A Day of Heroes

It has been a very long day. As I type this, it is 12:15am and my wife and two daughters are sound asleep. And at this exact moment, I have peace. For today I have cried many tears and tried to laugh when I could but tonight all is as right as can be.

Emma Kate fought hard today. They took her away this morning and put her on heart and lung bypass around 9 am. At 1 pm we were called and told that she came off of bypass without any problems. Though our hearts haven't started back quite yet, this was a big step. Thank you God for hearing me.

Dr. Kirshbom came and said everything went as smoothly as he could have hoped. He said she didn't have much swelling so he was able to close her chest in the OR. He said the next 12-24 hours are the most critical and that she will be monitored very closely. (as of 11pm when I left her, everything was looking good. They have upped a little of her medicine to help with profusion but this is relatively normal. Her nurse said her chest tube is showing that she is having very little bleeding which is great. She has a little "extra" noise in her chest which is caused from fluids that they are draining. I have my pager and cell phone by my side just in case anything is to change).

When Dr. Kirshbom left, Bethany and I cried and cried. What a blessing that her surgery went so well. I know this is still an uphill climb but I am thankful a big piece of the trip is underway. Emma Kate is our little fighter and I could not love her more.

I often told Bethany that Emma Kate would be born on 8/22/08 because 8 is Bethany's favorite number and 2 is mine. She was not born on the 22nd, but on the 22nd she was given a chance at life. I want to cry, I want to scream, I want to dance, I want to rejoice with all that I am.

Today I witnessed someone walk in, whom I have never met, and casually introduce himself to my family. He explained what he was going to do to my newborn daughter's heart like I would explain how to turn on the computer. He talked about a procedure that is the difference between life and death for Emma Kate with such a calm confidence that I have chills thinking about it now. I wake up in the morning wanting to make an impact in this world and end up playing XBOX. He wakes up in the morning and repairs the hearts of children of people he doesn't even know. I am sure he makes a good living but whatever it is will never be enough. He has given my little girl a shot at life. Thank you is an insult to say. It is way beyond that. When he left after her surgery, Bethany said she just wanted to kiss him. I think I could too.

I sit in a room full of tiny babies with tiny injured hearts and look around at a room full of nurses who are smarter than I could ever dream of being. They spend 12 hour shifts looking at monitors and working on computers that detail Emma Kate's every heart beat. They don't sit around and play solitaire or gossip or complain. They pump and prod and poke and pray and sing and hold and comfort children in order to heal with the hopes the child never has to come back.

This is a sanctuary unlike any I have ever stepped foot. I'm sure outside these walls they are normal people with pain, with problems of their own. But here, within the security of these doors, these people, these doctors, these nurses, these blessings... in here to me and countless others... these people are heroes. And I am grateful in a way that awakens my soul.