The Power of Our Prayers

 Friends, in my shock over the turn of events in Brandon's surgery yesterday, I left out a few significant details...and I couldn't keep this to myself!

      As you know, Brandon's surgeon came out after the surgery to tell us how it went, and she had a look on her face that scared me to death. I thought she had really bad news, and I felt my heart stop. She came and sat down, and proceeded to tell us that she had begun the surgery on the upper part of Brandon's arm, she was going to do the graft. She said, "I'm sure you knew how upset I was about this, I was not happy. I didn't want him to have a graft, it would blow out the whole arm for any future use." Well, we did NOT know she was upset, she hid it very well. She said she made the first incision, and then...SHE STOPPED. She decided, AFTER already cutting into Bran's arm to begin the graft surgery, to stop and look ONE MORE TIME for a vein. That's right. She stopped after already beginning, to look again. Now remember, the ultrasound had shown that he had no vein big enough to use for a fistula/stint. When she delivered that news in our last appointment, she spent a few moments looking at his arms in the doctors office under the over-head lights there. She couldn't find anything either. But despite all that, in the operating room she decided to look one more time under the very bright lights. That's when she found a vein that was big enough. The vein is so deep in his arm that it will take a second surgery to move it up to the surface so it can be used for dialysis. How she saw it with nothing but her eyes and the bright lights...we do not know. When I asked her how in the world she spotted what the ultrasound had missed...she simply said, "I don't know." She was very apologetic about having made a small, shallow incision in Bran's arm that she didn't end up using. I assured her that IT WAS TOTALLY FINE.
      What really hit me last night while laying in bed was that this uber competent surgeon stopped herself AFTER she'd started a surgery for one last ditch effort to find an un-findable vein. And she found it.
      I always pray over Brandon before he goes to sleep with anesthesia. I suit up and go into the operating room with him until he's out. I put the sign of the cross on his forehead and bless him. I ask our Lord to pour out His wisdom and grace upon all the people caring for Brandon. I say, "Jesus, please be the hands and mind of the surgeon. You do this surgery, Lord."
I ask the Blessed Mother and Padre Pio to stay in the room praying over Brandon. I smooch him more than he'd normally let me... and then he usually falls asleep.
      And I know many, many of you were praying with us too. Matt and I looked at one another last night and we knew, we just knew that what had happened in that operating room was a miracle. And I just wanted to share the details with you all so that you know that we move mountains, we move surgeons, and WE MOVE VEINS...when we pray together. Thank you, a million times over, THANK YOU.
Please keep praying, because we KNOW that Brandon's healing is on it's way, in God's perfect time.

Vein of Gold

Moments after the surgeon came out of surgery I posted this:

Bran is out of surgery, snoring away. We have just received really good news. The surgeon just told us with a huge smile on her face that she did NOT do the graft, because she FOUND A VEIN!!!!!!!!!!! She did a stint, the ideal, much longer lasting and better working original option. Under the bright operating room lights she found a vein deep in the midsection of his arm...even the ultrasound had missed it! She was so joyful when she told us...I wanted to lay down on the floor and cry. If she'd done the graft, that would have shot that whole arm for life, in terms of ever having any vein use on it for anything. Matt and I are just...grateful, awed, happy...Hope filled. look what prayer can do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Together, We Pray

💟Hi, family and friends. I wanted to give you an update and ask for prayers.💟
The external port that's used for dialysis and plasma pharesis treatments, on Brandon's chest, needs to come out. Because it outside the body and leaves a large opening into his jugular, it's very vulnerable to blood infection. The transplant surgeon said that it's been in almost a year, and that's the max she's ever seen it be in someone without major, life-threatening infection. It's been determined that Brandon is now a "permanent dialysis patient", and he needs safer access for it in the long term. Hearing that new description of him was very emotional, as you can imagine.
Brandon is very excited to get rid of his chest port. He needs to ask me to tape him up with plastic wrap and medical tape for showers, and he has to be super careful in there to not un-tape any of it. Having new access for dialysis will be under the skin, requiring a needle several times a week...but it will allow this kid to hop in the shower without help from his Mom...the ability to swim (Alleluia!), the possibility of actually going on his Make-A-Wish trip in the (not-too-distant) future...and most importantly...not having a huge tube hanging on the front of his chest that requires he live with incredible caution so not to bump it, have anyone else hurt it, etc. He sleeps mostly sitting up, on his back...and really, really wants to sleep comfortably on his side again. He also wants to not be self-conscious in shirts, fearing that the big lump on his chest shows. He was super embarrassed by it this summer, and was wearing this hot fleece vest over his t-shirts whenever going out or riding his bike on our street with his friends...he finally told me he was trying to hide the port...and it broke my heart.
Bran's arms were ultra sound-ed a couple of weeks ago to get a good look at his veins to prep for this surgery. The next and most ideal step would have been to create a stint in his lower arm/inside wrist area. That's the creation of a large juicy vein used for easy access, by grafting together multiple veins. A stint can last for many, many yrs. The ultrasound showed that none of the veins in his arms are usable for that, they are too small. This was a very big blow for Matt and I. The stint could have lasted well into adulthood for him. Based on the results of the ultrasound, they are going to put a graft in his upper arm, like on the front of his bicep area (sort of). It's not ideal because it's large, will be a pretty big disfigurement for Brandon's arm, and there will be a large tube visible under his skin, as well as the graft itself...which was described to us as a piece of plastic that's shaped like a brick (only smaller). The reason this is not what Matt and I were hoping for is because it lasts for a much shorter period of time than a stint. I've assured Bran that we can have long sleeved shirts altered to a short sleeved length that can cover his graft comfortably. The surgeon told me last week that she's seen this kind of graft last for months, or 5 years. His surgery will be in a few moments, and God willing, we'll be home tonight. It's a 2 hr. surgery. It takes 6 wks of healing and scar-tissue build-up before the new access can be tried. We won't know if the surgery was really successful until then. And the current, external port can't be removed until we have a good working new access...so 6 more weeks with the chest port. The graft will be going into his right arm, since he's a leftie, so he'll have the healing graft on the same side of his body as the chest port...it's a lot for him to endure.
Brandon is very upbeat about all of this. He told me last night at bedtime that he was excited. He doesn't know there's a plus or minus to either the stint or the graft, he didn't take in the details when the surgeon explained everything...he was totally fixated on being thrilled to get rid of the chest port. Matt and I do NOT share speculative info with him. If something about his illness is a "maybe", or just a possibility (and that describes all future prognosis), we do not feed any of that to him. Living in fear about a "might", "maybe", "could"...that's not where God resides, we know this. I was very internally emotional when we got the news that the stint wasn't do-able. But I spent that day just praying, "Lord, thanks for the reminder that you are in charge of all of this....you were in charge before, now, and in the future. Nothing has changed in that regard, nothing." We are asking that everyone offer up major prayers for the success of this surgery, on today and beyond, as it heals. I had an incredible time of Spiritual Direction when I was on the OLPH women's retreat this past Sept. I was talking with one of the friars, who happens to be a friend, and he told me, "We don't have Grace for the future or the past...we only have it NOW." So Matt and I try to stay in the now in regards to all of this. Thanks so much for the love and prayers that we know will flow out of all of you for Brandon, and for the 4 of us.
Peace to ALL our hearts~
Brig