If our best laid plans had worked themselves out, we would be sitting in the hospital waiting area today while Elizabeth underwent a living donor liver transplant. Instead, I woke up with thanksgiving on my lips and got to snuggle with My firstborn, a cup of coffee and my journal. 💗Because God's ways are infinitely better than our ways, we have been home for TWO WHOLE WEEKS and Elizabeth's liver has had 24 days of its second life. 💗Ruby turned 12, Thanksgiving came and went and Elizabeth's recovery has been so very smooth. Sometimes when the weight of want to say is so great, I simply can't find the words. The reality that we are home and enjoying these precious and mundane moments together is a miracle and a tremendous gift. Words seem too small, but I will try to express what's in my heart.💗Life was shared with us, at great cost to someone else. We owe such a debt of gratitude to our precious donor. We pray Elizabeth's second chance life will bring some measure of comfort to a family walking through great loss. 💗Today also looks very different for our living donor family. Lisa is a childhood friend of mine, who willingly put her and her family's life onto the rollercoaster our family was on when she offered to share half of her liver with Elizabeth. Lisa and her husband spent a week here this summer undergoing tests to make sure she was a perfect match. She began to up her exercise and even completed 3 triathlons to give Elizabeth the strongest liver possible! Our initial date of Nov. 7th, was postponed to Jan., then moved up to Dec. 3, and Lisa was gracious and patient with all the changes, expressing that her priority was "for Elizabeth to get the best possible liver". Lisa's family was totally on board and ready to spend their holidays here in post-op recovery. When we got the call, their family did too. Their family stood on the sidelines and cheered us on, even as they processed that their precious gift wasn't going to be able to be shared. 💗Lisa's commitment to be available whenever we needed her allowed us to have incredible peace about waiting and hoping for a deceased-donor transplant. The stress of not knowing if and when our lives would changed was mitigated by the knowledge that we had a transplant date on the calendar. 💗💗Lisa and Jared, are heroes to our family. Generous, gracious heroes. We love you
Instead of heading into a transplant, we headed to our weekly bloodwork and follow-up appointment. Elizabeth's liver continues to thrive. She's stopped losing weight and is no longer dehydrated. She's been off pain meds entirely for over a week. Her spleen (impaired by the clot in her portal vein) is working perfectly now & she no longer has neutropenia! She's a walking miracle.
To say we are thankful is an understatement. To say we are tired, is a fact. 😳😂 God has been so faithful. Happy BELATED Thanksgiving. 💗
