Chasing A Deer With Grandpa...

My second journal entry of my little John's dreams...visions...thoughts? I'm really not sure exactly what they are...Haha!

My first is here...

Little John wakes up from a nap and after a while says, "Mama I go outside with Grandpa Russ."

"Oh did you have a dream of Grandpa Russ?"

"Nooo, I go outside with Grandpa Russ!"

I laugh..."Ok Buddy, well what did you guys do outside?"

"We see a deer."

"You did? How cool!"

"Yeah it was looking at us."

"What were you and Grandpa doing?"

"Grandpa laugh, Grandpa say, 'Go get him John!'"

"So did you chase the deer?"

"Yeah, I do!"

"Did you catch him?"

"No, he's running."

"Well, then what happened Buddy?"

"The deer stop and he look at me."

"Oh, what did the deer look like?"

"He a little bit big with like a tree on his head."

I laugh..."Like branches? Do you mean antlers Buddy?"

"Oh yeah!"

"What did you do next?"

"I going back to Grandpa and he smile at me."

"Awwwwe...and then what Buddy?"

"Grandpa laughing and say, do it again, go get him!"

"Then what did you do?"

"I do it again...I laughing...Grandpa he smile at me."

(Saturday, November 16, 2019)

I have no idea about what these dreams or visions or whatever this is, is all about...Haha! But I sure do love them!

I can totally see this happening! Dad truly loved nature and he's so playful and fun! I can hear them both laughing and being silly.

My heart breaks knowing this was just a dream...My little guy won't be able to experience that silliness with Grandpa Russ. But what a precious dream...How sweet to experience this with his Grandpa, if even for a moment.

"Go get him John!"

Walking On The Sun...

So my littlest guy, John told me and my oldest daughter, Victoria something pretty dang amazing...

"Mama, I saw Grandpa Russ on the stairs."

It was said very matter of fact. Nothing exciting...just letting me know.

He's 3, so I humored him.

"You did?"

"Yep, I did. On the stairs."

"Well, did he say anything to you?"

"Yep, he did."

"What did he say?"

"Well...He say, I love you...Hmmm...He say, I love you John."

"Awwwe...That's so nice Buddy."

"Then what happened?"

"Ummm..."

"What was he wearing?"

"A t-shirt."

"Oh cool, a t-shirt? What color?"

"Hmmm...Kinda like pink."

"That's cool Buddy." I giggle a little.

"Mama, Grandpa was walking on the sun!"

He was very excited now!

"Ummm...What do you mean Buddy?"

"Grandpa was bright and shiny."

My daughter and I look at each other. Ok...Now I'm intrigued.

"Wait, what?"

"Grandpa was walking on the sun...He was bright!"

"He smile at me!"

"Where was I Buddy when this happened?"

"Oh you bye-bye on the plane!"

(Thursday, November 7, 2019)

I promised my sister I would start journaling things like this, so that I could go back and remember. So, I decided to write it down, but also post here to my blog as backup just in case something happened to my notebook.

When I shared with my husband later in the evening, he gasped and said, "I think I know when he's talking about!"

They were outside on the day (Sunday, November 3, 2019) my dad (Grandpa Russ) passed. My oldest and I were still in California with family. It had just gotten dark and my little guy said to my husband, "Dad why is it so bright out here?" My husband was confused because it was obviously not bright...like, at all...it was definitely dark out. John insisted it was bright out, "It's so bright, like the sun!" My husband thought he was just being silly.

A couple days later my husband told me that he just couldn't stop thinking about what I told him and asked John about it further.

He said that he asked about him seeing Grandpa walking on the sun and John was very adamant it happened. My husband then asked John, "So what happened after that? Do you know where Grandpa Russ is now?" John simply said, "The Holy"

I know some people aren't really into things like this...Honestly, I never was either. But, I so praise God for it!

I talked to a few people about what happened here and I trust that God has indeed given my little guy a precious little miracle to share with his family.

My baby is three years old...He's never given us any reason to not believe or trust him.

And how very exciting for him to see his Grandpa Russ, walking on the sun!

It's Not Goodbye, But See You Soon...

I've been trying to find the words to say as I share about Dad. I have sat down several times and had to get back up and walk away. My heart is so heavy. I apologize to those who have been praying and following his journey. I'm so sorry if it seems like I'm avoiding you or ignoring you. I'm so sorry it's taking me a while to return phone calls and messages.

I guess I felt like when I finally posted something, things would be...Official. I'm not sure I'm ready for that just yet.

My Father, Russell Blanchard went home to the Lord on Sunday, November 3rd at about 2:25 in the afternoon. The Lord's Day. In the now providential prayerful words of my Uncle, "It was a good day to go home to Jesus." It was peaceful and you could feel the presence of God as he breathed his last breaths. He was surrounded by those who love him deeply.

I am so thankful to have been able to spend this time with him...heartbreaking but so very precious. I will treasure each and every moment. The time spent with family praying, laughing, sharing memories, and the many tears shed will forever be etched on my heart. 

And then those very last moments...When you knew...You just knew...Heart wrenchingly beautiful. If that even makes any sense. Desperately wanting to go back, to hold on, but knowing he was free. It was a bittersweet exhale. No more pain, released from the agony of this fallen imperfect world and in the presence of God. 

I will forever be grateful for the extra time God so miraculous gave Dad...I would be lying if I said it was enough. It's never enough for us, is it? But, it was perfectly enough for God. And, I trust Him. 

Dad, I love you so very much. I praise God for the gift of you in my life. I am so honored to be your daughter. You have been such a wonderful father. A true example of selfless love. Thank you for your honest and sincere heart. Thank you for your love of Christ! I will hold you with me always. And, although my heart is aching and I already miss you so very much, I know this is not goodbye, but instead, see you soon! Because there are no goodbyes in Christ! 

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
~ 1 Peter 5:10-11

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
~ Revelation 21:4

Until we meet again Dad! 

A New Chapter ~ Dad's Courageous Journey

Just recently I asked for much prayer...I made lots of phone calls, text messages, asked my prayer groups, posted on all the social media sites I could think of and posted on my blog. 

See, dad's courageous fight with his second battle of cancer looks like it very well may be coming to an end. 

We knew the time we have with him is very precious and wanted to soak up as many moments we could! A couple weeks ago all his kiddos (5 of us!) flew into California from Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Michigan and Maryland...Yeah, we're pretty spread out! We rented a beautiful secluded home for 4 days, kidnapped dad and enjoyed our time away, spending much needed time together with him. We didn't realize just how much needed that time together truly was. The very day, less than half an hour before I had to leave to check in for my flight, he received a phone call from one of his many doctors, that his cancer has metastasized and is spreading much more aggressively. This, as you can imagine, was quite discouraging for him. He just handed me the phone mid-conversation to continue the call for him. My heart sank. 

Dad has been through so much these past few years. You wouldn't believe it if you didn't know him! If you are just now reading about dad, you can find his first post on his history here, the second post on his transplants here and then the third and most recent posting regarding the return of his cancer here. He is a true hero! Bravely taking head-on all obstacles he must face. Never willing to give up faith. Always with a kind and sweet disposition. Always apologizing and over apologizing if he feels in anyway that he's being a trouble maker...Haha!  Always genuinely thanking every single person he comes in contact with for his care, from the dr's to housekeeping. And it truly shows, because the staff always falls in love with dad and become part of his gimormous cheering section! 

Less than a week of us kids returning home, dad was brought into the ER as he wasn't doing very well at all and was quickly admitted into the hospital once again. To much heartbreak, it was discovered that his poor body is riddled with cancerous tumors. It's become too much. Us kiddos are once again each flying out to be close to him once again. Dad is being discharged from the hospital tomorrow and will be returning home. This new chapter from here is hospice care at home...Surrounded by family. Surrounded by those whom adore him and admire his strength as he ever so bravely fought these many battles.

I am asking those that read this to please pray...Please pray for Dad. Please pray for us, his children. Please pray for our family. Please pray for all who love him, whose lives have been touched by his. It's so hard to know exactly what to pray for. He is in such terrible pain...constant agonizing pain. I want him freed and released from that...But I so desperately and selfishly want more time with our Dad...Grandfather, brother, son, friend to so many and hero! 

I am so beyond thankful to God for giving us more time with dad by blessing him with the precious life-sustaining gift of those transplants. I trust our good and gracious God whose thoughts and ways are not my own...But much much higher! I trust that ALL things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose! I know that when Dad breathes his last breath and closes his eyes for the last time here on earth, he will be in the presence of our loving Father...His fight will have been won and he'll be free! I have no doubt that he will feel the arms of my Savior wrapped around him in a most tender warm embrace and hear the words, "Well done!" 

 Dad & Us Kids October 2019

Dad's Courage ~ A Journey of Another Kind

I haven’t written an update on dad and his journey in quite a while. Frankly, it’s been pretty rough emotionally to share. But, I realized that we need help...The prayerful miraculous kind we received around this same time a year ago.

I truly covet your prayers as my family petitions the throne of God with every ounce of hope we’ve got!

Some of you may remember my dad’s heart and liver transplant journey almost a year ago now. Those postings can be found here for the original first post and here for the second post.

I asked for much prayer then...and so many did just that! It was a roller coaster ride with lots of ups and downs...But God ultimately showed up in a mighty and miraculous way!

He was doing awesome and healing quicker than the doctors expected! His kidneys, which were also supposed to be transplanted but because of complications during the transplant surgery, weren’t, but have bounced right back and he still hasn’t needed a lick of dialysis! This itself was also a huge miracle! He was doing wonderfully and so very thankful for this gift of life!

In February though he started having severe abdominal pain. The dr’s discovered that the prostate cancer he had prior to his transplants returned, but more aggressive than before...Stage 4. This is due to the immunosuppressive drugs he must be on to keep his body from rejecting the transplanted organs. He did start hormone and chemo treatments which has lowered his PSA levels back to a normal range and significantly shrunk the tumor. Unfortunately it was also recently discovered that the cancer has metastasized and Monday morning we learned that this new/separate tumor is also cancerous. The name for this cancer is, Poorly Differentiated Squamous Cell Carcinoma and it is very invasive and very aggressive.

As you can imagine, this diagnosis has hit him very hard and he is very discouraged.

I am asking once again for sooo much prayer! Please if you know any prayer warriors, I ask that you ask them to pray for our father. We saw mountains moved while he was waiting for his transplants! I know my God, the creator of the universe, who holds all things in his hands, is mighty to save!

Family Christmas Letter ~ 2018

Dear Family and Friends,

Another year has gone by...and way too stinking quickly! Can I tell you a secret? So, I completely forgot to mail out our Christmas letter from last year! Haha! After typing it up and stuffing the envelopes, the kiddos got sick and I put them up for safekeeping and then literally forgot all about them until I just found them put “safely” away yesterday! Sigh...Oh well!

I hope and pray as this year comes to an end, and as you look back, that you are flooded with wonderful memories! I pray that your times of happiness, were truly joyous and that your heartbreaks, may have been comforted...And all year long, surrounded in love! 

We had quite the year! New adventures, unexpected blessings and the same fun everyday busyness that keeps us on our toes! I noticed when I look back, I’m often exhausted at just the thought of having done all that...Hahaha!

So, please sit back and enjoy a little bit of our life...

Victoria, John and I flew to California over Thanksgiving to spend some time with my father, Russ. I’m sure most of you know by now, with all of my social media postings that he had BOTH heart and liver transplants! He is doing wonderfully! He’s now out of the hospital, which he is absolutely thrilled about, and is renting an apartment just down the street from the hospital. He still has a long way to go with recovery, but we are truly thankful with his progress. Gary will be flying back to spend some time with him during the recovery period this coming February. I’m a little jealous, but because his immune system is very sensitive right now, he can’t be around little ones. So, I’m thankful Gary can go to help him. Dad will also be receiving a kidney sometime in 2019 after his recovery period from the current transplants. I would so greatly appreciate your continued prayers for him!

Our family is contemplating something pretty huge for 2019...Purchasing and remodeling our current home that we are renting (we’ve lived here since mid 2010) or moving into a new home in a different neighborhood. We see lots of pro’s and con’s in doing both, so this is a really tough decision! Many prayers appreciated for God’s very clear direction!

And now onto the kiddos…

Victoria - She’s been keeping herself super insanely busy with work, dance, acting in community plays and her boyfriend, Jacob...Haha! She took this school semester off for two reasons...One, she’s now taken all of the classes they offer pertaining to her major, AND two...She was recently accepted into the university that she originally really wanted to attend!!! Woo-Hoo!!! Unfortunately, when she first applied, her high school grade point average wasn’t as awesome as she is...Haha! She never pouted, threw herself a pity party or gave up! Instead she enrolled at a local community college and busted her chops! She fully intended on attending there for about two years and then “hopefully” transferring over afterwards. Well, it was only a year later that she was accepted because she incredibly rocked out her GPA!!! I am so proud of her hard work, determination and tenacious spirit! So this winter she’ll be joining their theater department amongst all other activities that include all things dance, acting, singing, music...basically performing!

Jordan - Well, this crazy kid just turned 18 years old on the 14th of December!!! He’s legally an adult...Ahhh!!! Thank goodness he knows that he still needs us, cause I’d completely freak out if he thought any different...Haha! No seriously, he’s a great kid and honestly, I know he’ll do great things! He’s a Senior this year, which means he’s graduating! He has no plans, as of now, to attend a four year college. His grades are awesome and his teachers, both former and currently, adore him! He says that he’s just tired of “the game” of school. To hear his reasoning, it’s hard to argue...He’s a great persuader! I don’t know, maybe he should go into politics...Haha! He is though thinking about some business schooling. He wants to go into business with dad and get involved into community. His heart is huge and his dreams are big! I know God has plans for our guy!

Kaylie - She’s a Sophmore in high school and all about her phone...Haha! She’s taking Drama this year and isn’t quite sure if it’s for her just yet, but is sticking it out! She’s still involved in her art and is talented! Music and her boyfriend, Xavier are her favorite interests! She truly enjoys her alone time, just sitting in her room and either drawing, listening to music or scrolling on her phone. But, there are plenty of times that girl will be right at your side keeping you company, talking your ear off as she helps you cook dinner or wash the dishes She’s really becoming her own person and trying to figure out this thing called life! I told her when she gets it all, to tell me ‘cause I’m trying to do the same...Haha!

Grace - 8th grade...Her last year of Middle School! And, she’s ready for it to be over...Haha! Us...No, not so much! She’s continuing with Choir this year and is really doing a fabulous job! She’s even taught herself to play the ukulele by watching YouTube videos! I would say singing, music and makeup are for sure this girl’s passions right now! She often spends time in her room writing songs and singing. She says that if she isn’t a singer one day, she’d like to be a makeup artist. She’s very detail oriented, so I could totally see that about her! This girl is a big dreamer and she’s got the talent to achieve them, so I say dream on!

Isabella - This year Bella is attending our local Catholic school and is in the 6th grade. We were all pretty nervous about sending her to school, but that girl not only took it really well, but jumped right in! She’s involved in almost every single thing there is to be involved in available to her! Basketball, flag football, choir, band club, drama club and then once spring sports start, she’ll be involved in those too! I really tried to stop her and get her to slow down, but that just made her desire to fly like the little social butterfly she is, worse! Hahaha! So, I figured I’d just let her try all the things...all of them...and let her decide what she likes and what she doesn’t. Problem is, she literally likes everything! Every...thing! So, obviously she’s doing awesome and we’re really glad we made this decision. So is she...even though she won’t admit to it. Who wants to admit they like school? We ask how her day went and she’ll answer, “Well, you know, it’s school and whatever…” Hahaha! Ya, she’s just way too cool, you know?

Joshua - Big 4th grader over here! He’s got so many interests, but mostly it’s video games...and YouTube...Haha! That boy has all of the Fortnite secrets to win the game and even all those crazy dances down! Speaking of dance...He really has got some moves of his own! And he can sing too! His favorite band right now is Imagine Dragons. I actually really like them too! He will play songs over and over until he knows them word for word and then have us sit down so he can put a show on for us! I just love it! This past year he took a hiphop class which really seemed to get him out of his shy shell and made him super brave! He even wanted to audition for a community production of Charlotte’s Web. He ended up not getting a part, but only because the schedule would have interfered with baseball. He’s all signed up for hiphop again this year, which starts up in January and he’s already been practicing his moves...Haha!

Bryanna - Our little baby girl is in 2nd grade! What?! I have to keep reminding myself that she’s not still 3 years old...Hahaha! Sigh...Goes by just way too fast! She’s still very much into all things girly, frilly, glittery and magical! And, if it has rainbows, unicorns and mermaids included...Bonus!!! She’s doing ballet, tap and jazz again this year...this is her 4th year in dance and she is loving it! She says that she wants to be a dance teacher when she grows up...or an astronaut. She also says that she wants 10 kids...Haha! She does baby her little brother...and our cats Nacho and CoCo!

John - Our littlest baby is 2 years old! And he sure is a spitfire!!! I used to laugh off when people would say “terrible two’s”. I still do, but I kind of get it now...Haha! I would say it’s “rambunctious two’s” or maybe “dangerous two’s” or more like “I am going to place myself in complete and utter danger two’s”...You know? Something like that. He has no fear! He will climb up and jump off of anything! I try to tell him that mama has a heart condition, but nah, he’s not hearing any of it! He also has such a creative imagination! He will come up with the cutest things and want you to come and play too! “I’m a big big dino! See me Mama? I’m gonna get you! Play dinos Mama? Please?” How could I ever say no? And, he’s got quite the sense of humor already! We might be in trouble as he gets older...Haha! He’s going to have a sarcastic streak, I can totally tell! But, he also has a precious, sweet and sensitive heart. Little John is the most snuggliest, cuddliest, lovingliest baby boy in the whole entire universe! I soak up those cuddles, ‘cause one day...Nope, not even going there right now! He’s still totally my baby boy...That’s it...The end!

As for Gary - His business continues to flourish modestly year by year. Each year doubling in revenue. God is truly blessing him! He is very excited for this coming new year! 2019 is already looking very promising in the areas of growth...New staff and new clients! We pray the Lord continues to provide in huge ways!

And then me, Christina…or Tina! - Well, you know what? I realized that since doing these Christmas letters, after I get to myself, I’m pretty exhausted! Hahaha! Just trust that I am doing well! My heart feels incredibly full and abundantly blessed loving on my crazy crew and keeping busy! I was so very thankful to be able to go to California to be with my dad, Russ. I thoroughly enjoyed reconnecting and spending much needed time with my family. I deeply miss them and just don’t realize it, until I am with them again. It’s always so hard to have to say goodbye. Distance is awful! But, I am ever grateful for those moments together!

I sincerely pray that you and yours have a very Merry Christmas and a most wonderful Happy New Year’s! May our good and gracious Lord bless you this coming year!

With Lots and Lots of Love, The Morris Crew! 

A Precious Gift: Dad's Transplant Journey

Major update for our Father Russ, who has been awaiting a TRIPLE transplant of the heart, liver and kidney. The original posting of his journey is found here and is really quite the story! I haven’t updated in a while because we’ve just been overwhelmed about this whole journey! But, you can follow our FB page where there are regular updates on how things are moving along and letting everyone know how he’s doing. Please check it out here! We also have a GoFundMe account set up. If you are able to and feel led to do so, you may donate to the family fund here, which will make it possible to be with him to help during his recovery time.

Late Wednesday, November 14, 2018 (well, technically it was after midnight my time, so super early Thursday morning!), only about 4 months since dad entered the hospital, I get a call and I see it’s dad. I know it must be important since it’s the middle of the night, but I don’t freak out...I have this complete sense of peace and answer the phone. He’s calm too and says that they’ve got a donor! Well, they think this might be it. But, I can tell that he feels this is it...I felt it too...We all did! I already had a flight booked for a visit with him that I was literally leaving for that Friday! Almost immediately I worry that maybe I shouldn’t go...He insisted that I should still come and to storm the place if they didn’t let me in to see him...Haha! I was nervous because I didn’t really know what to expect when I got to the hospital. Would he be ok? How would he look? Would they restrict my time with him? I knew my original plan for the visit would look very different, but I also knew that this whole journey has been held by God’s mighty hand, and His plans seem to go differently than mine pretty often...Haha! I was just so thankful to be able to go there to be with him...To just sit with him while he rested, hold his hand, talk to him and let him know that we’re there. As I boarded the plane, he lay in recovery after being in surgery for hours...I was so very overwhelmed!

Surgery was very long! The heart transplant was first. The dr’s said that the heart was beautiful and strong! The transplant went fantastically and with no complications. As soon as they did the transplant, his new heart began pumping all on its own! We were all ecstatic! Now on to the liver! The liver team also said that the liver was strong...pristine even! They were very excited about this liver for dad! As they began working on removing the old liver, they noticed that a previous infection caused a significant amount of scar tissue on and surrounding his liver. The scarring made it very difficult to remove and ended up being a very intense removal...it was as if they had to chisel the old liver out being very cautious as to not damage any surrounding blood vessels, etc. The removal added unexpected time, and unfortunately stress to the overall surgery. His beautiful new heart was under a significant amount of stress. They needed to make a decision...Do they continue with the kidney transplant, placing even further stress on his already very stressed new heart? Do they instead let the kidney go, in hopes to regain the health and strength of the new organs? They chose the latter. This was hard to hear at first, but I knew that God has been with dad so miraculously the whole way...and He isn’t going anywhere now! He has a plan for this and I trust Him! Dad will need to be on regular weekly dialysis for about a year. BUT, since he was going into surgery expecting and being promised a kidney, and did not receive one, he will be placed at the top of the list for a new kidney!

Because of the stress on the new heart, he was put on a heart assist machine (ECMO). The new heart is still pumping and doing the work, but this is to help take some of the stress off so that it can rest. He was still “open” because they do the transplant surgery of the liver in two steps. They let the body rest and then go back to connect the bile ducts. They didn’t have a surgery date right away because it was imperative that the condition and stability of his new heart improved beforehand.

I finally get to see him the next morning (Saturday, November 15, 2018)...He looks like he’s been through so much, but also really good...pale, but good. I was overwhelmed with emotion, as you can imagine! He just received a second chance at life! What an amazing time we live, where surgeries like these are even possible!

Dad's nurse tells me that he’s doing really well...They are going to do the second half of the surgery to connect the bile ducts! I was so relieved, excited, nervous! They said we could walk down with to the operating room...up until the “red line”. That whole walk I held his hand, encouraged him, prayed with him...and even though I tried to be brave for him, I couldn’t help but cry. I was thankful, yet nervous! We were so close to the finish line!

Surgery was about 4 hours...His liver was working beautifully! Unfortunately they discovered that during the removal of the old liver, there was an area of the bowels underneath the stomach that was damaged. The dr. said that it may have been fine and wasn’t going to do much about it, but because he felt that there was even a small possibility of it leading to any further complications, he just couldn’t let it go. The dr. was able to patch the area up so it won’t be an issue. They did place a feeding tube in to allow the area to completely heal. Even so, I could tell that the liver was doing its job, because his color was looking great! He already looked like he was healing! We said goodnight and told dad, we’d be back in the morning...He definitely needed his rest! The nurse told us that they would try to wake him as they lowered his sedation sometime throughout the night. They would call us and let us know.

Sleep was awful! I kept waking up thinking I missed their call! But morning came and no call. I have to admit I was disappointed, I think we all were. But, I reminded myself he’s been through sooo much...He needs this rest!

Later that morning we discovered that during the night they did try to wake him, but his blood pressure dropped and he became very agitated with the breathing tube (ventilator) and just the fact that this is scary for him to wake up from, and so they needed to increase the sedation. They also needed to add more blood pressure medicine. BUT, here’s some good news...Dad’s brother (Uncle Jimmy) heard the nursing staff during rounds and was told that dad was already off the new blood pressure medicine! He also learned that his kidneys produced some urine, not enough to eliminate dialysis, but this was great news! This shows that even though his kidneys are still so very badly damaged, there’s still some life in them...Praise God!

Dad’s chest tubes are still draining blood, but the amount has decreased everyday. This is perfect! They have been turning down the level of support from the heart assist machine (ECMO) a little at a time and seeing improvements! His new heart is doing a lot of the work on its own! They also discussed continuing the reduction of the sedatives, trying again to awake him and possibly even removing the ventilator!

The biggest news is from this afternoon (Sunday, November 17, 2018)!

Dad opened his eyes!!! He is responding to our voices and is even squeezing our hands! He’s not really fighting against the breathing tube, he is though very groggy still, but is responsive...he’s got lots to say, we can tell by the way he looks into our eyes! They tell us that he’s doing great and his heart is doing more and more work on its own! He is trying to talk and breathe on his own! He’s just got one more procedure to take him off the heart assist machine (ECMO) and then to remove the ventilator. He’s doing so great! God is so incredibly good! This whole thing just seems so surreal! We’ve been talking about the “List”...and we’re here! What a miraculous blessed gift of life! What an amazing journey!

Please continue to pray for our dad...brother, son, friend to so many! Each new day brings even better news and more improvements!

Please join us in prayers of thankfulness for his amazing team of dr’s, nurses, technicians, all the medical professionals over his care...May God continue to guide them.

Please pray for the life giving generosity of the donor and for their loved ones. May our God of peace and comfort hold them closely during this time.

Thank you so very much for your prayers!

Holding dad's hand...What a blessing! I'm so thankful!