We got the call from St Louis that I think we all feared was coming. During Jacob’s procedure last week, his team found that the pressures in his heart had increased.

Next week, we will be traveling to St. Louis for Jacob to be admitted to the hospital, and his status will be updated to 1a. This is a huge step. Being listed as 1a gives Jacob the highest priority on the transplant list. We are all very hopeful that this will lead to a much shorter wait for his new heart and liver.However, part of the 1a status means Jacob will need to remain inpatient in St. Louis, waiting for the perfect match to be found. We are hopeful this will happen quickly, perhaps in a matter of weeks, but we are also very aware of the reality that it could be a longer wait.

Jacob, as always, is handling this news with incredible strength. While the thought of being inpatient for an extended time is terrifying, he is focused, positive, and ready.As we move into this next phase, we are trying to navigate finding a new “normal” while living with our family in two separate places. Two of us will be in St. Louis indefinitely, while the others hold down the fort back home in Illinois, managing school, work, and daily life.

It’s a difficult new reality for all of us.We would be so grateful for your continued prayers for Jacob, our entire family, and his amazing medical team. Please pray for patience in a time of waiting and strength when things are difficult. Please pray for our family as we navigate this separation, for peace and resilience for Jacob as he waits away from home and for Ben and Addie as they adjust to this change and miss their brother. We know this next chapter will bring new challenges, but we are facing it with hope that it will lead to a bright and healthy future where we are all back home together.