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April 20, 2009

Josie's 1 Year Heart Surgery Anniversary

In a few days, we will be celebrating Josie's 1 year anniversary of her open-heart surgery. On 4/23/08 our lives were forever changed. No more blue lips, blue toes, or blue fingers. No more panting or becoming winded from something as simple as eating. No more watching Josie squat to relieve the pressure on her heart or spin around in bed trying to catch her breath.



As I've shared in earlier blogging posts, our experience with Josie in the hospital wasn't pleasant. When she was out of ICU and awake, she was wild with fear. We'd only been home from China from three weeks and she was terrifed. She refused to sleep in her hospital bed (unless she was completely sedated) and so I would sit up all night in a chair with pillows propped under my arms holding her surrounded by medical equipment and staff checking on her vitals every 30 minutes. I have a whole new respect for the doctors and nurses who did everything they could to treat Josie and make her comfortable. They were an amazing group of people. We love Mott Children's Hospital!!



At some point, Josie will need a valve replacement, but the timeline is sketchy and we aren't letting it consume us. Overall, we couldn’t be more pleased with her progress and diagnosis. She is truly not the same little girl that we received in Nanchang, China on March 16, 2008.



People tell us how lucky she is all the time. I do understand why they say that and I know that on some level it may be true (she would not received the medical care she deserved if she were to stay in China) but we adopted her because we wanted to add this beautiful little girl to our family. We are the "lucky" ones.



As I reflect on Josie's year open-heart surgery anniversary, I can't help but think of another Mother who continues to sit at her daughter's side in PICU watching her sweet little girl recover from heart surgery. Please continue to keep them in your prayers. You can find their blog here or at the top of my blog. If you visit their site, please leave a comment letting them know you are thinking of them. I remember how important it was while I was in the hospital, to not feel alone. Our blog and email kept me sane.

Hope your week is off to a great start. Let me know what you've been up to!!

12 comments:

Karin said...

Josie is so beautiful! You're right--the staff at Mott's is amazing!! Thank you for asking for prayer for Kate and also thank you for asking people to leave comments. It is keeping me sane to hear from other people so that I know I'm not sitting up here all alone. :)

Tammy said...

Wow--I can't believe it's been a year! She looks so happy and healthy now. :) I can see why you guys are the lucky ones.

Rhonda said...

Unbelievable! So thankful your Jiangxi girl is doing so well! Praise the Lord! He is good, all the time.

Nik's Knacks said...

Happy One Year Anniversary! I still can't believe you went through all that only 3 weeks after coming home. Amazing.
You're right, Josie is lucky and so are you. It goes both ways. God has blessed ALL of you!

Can you believe it's supposed to be almost 80 degrees this weekend? BRING IT ON!!

:)
Nikki

Jill said...

WOW, has it been a year??? That girl of yours continues to amaze me.......such a strong, pretty, and sweet little girl! And growing so fast.......
Time flies doesn't it??
Hugs Kim!
Jill

Kay Bratt said...

You and Josie share an amazing story and bond. What a blessing God has given all of you!

Anita said...

Happy Anniversary for a very special girl! You are so blessed to have been there with her. I often cannot bear to think of Kaylin in the hospital in China for 6 weeks for her ToF surgery. Miss Josie is a darling beauty!!

Sarah said...

Wow, I forget what a time that was and look at little Josie now! What an amazing story of hope. I think I am lucky to know you all : )

Fliss and Mike Adventures said...

Saw you via 'Seventh Diamond'... what a tough little girl... take care

junglemama said...

Yes you are the lucky ones! I feel the same way about my childen! Josie is beautiful!

Jenn said...

Kim
We just celebrated our daughter's 1 year OHS anniversayr on the 18th. Isn't it amazing to sit back and watch how much they've changed and developed since then. Long story short...our Abby Grace was home from China for one week when we had OHS. You can visit our blog for all of the details but I just know it was all God's timing, had we gotten there weeks maybe even days later she might not have made it.
Love your blog by the way, we were hooked on the crafts during the Christmas holidays. Our oldest and some friends ended up making 5 or 6 button trees that they refused to put away with the other decorations. They were just so cute.
<><
Jenn
www.ourjourneytoabbygrace07.blogspot.com

Truly Blessed said...

Wow, what a difference a year makes!

What a wonderful story you have that testifies to the power of love.