Saturday, May 30 Post Urgent Surgery
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Saturday, May 30
Post Urgent Surgery
We woke up sometime around 5:30 this morning.
Symmone was our nurse, and she came in with the tiny hospital gown and pre surgical wipes. We woke Avry and got her changed. She reminded me, as she always does, that she does not like hospital gowns. But this time she didn’t scream about it.
She looked at me with sleepy eyes and asked, “Why are we up so early?”
So I sat down beside her and gently explained that we were going downstairs and the doctors were going to take her tubies out because they had gotten sick.
The tears came immediately.
“But I like my tubies,” she cried. “And I think that will hurt so much.”
We reassured her that she wouldn’t feel anything. That she would be asleep. Then she asked
“Will you be with me the whole time? And will I feel your hand on me?”
💔
We promised her that we would stay with her—She relaxed. She snuggled in close. As we headed downstairs in her big white hospital bed, she just wanted to be held tight. She smiled. She was calm. She didn’t cry one more time.
Just a little girl wanting the comfort of her mama and daddy before another hard thing.
No matter how many times we’ve done this, kissing her goodbye and handing her over to the team will never be our favorite part.😭💔
There is something unnatural about watching heavy doors close behind your child while you stay on the other side.
We’ve done it dozens of times now, yet every single time a piece of our hearts walks through those doors with her.
And every single time, we wait for the moment we get to hold her again.
So So glad Jake is here and we can do the hard things together. When we came back From the coffee room. I realized we left some things behind and ran back to get them. Coming down the hall I watched him pace in front of the operating room room doors looking through the tiny little windows…❤️🩹
The longest walks are often the ones measured in steps across a hospital hallway.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
Waiting for someone to come through those doors and tell you your baby is okay. I’ve watched her daddy carry so much this year with a quiet kind of strength. ❤️🩹Not because he isn’t afraid, but because he loves her more than his fear. The truth is, courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s showing up anyway. It’s taking the next step when your heart is breaking.💔 and today is no different-in a hospital basement outside the operating room, love looked like a father wearing a path into the floor while his little girl fought behind those doors.
Step after step.
Prayer after prayer.
Just waiting for the chance to hold her again.
Dr. Beckwith was the surgeon who placed Avry’s Broviac back in March of 2025, and today he was the one who removed it. 💛
When he saw her, he smiled and said, “She’s still beautiful as always… and now she’s got hair!” 🥹
The procedure went smoothly with no extra bleeding or complications. There was no visible evidence of infection around the line site, though of course the concern is what may be happening inside the line itself. They placed an IV in her left arm so she can still paint, color, and craft with her right hand—because priorities.😉 🎨💕
They drew blood cultures after the Broviac was removed, and we should have those results in the morning. We are praying with everything we have that they come back clear and that the infection was contained to the Broviac and never became systemic. Please pray with us. 🙏
The wake-up from anesthesia was one of the smoothest we’ve ever had. The OR nurse has a special-needs son of her own and was incredibly kind and gentle with Avry. She went above and beyond for us both before and after surgery. The anesthesia team was familiar with Avry and took such thoughtful care to make sure she felt safe, comfortable, and not distressed when it was time to separate.
The PACU was nearly empty, and Avry is a familiar face there too. They were genuinely happy to see her and wanted to know how she’s been doing. It struck me how many people have played such an important role in our story. They care deeply, yet often never get to hear how things turn out. One of the PACU nurses was there for Avry’s very first MRI—before we even had a diagnosis.
Today, my heart is just so full of gratitude.
I think back to those early days—the crushing fear, the uncertainty, the weight Jake and I carried into every appointment, every scan, every surgery. We were terrified. We didn’t know the language. We didn’t know the process or the outcome. We didn’t know what questions to ask.
It doesn’t mean these days are easy now. They’re not.
But we’ve learned the ropes. We’ve learned how to advocate. We’ve learned what Avry needs. We’ve figured out her anesthesia plan. We’ve built relationships with these teams. And that knowledge, that experience, and those familiar faces make all the difference.
Sometimes the greatest evidence of how far you’ve come isn’t that you’re no longer afraid.
It’s realizing you’re carrying a strength today that you didn’t even know existed back then. 💛
They called us back and told me she was crying for her mama.
She wasn’t really awake yet, just caught somewhere between anesthesia and awareness. But the moment I took her hands in mine and pressed my face against hers, everything changed. Her little body relaxed. Her heart rate settled. The monitors quieted. And she drifted back to sleep.
It never ceases to amaze me how much comfort can be found in simply being together.
They closed the site with dissolving stitches and covered it with a small bandage. I asked if I could keep the catheter they removed, and of course it will be finding its way into the scrapbook. Another piece of this story. Another reminder of how far she’s come.
The anesthesiologist also changed out her NG tube and moved it to the other side of her face while she was asleep. Such a simple thing, but so convenient to have it done under sedation instead of putting her through one more uncomfortable procedure while awake. She’s going to love her new rainbow face tape when she wakes up!
We’re still in the waiting game. Relieved this out. Worried about turning her into a pin cushion with drawing labs and sticking her every time. ❤️🩹 I just can’t bare the thought 😭 Praying
With fervor that the infection isn’t systemic and thanking God for the little life that’s sleeping beside me.
Thank you all for praying for a smooth surgery today. We felt those prayers every step of the way. If you think of us today-would you pray one more prayer with us—that tomorrow’s cultures are clear, that the infection isn’t systemic, and that this is just one more hurdle behind us.
Please God. 🙏💛
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