OCTOBER 6

Happy 3rd Heart Transplanniversary to our sweet  girl!

I can't help, but get emotional each year as I think about how we've reached this wonderful normal place for Rylynn to be.  The experiences of that hospital that we called home for 5 long months seems like a million years ago, yet I can recall the rhythm of the monitors, the smells and lights of the different rooms, the constant chill of the space and the fear in my belly.  It was a terrible reality that based on Rylynn's medical situation and the scientific odds that there was realistically very little chance that she'd ever receive a heart in time.

But for some reason greater than I know, she was granted this second chance.  I remember calling Gilly to give him the news late on the night of the 5th and I laugh at how short our phone call actually was with such big news!  But I couldn't wait for him to come walking through the door.  I remember Rylynn being upset with my mom and I for crying when Dr. G told us and how nurse Katy was hiding in the corner of the room prior to the announcement because she was emotional and couldn't give anything away.  I recall the faces of the staff who visited with tears of joy on this day.  I remember all of our family coming together in the waiting room after driving late into the night.  This time we waited with hope and happiness rather than with the pain of so many times before, but there was still overwhelming fear and anxiety and grief.  God's grace helped us through those hours just as He had for the months that led to that day.  We are forever grateful for the family that chose to give life to others when they had to endure the pain of their loss. 

"I am leaving you with a gift- peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives.  So don't be troubled or afraid."  John 14:27

Three years ago at the time of transplant 2 1/2 yr old Rylynn weighed only 18.5 lbs, she did not have the strength to stand, she could not walk, and her daily intake consisted of 5-6 bites of food, but post surgery she began healing and her body began to accept her new heart.  A heart that could support her body and allow it to grow into a young girl that is full of life.  Her wounds from the VAD began to slowly heal and the tubes and monitors very slowly began to be removed.  And most beautiful was the growth of her personality and her chattiness!  She finally began talking again.  She has always had a lot to say and after the transplant her chatty ways returned!  Oh how we had missed the sound of her voice and her giggles for so long.

And so today, three years later it is a wonderfully typical Monday.  Gilly and I are busy at work while Rylynn is attending kindergarten in a class full of new friends.  She is doing wonderfully and we couldn't ask for more.  Her belly and chest bear the unique and perfect scars of such a painful journey, but we do our best to explain how special she is because of what she's been through.  It's tough to explain to such a young child, but one that is wise beyond her five years of age.

Today, like everyday, we are just happy to be with our sweet girl.  Please keep her in your prayers always.