Well, today is the big day!! At least I hope so! Kambry is scheduled for surgery today at 4:00 to remove the ECMO canullas!! She had her best trial off ever today. And...we have pee!! Kambry has peed more since midnight than she did in the previous 24 hours. So the plan is to remove he ECMO and the CRRT (dialysis) machine. I'll attach a picture of the two machines below. She may need the dialysis in the future but they want to see how well her kidneys will function on their own first. Her room is going to feel so big now! I was really starting to feel like Catherine Zeta Jones in Entrapment when I maneuvered around the cords. I'm quite confident I could easily get through a laser security system now. Rest at ease Mike Solberg, I haven't mastered a vault lock yet ;)
Speaking of employers, Lon and I received gift boxes from each of our employers this week. We both work for amazing companies with the best group of coworkers anyone could ever ask for. I mean it. We cried so many happy tears yesterday over the kindness and generosity we've been shown from our employers and coworkers. I can honestly say I've cried more happy tears than sad ones in this whole experience. And considering what we're going through, that's a pretty big statement. I struggle to find the right words to express how truly grateful we are for every single person who has reached out to us. I don't know if a person could ever really understand until they've been on the other end of it. And Lon and I can't wait to pay it forward to other families once we're back home.
So now we wait until 4. The doctors feel very good about where she is at now. Hopefully she won't have to struggle too much after coming off. They've said all along she may get sicker before she gets better as she'll be doing all the work on her own. But I had a little heart to heart with her this morning and she's ready. Ready to show everyone what a fighter she is!!
Almost daily I'm forced to listen to Lebron James' letter - correction, Frank Caliendo reading Lebron's letter in Morgan Freeman's voice - because Lon loves Lebron. So for all you sports nuts out there, even though we are still weeks (maybe months) away from this, I cannot wait to utter the words 'Southeast North Dakota, we're coming home.' :)
Every night before we leave Kambry's room, we listen to a song called 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman. YouTube it if you've never heard it, it's great! Here's a verse that I love:
The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes
We are always comforted by knowing that God is with us through every up and down. And while we don't always understand the why's, He has a plan for all of this. We thank Him for each new day! And for putting every one of you in our lives!
God bless,
Heidi