Jake and Dan are home from a busy day in St. Louis yesterday. Jake had his 9th cath since transplant. It’s hard to believe it has been 4 months and yet sometimes it feels like it’s been a lifetime. It still amazes me when I see the word “transplanted” next to his name. We are hopeful (as long as all continues to go well) that we only have 4 more to go over the next 8 months!

Jake did great during the procedure. The doctor even let him listen to his favorite John Williams playlist during it. The pressures were very similar to his last cath, and his X-ray, EKG, and Echo all looked good. His magnesium levels have improved, and his A1C is great (honestly, I’m a little jealous!). They didn’t see any concerning rhythms this time but have him wearing a 24-hour Holter monitor as a follow up from those February concerns.

His initial biopsy results are already back and there were no signs of rejection!!!!!

PAWS (wound team) is very happy with the progress on the wound on his back. In fact, Jake is finally cleared to submerge. They expect the wound to be healed within the next month or two.

He also had first outpatient visit with ENT regarding his vocal cord injury from the vent. They did a scope which showed the left vocal cord is still immobile, but that isn’t unexpected from his January procedure. We are officially in a “wait and watch” phase but will continue with speech therapy to strengthen the muscles in his throat. They will scope him again in 2 months to see if left cord is moving.

His next cath isn’t until April 9th. After having caths every week or two for the past 4 months, four weeks feels like a forever but it’s a wonderful sign of how stable he’s becoming! Now when we look at the calendar and see a four-week gap, it is just another thing to be thankful for, its the gift of time and a testimony to Jake’s progress and God’s grace.

We are so grateful for the “boring” reports, the healing wounds, and the doctors who let a kid listen to his favorite movie themes during his procedure. Above all, our faith holds strong and we continue to trust in God’s plan for Jake’s life, knowing that every boring appt and price of good news is an answer to so many prayers. We feel so incredibly blessed.