McCarthy Updates: June 2013

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Weekend madness

Friday night right before 5pm, we got a phone call that we needed to redo Ben's blood work. They made a exception and we did it in Grand Rapids Saturday. Then after we got that call Dan ran to Meijer and my air conditioning went out on my car. We thought we were going to need to drive the beastly truck in the ramp in Ann Arbor. Dan spend Saturday trying to fix the car. We thought the compressor went out which would have been pricey. Luckily Dan is the man. He figured out a part was missing and could not find it. Finally he found it up in my engine and a bolt was broken. $2 later the air conditioning was fixed. We hope the blood work is good and we are ready to go Monday. We are enjoying some time at my sisters tonight.

Friday, June 28, 2013

Blood Work Down and the Timing

We are back in Grand Rapids after our dash to get Ben's blood work before the surgery. U of M requires it to be at one of there labs. So we drove into Brighton. The drive was uneventful. Ben pointed out every big truck, semi, and any construction equipment we saw. When we got to the lab we got in fast. Although the tricky part was getting his blood. Ben has very mad and angry even before we started the process because he knew it was coming. We had to poke each arm to get enough blood. His arms have never been easy to get a good point of access. The lab would not do his feet like in the hospital. But it was over quickly and he recovered fast as we went out to eat with my sister and friend Kristin. Kristin brought her son Mason the boys enjoyed the trains at Bagger Daves. I got the Pre-opt admission phone call while I was typing this. We need to be at the hospital at 6:30 on Monday July 1st. Ben will start fasting at midnight, so it will be easy because he will be sleeping. Then we will meet with Dr. Hirsch-Ramano and sign the papers for the Fontan. I will post an update as soon as I can compose myself. It is hard saying goodbye even through I am positive our prayers will be answered. Talk to you all soon.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Surgery Date

Today I got the phone call. Ben's Fontan surgery is planned for July 1, 2013.

Heart Poem

It's a beautiful day up in heaven. Jesus is rounding up his finest angels, to go live on earth, and be born. One of the sweetest angels says to Jesus "I don't want to leave, I like it here, and I will miss you". He reassures the scared little angel that everything will be okay, and that he is just going for a visit. He is still not swayed on this idea. So Jesus kneels down, and says, "How about if you leave half your heart here with me and take the other half with you, will that be okay?" The angel smiles and says, " I guess that will work". But the little angel is still a little scared. He asks, "Will I be okay with only half of my heart?" Jesus replies, "Of course you will, I have other angels there that will help out, and you will be fine. "Then Jesus gives the the angel more details about his plan. He says "When you are born, your mommy will be scared, so you have to be strong, and when you feel weak just remember that have the other half of your heart". "Enjoy your time with your family, play and laugh everyday." "And when its time to come back to heaven, I will make your heart whole again. Always remember that you are not broken, just torn between two loves."