazing kiddo!