Ryan and I had been in Boston now for almost a month. He was listed and we waited and he was declining.
Rich, my mom and the kids flew up for Christmas and stayed at my uncles (my new 2nd home!). Rich and I decided
to take a break from the hospital and let our two daughters have a little fun. It was Dec. 23rd, we went to Harvard
square and checked in to a nice hotel, went out for a nice dinner and then I remember singing Christmas carols and skipping
in the snow with the two of them, just TRYING to put on a happy face for their sake but we were so scared. They were
only 2 & 3 yrs old and didn't understand all that was happening but they sensed something and were scared too.
Well, the plan was for me to stay in the hotel with the kids and Rich would go back to the hospital with Ryan, then we'd
switch off the next night. He went to the hospital and I got the girls settled in. I almost fell out of bed at
about 2 am when he called and said they had a donor. So, I called my uncles where my mom was staying, woke up their
whole house and got him to drive my mom to the hotel and take me to the hospital!
It was now Christmas Eve and Ryan was about to get his life saving transplant.. talk about miracles! This was the
longest and scariest day of my entire life. I truly didn't know if my baby would be ok, if he'd survive the surgery
or reject the organs. I held him until they came to wheel him away and I remember telling him to fight and that I always
would be here to fight with him and then I had to say the most heart wrenching words to him...I told him that if for some
reason he couldn't pull through I would always, always love him and never forget him. I blessed him with my holy water
and prayed and then kissed him and hugged him and had to let him go knowing this may be the last time I see him. I thought
I would just die letting him go.
Well, the surgery took about 8 hrs. They would update us every so often and each time we heard, things were going
well. It was just such a long emotionally draining day.
At about 5pm they told us that the surgery was complete, he was doing well and we would be able to see him quickly.
We finally got to see him! He was on a vent and had many tubes and drains which of course is scary to see and he was
very swelled. They were able to close him up which we were told before surgery that sometimes they have to leave the
abdomen open until the swelling goes down, so being closed up was a relief.
These next 24-48 hrs were scary just making sure he was not rejecting. He was really doing well, no rejection and
no signs of infection.
