Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Prayers Worked



THANK YOU!!!

The prayers from everyone worked. Hope is a candidate for surgery and will be having her first of three surgeries next week. It has not been scheduled, but it will be after Tuesday...Dr. Smith wants her stronger before the surgery and a little bigger as well.

Some other good news:

She has gained 2 ounces - she is now 5 pounds 14 ounces
She has both kidneys...although her left one is pretty small and they don't know whether or not it is functioning
She has inter-atrial communication, although they will need to fix the restrictive ASD during her first surgery
She does not have any neurological problems that they could find through the ultrasound they did on her head

Hope is still considered a much higher risk for the surgery than most babies with HLHS, but we are still hopeful that she is one tough cookie and will pull through and show everyone what a fighter she really is! God has been there for us throughout this whole journey and we believe that He will be there with the surgeons, cardiologists, nurses, anesthesiologists as our journey continues.

Hope will also be moving tomorrow to PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) tomorrow. This is where she will be staying before and after surgery and they want the nurses to get to know her and for her to know all of them. I am pretty excited because she will be in her own room rather than sharing a room with other little babies like in NICU (where she is now). Her brothers still have little colds (stuffy noses), so they have not been able to go and see her since she was born. We don't want even the slight possibility of her getting sick, but I would love them to be able to see her before the surgery.

We want to thank everyone again for everything that you have done for our family. We have great support from our family which has made this journey so much easier. Marilyn and my mom have been AWESOME taking care of the boys so that Jerry and I can spend as much time as possible with Hope. I actually got to hold her a few times today and it was the most precious feeling in the entire world. When I got home last night (the first time in almost a week) it was really hard coming home without a new baby. Being able to hold her today gave me a little feeling of how precious her life is and I can't wait to hold her again tomorrow.

The thoughtful gifts from everyone is appreciated more than we can say. Thank you seems so small when we feel so grateful for everything everyone has done for our family. I wish there were a better way to express how much we appreciate everything and if we don't tell you enough how much we appreciate everything...please know that our hearts are full of love and gratitude for everything.

Love always,

The Wodzisz Family

5 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness I am so HAPPY to hear the great news! Hope is beautiful!!! She is one strong little mama, I wonder where she gets that from!!!
    Try to get some rest, I know these next few days are going to be more hectic than your would like so take some time to sleep and eat as best as you can. We tend to neglect ourselves with so much going on.
    Tell your husband I said Congrats!! Can't forget about him, I know he is going through so much as well.
    Sending hugs and prayers your way!!! Please give Hope a little kiss for me....

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  2. That's amazing news!! I'm so incredibly happy for you and Hope! I'll continue praying for nothing, but good news! Emily

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  3. May God continue to hold you and your family in his loving arms. He brought you this baby for a reason.

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  4. I'm SOOO happy for you, your famiy. We are tell to learn about life from our CHD babies -- they are fighters!! The key is to remain in positive state of mind throughout it all. I'm keeping on praying that little Hope surgery will go well. Enjoy her every moment until then, every day is VERY precious. May God continues His protection over Hope's life.

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  5. I am so happy to hear to great news! I am glad you did not have to go through the process of getting a second opinion and possibly moving her.

    Hope sure looks like a very strong (and beautiful) baby! She sure must have impressed her docs!

    You guys be sure and get some rest whenever you can. It is going to be a long road.

    I love your blog. I wish there was something like this available when Sarah was younger. What a beautiful tribute.

    My annual accounting show is next week, so I will stop in next Wednesday after my day of "fun". It will drive me nuts having to sit through the day knowing I get to see you guys.

    Until then, your Toledo family will be praying for baby Hope and her wonderful family.
    Love you, Beth

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