I'm So Relieved!

Today, I finally had to face something that I've been trying to prepare myself for, these past couple of years. It's funny how hard it is to let go of familiarity because it is SO comfortable! Sometimes change can be a scary thing, especially when it has to do with one of your children.......your most prized possession, here on this earth!

Today we finally took our daughter Kasey to meet with her new Adult Transplant Team. For those of you who don't already know.....our precious baby girl was born with a rare liver disease and had to have a Liver Transplant at the age of 7 months old and now that she is almost 20, her Pediatric Transplant Team has kicked her out of their nest. This was a little nerve racking for me, considering all that we've been through with that team of doctors, over the years. It's like they become a part of your family and you trust them like no one else because of the way they have cared for your daughter.

You form quite a bond with doctors who get upset and angry, when they find out your doctor has possibly waited too late and has put you and your baby on a plane to San Francisco, (where she had her transplant) while she was in critical condition and could have died on the plane. I mean don't we love it when someone cares enough to defend our children? That means a lot to me!

You form a bond with doctors who get upset and angry again, when your baby has almost slipped into a coma twice and they still haven't gotten a liver for her and then they have to tell you, that your daughter only has 1 to 3 days to live.

Again, you form more of a bond with them, when you see the pain in their eyes, as they tell you to prepare to lose her. Then on the morning of that 3rd day, as I ran down the hallway and grabbed the doctor by the arm, not even able to speak from the terror of it all, running together back to Kasey's room, you hear the panic in their voice as they're yelling instructions to the nurse and you see the grief in their eyes, as they're trying to keep her from slipping into a coma, knowing that she would never come out of it.............only to return later that day with the deepest relief in their eyes, as they tell you that they got a liver and they will be coming to get her soon, to start prepping her for the 11 hour surgery. You really do form the deepest, long lasting bond, with doctors that save your baby's life and care for her, for almost 20 years!

Now can you see why it was hard for me to imagine putting Kasey in the hands of strangers? Doctors who don't know her history, haven't rescued her from rejection, haven't dealt with all of her hospital stays, and haven't dealt with all 14 life threatening times that she has had chicken pox!

After having said all that, I am happy to say that I WAS SO RELIEVED today, after meeting the Doctor and the Transplant Coordinator. Kasey and I really liked them a lot and now I see that it is going to be a good transition! Of course, I do know that God will take care of her, just like He always has. He can work through this doctor's hands, the same way He did, with the other doctors!

Her Liver Day is coming up on April 26th. This is the day she was transplanted, so we treat it like a birthday because it was a day, that she was given life and given back to us!

After her appointment, we went to the Olive Garden for lunch.......oh how I love Olive Garden and then we topped off the day by going to the mall and doing some shopping. Kasey bought herself some really cute clothes, some jewelry and a new pair of sunglasses and I bought a couple of pairs of really cute shoes, that I love ohhh so much! I'll have to take a pic and post it for all of you to see. I LOVE SHOES! Then we finished off the day with a yummy......very fattening......gooey.......cinnabon! What more could a person ask for? After a wonderful day and the two hour drive home, I was exhausted, so as soon as I got home I went straight to bed and took a nap. Now that's the real way to finish off a great day!