July 25, 2025 surgery
In support of
#miraclesforAvryJo
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#miraclesforAvryJo
Pre transplant Updated scans
We were up early this morning—Avry was surprisingly cheerful, even at 5:30 AM! I was a little unsure about giving her morning meds on an empty stomach, since I had to stop her feeds at 10:30 last night… but she ended up sleeping most of the way to the hospital without any nausea! 👏
We were up early this morning—Avry was surprisingly cheerful, even at 5:30 AM! I was a little unsure about giving her morning meds on an empty stomach, since I had to stop her feeds at 10:30 last night… but she ended up sleeping most of the way to the hospital without any nausea! 👏
When we arrived, we went straight to Pre-Op, and everything went smoother than it ever has before. Truly the best it’s ever gone.
A little side story from yesterday—once we got home, I realized I did want to try a walking boot after all! There were none in our local town, so I put up a quick post on Facebook. Within an hour, a complete stranger delivered one to our house!! And several others messaged offering theirs too. These are the moments where I feel God show up the most—through total strangers with generous hearts. Bless Tara for her spontaneous kindness—I’m walking in a boot today! I still can’t get a shoe on, but I’m just so grateful to not be in a wheelchair.
Back to this morning—our anesthesiologist was so kind and understanding. She suggested trying a new med that may help Avry have a gentler wake-up. And Laura, the anesthesiologist nurse assistant, is with us today. We love Laura. She was there during one of Avry’s hardest wake-ups after immunotherapy and advocated for her like a warrior. Knowing she’s here again today—I just know Avry is in the very best hands.
They’ll be doing another audiology brain stem response test today, along with the MIBG scan and a bone marrow biopsy and aspiration. Dr. Cohn—the oncologist who diagnosed Avry—is performing the procedure. Once again, she could not be in better hands. What a gift that is!
If all goes well, she should be out of surgery around noon, followed by a few hours in post-op. With such an early start, we should be able to come home today yet!
So many of you are wearing your #MiraclesforAvry shirts today—and I wish you could see how her face lights up when she sees your photos! Thank you for making our girl smile and for choosing to show up for her in this sweet, intentional way. It means more than you know.
Early this morning, when I couldn’t sleep, I found myself reading through your messages from last night. It reminded me of the story in Exodus, when Moses grew too weary to hold his arms up during battle—and Aaron and Hur came alongside him and held them up for him so the Israelites could prevail.
That’s what it feels like right now. Our faith feels tired. And yet—we feel your hands holding ours. Your prayers, your encouragement, your presence… you are holding us up in this battle when we don’t have the strength to do it alone.
So many of you have said, “It’s okay if your faith feels weak—we’re here to carry you.” And I want you to know—we feel it. We feel the strength of your love, and it’s helping us stand.
I may not get around to responding to every message, but please don’t mistake my silence for indifference. Every word you’ve spoken, every prayer you’ve whispered—it’s the air beneath our wings right now. It’s the holy ground we’re standing on. Thank you for showing up. Thank you for carrying us. We are so, so grateful.
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