Our first surgery was on October 6th at Dimaggio Children's Hospital. The surgery went very smoothly and took a little over 90 minutes. I am so thankful we have an amazing surgeon! I just can't find enough positive words to say about Dr. Stelnicki. God has truly blessed him with an awesome talent. I was so relieved that they actually gave him "sleepy juice" before the pass off to his OR nurses. He went to them with no tears and no fuss. And, that certainly kept his antsy mommy from having any tears!
We were so thankful that two of our dearest friends, Mark and Holly, braved Miami morning traffic to be with us. It was so nice to have their shoulders to lean on during those first few hours of recovery.
We ended up spending four days in PICU. We could've been home a day earlier if our little guy weren't so picky about the way he likes his formula! He was not too keen on the clear liquids at all. Then, he didn't want the formula that was pre-mixed. He had to watch me make it in front of him...and don't let it be room temperature either!
Needless to say... we'll be working on his finicky eating habits before our next surgery... December 8th!!!
Our last few minutes before getting his sleepy juice...and the last few minutes to chew on his fingers for a LONG time!
Settling into our room (after the recovery room)
Our little Frankenstein...ready to go home
Neither of us were looking forward to being in the hospital setting again. Being there for four days, we met a lot of families and their children...all having their own stories. The most heartbreaking was watching a family lose their daughter just two rooms down from us. We watched the nurses lovingly create the memory box for them. We watched the family tearfully leave after saying their final goodbyes...hesitating at the door, not wanting to leave their little girl. Our family has walked both sides of that road. I remember sitting in that room, watching other families walk the halls with their children and seeing them smile or laugh, and thinking... "Do you even know what is going on around you?" Remembering that, I felt almost guilty walking past their room with our son, knowing that we would be going home with him in our arms.
What happened after the family left brought me comfort and answered some questions I'd had for two years. I'm sure her parents would find some comfort in it as well. I watched these nurses continue to care for this little girl... making sure that the lighting in the room was just right, playing her favorite music, and talking to her whenever they were in her room. That night, this little girl saved the lives of many people. While many may think..."what a waste," I have to say, "what a gift."
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