7:13 PM (PST): Gracyn, the little girl in Florida that we have been praying for, is getting her heart transplant right now! She has been in the hospital since Christmas Eve awaiting a new heart. Please continue praying for her, and also for the family of the boy who donated this heart to Gracyn.
I'll post updates as soon as I learn more.* 8:45 PM PST :
Graycn in still in surgery, they are removing her scar tissue and have her on a bypass machine. They will be putting in the new heart soon.*11:31 PM PST: A Note from Graycn's Mom, Robin:Thursday, April 16, 2009 2:31 AM, CDT
"Wow! Dr. Wise Eyes just came out. HE ROCKS!!! Gracyn has been brought to her room. Kris and I will go back shortly. He said she's doing great and her heart is looking wonderful. She'll be out for the next several hours and then they'll see how she comes off the meds. Ok... thank you sweet friends. More later.
Praying for strong recovery. She's a fighter!!!"
Thank you, Lord, for this miracle.
Friday, April 17, 9:07 PM EST:
"So far Gracyn is doing very well with her recovery. Dr. Bleiweis told us that the surgery went as smoothly as possible and that so far her recovery has been remarkable. He also said he has grown to expect remarkable when dealing with Gracyn. We are so blessed to have him as our surgeon. He is so skilled and knowledgeable but what we like most about him is his compassion. The entire team here at Shands is just incredible and we are thankful for the care Gracyn has received and the friends we have made. Thank you Lord for each of them.
At times it was difficult today watching Gracyn endure bandage changes, suture removal, chest tube removal, and respiratory therapy. She fought through it all and accomplished everything she was asked to do. We are so proud of her. This evening she sat up on the side of her bed for a few moments and predicted she would be walking around the unit with in a couple days. I wouldn't advise betting against her as she is one determined little girl.
Gracyn is so happy that we are now able to put potential time frames around her return home. She was growing so tired of hearing some day you will get to go home. You ought to see the smile now when we tell her you'll be home in less than 2 weeks if things keep going well.
Please pray for a speedy and thorough recovery. The greatest risks at this point are the potential for bleeding, stroke, pneumonia, infection, and of course, rejection. Please pray that God will carry her through this time without any of these or other possible complications.
Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, you alone are the one I praise. Jeremiah 7:14"
Tuesday, April 21, 2009:
"Good Evening,
I tried to write earlier tonight so you all could be praying for tomorrow.
Praise!
We’ve had a good day… Gray has been herself more so today than ever,(fewer steroids and no morphine). Praise God! She welcomed my mama’s touch and lovin’. Thank you for your prayers! She made huge strides in her breathing goals today. Her left lung was somewhat collapsed this morning (causes pneumonia), so she worked all day on her breathing exercises to open it up. We also needed to get out of bed and walk which helps clear the lungs. Of course, Gray loves a challenge so she walked 3 different times already today. We may even do another round later. She completed FOUR laps around the PI. She also sat in a chair for about 3 hours. Nurse Monica was bragging about how well Gracyn faced the challenge set before her.
Gracyn has also embraced each new medicine/pill, that finds its way into her room. She verbalizes her frustration yet takes them with ease. What a blessing.
Pray:
Tomorrow Gracyn will have a biopsy around 11am. She can’t eat at all after midnight. She will be “put out” for this procedure and probably intubated. She’ll be extubated directly after unless there are complications. This procedure will show if her heart is being rejected or NOT. Usually it’s done about 10 to 14 days post-op, but because of the size of her new heart (it is bigger than her native heart), and the whole blood pressure situation, they want to RULE OUT rejection now. If for some reason she showed signs of rejection they would treat her with big immunosuppressant drugs for about 3-5 days.
I ask you to pray for a NEGATIVE result. They may not have the results until late tomorrow evening or Thursday morning. I ask for the Lord’s will to be done. The trust I spoke of a couple days ago has not wavered. Therefore, I know the Lord will bring Gracyn through this beautifully. All of our prayers will not go unheard, however. So let us come before Him with thanksgiving for all He’s done and with a request for continued healing and no setbacks, namely rejection.
If Gracyn’s biopsy looks good, they tell me we’ll be going home on Monday. Say what??? I couldn’t believe that. Kris and I have “school” on Friday to learn about what life will be like when we leave. We are required to take a test at the conclusion of the clinic…yikes, I better get studying.
Lord, I trust You and I am not afraid. I take shelter in the refuge of Your wings…
Trusting You for a wonderful tomorrow."
April 24, 2009:"Hello everybody its Gracyn. Today was another great day for me. I am healing really well and didnt have a lot of pain. I got to go outside today for the first time without the Berlin. We got TCBY yogurt and ate it outside on the sundeck. For a minute it almost seemed like I was at the TCBY by my house. It was great not being tied to the Berlin machine.
We did a whole lot of walking and exercise today. Sometimes it kind of hurts but I just think about going home next week and it feels much better and keeps me going. God has given me strength to get through all this and I have a little bit further to go but I know I will get through it because I have God helping me. God loves you and so do I."
