A funny thing happened on the way to a healed Stace...

7/22 - AM Update

Posted 1 hour ago

“What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise”
- Oscar Wilde

It's the start of a brand new day on the road to recovery. Stacey has been awake and able to communicate since yesterday around 2:00PM. We know she has been frustrated not being able to talk, while knowing what is going on around her. My mom stayed in the room with her last night so she had someone there to comfort her if she needed.

Good news / update first, then a cute story. The nurse (Kathy) has had Stacey sitting in a chair for 2 hours now (which is fantastic) while the nurse worked on the medical update. Kathy wanted Stacey to be examined by the doctor's while she's in a new, strong sitting position; I guess kind of showing off! We are all proud that she is sitting up, which helps with everything like a sore back and lung function. For anyone sitting up right now, take a deep breath and be grateful for the little things like being healthy enough to sit and breath without assistance.

All the doctors agree she is doing well and (new update) they are trying to wean her off the ventilator. They have been able to reduce her levels on the ventilator, so hopefully she can be off of it soon. They are taking her for a scan of her belly. The liver is functioning, but there may be a small pool of blood in her belly that is causing an infection. She is being treated with antibiotics right now for the infection. It's not a common side effect, but it happens frequently enough that they know how to treat it.

Now for the cute story... Stacey had been motioning things to me like "I need the fan" or "I need some suction in my mouth", etc... then she did the sign language sign for 'dead' and 'MJ' and 'You' and 'Sad'. I, of course, was frantically thinking that she was asking if I was sad for her, sad for myself, afraid she was going to die, etc. After a little translation and working with a couple of other tools, she was able to get the words "MOON DANCE" out. She was actually asking me how I felt about Michael Jackson's passing. Of course I was completely taken by surprise and didn't have a good answer. I think I mumbled something about yeah it's too bad, he's the Elvis of our time...crazy... This totally warms my heart that she is making small talk while she's in ICU after major surgery with tubes in and out of almost every place in her body. We obviously love to talk and catch up on current events!!

Let's hope and pray that this infection is healed through the antibiotics and tools this wonderful hospital offers Stacey. Let's hope and pray that her lungs continue to heal, allowing her to get off the ventilator. Let's hope and pray that she heals quickly and is stable in her recovery and integration of this precious liver in her body. Let's hope and pray that the donor family knows that their loved one lives on through Stacey.

Have a blessed day everyone! Givin' everyone a shout out from beautiful Jacksonville!!