Well…would you believe that plans have changed yet again? What was supposed to be a 3-4 day trip has now turned into a different treatment plan altogether with what is now going to be a longer hospital stay.

Instead of waiting until Tuesday for her team and other doctors to conference on Ela’s case, they conferenced yesterday as I believe they think Ela’s condition is becoming more urgent. Ela’s been fighting this rejection for month’s now, her heart is very thick indicating it’s stressed, her BNP and Allosure are high, and treatments aren’t working. They said she is at high risk of an adverse event happening and that we need to at least try another round of aggressive treatment again. We are trying to prevent Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy (CAV), which “is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity after the first year of heart transplantation.” She is at high risk of developing this if things continue the way they have.

So here we are… doing plasmapheresis, bortezamib, rituxinab, IV steroids again for the next 2 weeks at least. Then, she will have another heart cath. She is going for her apheresis line placement (the big line that comes out of her neck) procedure at 3 PM today.

We covet your prayers. There’s a lot of thoughts and emotions to process. She’s older now and is more vocal about her displeasure and disappointment of being in the hospital, although considering everything she still does well. Sometimes the “level of overwhelm” is so much that it’s hard to know what or how to pray. But we believe our God is here in all of this. His plans aren’t thwarted. His purpose is much bigger than what we can understand. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, which we celebrate this weekend, all of this pain and suffering will one day be no more. This is temporary. May He be glorified in each moment of this journey. May we be a light in a dark world. We serve a risen Savior…and because He lives we can face tomorrow.