The Day Has Finally Came 🫀🥹🙌🏽

Adrienne has a new heart 🥰

The call came on July 28th at 11:30pm. From that moment, everything moved fast. There was blood work, tests, and so much paperwork. She spent more time in pre-op than she did in the actual surgery, which took less than two hours. Andrew was already planning to come down the next day, so nothing had to be rearranged. He got here early and was able to see her before she went in. His job has placed him on leave, which means he gets to stay with us through recovery and until we’re able to go home. Family also came down to support us through it all and we are so grateful for every single person who showed up…even from far away 💜

After surgery it took a few hours before we could see her and when we finally did, she looked so, so good. She still does 😊 As many of you know, this girl loves her scarves and her music. When the sedation started to wear off and she got a little fussy, we leaned in and asked her if she wanted her scarf and her music. She shook her head yes. Our girl knows exactly what she wants, even when she’s a little loopy coming out of open heart surgery. 

They have already gotten her off the ventilator and she is breathing on her own with some oxygen to support her. We are so unbelievably proud of our little fighter. 🥹 (Photos are before the ventilator was removed.)

While this is one of the greatest days of our lives, I am deeply aware that it was the worst day of someone else’s.

To the family who said yes in the middle of their grief… I thank you. I promise you that we will honor your child’s life not only in the big moments like the birthdays, the heartiversaries, and the milestones, but also in the small quiet ones too. The dance parties. Her little car rides. The laughs. The ordinary Sunday mornings that are only possible because of your extraordinary gift. Without you, we wouldn’t have any of those moments. We are forever grateful 💜

While we are so happy Andrew is here with us… it does mean that neither of us will be working during this time. We want to be transparent with you all about where things stand financially, because your support has carried us and we want you to know it matters.

Funds donated so far have gone toward some our monthly bills & expenses, Adrienne’s health insurance, food, and the rental car and bus fees that allowed Andrew to visit us during our six months here. Every dollar has been used with care and intention.

Once Adrienne is discharged, we aren’t able to go straight home. We have to remain in Gainesville for a full month for weekly post-transplant appointments, and then return once a month for follow-up visits for an entire year after that.

We are hoping to spend that first month in Gainesville in our own space where we can finally breathe and just be a family. The Ronald McDonald House has been such a blessing and we are so grateful for it. But with communal kitchens and dining areas shared by many children, visitors and families, the exposure risk for Adrienne post-transplant is something we have to take seriously. Her immune system will be suppressed and something as simple as a cold from another guest could set her recovery back significantly. We want to protect this new heart with everything we have.

If you are able to help us secure an Airbnb for that month or if you know someone in Gainesville with a mother-in-law suite, condo, or apartment that might be available, please reach out to us. We need to cover one month of bills and groceries on top of that.

You can support us directly through our SupportNow page, or shop our merchandise store where every purchase goes toward our family. Every share, every purchase, every dollar all adds up to more time together as a family with limited worries. And that is everything to us.

Thank you for loving our girl. Thank you for not giving up on us even with my very limited postings haha! We love you all so much ❤️🥹