High Highs And Low Lows

While our intention is not to relive the rollercoaster from last year, there are a handful of stories we feel more compelled (and comfortable) to share now that life is not as scary.

In the first week of our hospital stay we started to notice a pattern. Each time we saw some glimmer of hope or received some positive news, we were dealt a bigger blow. Today was no different.

We didn’t think there could be another level of low, but the morning started with a room of unfamiliar faces assessing Blake. They explained that he was requiring more oxygen. Within an hour we were pulled back into the “bad news” conference room and the new lineup of specialists informed us that his condition was worsening. The solution proposed was to give his heart and lungs a break by putting him on ECMO. This is a machine designed to oxygenate blood outside of the body and bypass the heart and lungs, to give those organs some support. (Read between the lines: life support.) He would undergo surgery to hook him up via the carotid artery. We were told that this intervention could help sustain him for a week to 10 days. In that time, there would be indicators of whether or not his body would bounce back. With no other options, we agreed.

At this time we were moved again from the PICU to the Cardiovascular ICU (CVICU), and introduced to a whole new team of medical providers. It was devastating to start over again with new people for the third time, but this was where we were meant to be. Over the course of the next 3 months, this team became our family.

Because of this team (and many others), we’ve been fortunate to make memories like these…

#forevergrateful #forblake

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