Last week Brian and Nathan got back from their three-day stint at the Mayo.
It was a good visit in terms of how Nathan is doing: the basic labs, echo, visit with Nikki the coordinator, etc. Nathan’s blood sugar is starting to creep up, which is SUPER disheartening. Especially because they lowered his prednisone last month. Dr. Salama wants us to test Nathan’s blood sugars every day, sometimes multiple times a day, so we are moving into THAT state of mind, much to Nathan’s dismay.
One cool thing about this past visit is that Nathan and Brian got to see (and hold) Nathan’s native heart! I can’t tell you how many chills that gave me, and how much of a full-circle that is. It was definitely a cool thing to experience and the person sharing information was really helpful during the session.
For now, Nathan is going to stay the course and they are optimistic with what they see, given how rough 2022 started out. In April, we will go back again for a heart cath and all the other things they want to test.
Also, at the beginning of February we had a “Community Thank You” in Rockville, which was an open house type set up where we could talk with the community and thank them for their support the past year. In true mid-western fashion, we showed our love through food: BBQs, chips, and bars/cookies. We also sold t-shirts as a mini fundraiser for COTA – if you want one, let me know! Thank you for coming by!
Finally, we got a dog! No pup could replace the wonder that was Bugsy, but it was time to get that dog energy back in the house. So last week on the way home from Rochester, Brian and Nathan picked up Queenah. She is settling in nicely and even got to meet Ellie, who was home for a visit last weekend.
Life is busy and Nathan is at times struggling with where he fits in now. He’ll find his way and we’d appreciate prayers of guidance, confidence, and strength for him as he grows.
Love to all, until next time!
Mary, Brian, Ellie and Nathan
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If you are interested and feel called to help, you can donate to COTA in honor of Nathan, to assist with transplant-related expenses. Please visit: https://cota.org/campaigns/COTAforBraveheartNathan