Skip to main content

Happy Halloween

 It is crazy to think that it has been 6 weeks since Mike has been home. Our goal date for Mike to be home was Halloween. We would tell the boys, maybe by Halloween dad will be home. We have been able to pick out pumpkins, carve them, go on family walks, play games, read together, and live life together all before Halloween came. 


Mike is doing so well I literally sit in awe sometimes and catch myself forgetting that this all happened. The physical scars are a reminder of the fog that was August and September. Mike is walking over 10,000 steps a day and is still at a level 1 Rejection. The doctors have started the very slow process of weaning him off his steriods...half a pill to start with! With Mike's new weight bench he is smashing leg and arm days. He is working his way up to visiting with people and getting out in the town. He even completed a little Honey Do List for me recently. He is getting anxious to start some work again and maybe head back to working at home mid December. 


I went back to work October 22nd and started a new position within Learning Care Group's Training Department, Learning & Development Administrator. I will be fully in my new role start the new year. The day before Mike got his new heart I told about this change, God said, hey Rachel! why don't you just start everything new?...and that's what I am doing! Fall is a season of change and we are embracing it with everything we have. 

Mike wanted to so badly write everyone a hand written note...and he tried...and he decided one on here would work better. So here are Mike's words to our village....

It has been a very long journey for me this past 2 months and I wanted to say thank you for your prayers and well wishes. It's funny how the older you get, the more you realize how important people are in your life. The little things that people forget, like writing out a card, can make a huge difference in someone's life. When I was in the hospital your cards made a difference to me. Thank you so much for taking the time, your words gave me strength when I really needed it. I'm so thankful for all of your thoughtfulness. Please know that your support gave me hope and happiness through the tears. May God continue to bless you and your family. 

With all the love my new heart can give, 

Mike

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Miracles Do Happen

 It's been 3 days since Mike got his new heart, and I can hardly believe that it actually happened.  On Thursday September 5th Mike was told we had another match. Dr. Hooker said he was bound and determined to get Mike a new heart by the Michigan game that Saturday. At this point Mike was a level one on the Unos Heart Transplant List and basically top of the top. With both sides of his heart being supported he needed a new one badly. Mike, the boys, and I shared this little secret that Friday and went on about our day. The more we learned the more we became excited that this was actually the heart. This heart was a DBD heart (Donation after Brain Death). Througout the day we learned that it was a great match and Mike's OR time was set for Saturday, September 7th at 10am. We were confused that we were not given a donor OR time, and as time went on we realized there was no transport time for the heart...the heart was in the same hospital as Mike.  I got to spend time with M...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lub-Dub Lub-Dub

 A normal resting heart rate is between 60 to 100 beats per minute. If you listen to a heart it often is describe as if saying Lub-Dub Lub-Dub. Mike's heart rate is between 120-140.  If he laughs hard (which is often), gets agitated, or someones gets him on his favortie topic of finace it starts to soar about 140+. Every once in a while it will peak up to 180 when he gets into V Tach and it skips a few beats. The nurses watch him carefully as he walks on the treadmill and talks away or while he is working, and sometimes they have to shut him down for a bit. Except for some weight and muscle loss Mike's body and mind are in good working condition, but his heart is just failing him.  I had previously reported that on August 7th Mike recieved the Impella Pump to support the left side of his heart. Since then the left side has significantly decreased in function and is almost not moving at all on its own. Over the past few weeks they have been watching the right side of heart...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dry Run #2

 The Power of Prayer is so Mighty!  On Wednesday, August 28th I was driving to the hospital with Mike's morning coffee in hand. Like normal I was listening to WCSG Christian radio station. Jeremy and Amanada came on telling a story of a man named Bill who had recently recieved a heart transplant from Meijer Heart Center in Grand Rapids. He had a dry run and needed a heart very very soon. The radio station prayed for him over the air and the surgeon ended up telling his wife that he heard the prayers on the radio. That next day he got his heart. I of course started bawling and called the radio station and was patched through to Jeremy and Amanda. Not holding it together very well, I told them about Mike and told them how encouraged I was to hear about Bill and his story. Everyone has their own heart journey, but I just felt like God was telling me it was going to be okay.  I went in to visit with Mike with a renewed hope and feeling like anyday would be the day. We enjoyed...
1 comment
Read more