Day 2 of Heart Transplant Evaluation

Hudson and I started our morning at 6 a.m., bright and early, so we could get him up, moving, and hydrated for more labs. And then came another 18 vials of blood. 🥹

Today was probably the longest and most exhausting day of the three.

We had appointment after appointment, moving from one floor to another and one test to the next. More echos, another EKG, a chest X-ray, a meeting with the transplant social worker, and then a two-hour neuropsychology appointment.

The neuropsychologist basically spent two hours asking Hudson questions — questions about different things, having him work through different exercises and really getting to know how he thinks, processes, remembers and handles things.

And by that point in the day, it was just a lot.

He had already been up since 6 a.m., had 18 more vials of blood drawn, gone through multiple tests and appointments, and spent the majority of the day in the hospital. You could see the exhaustion setting in.

I think that’s one of the hardest parts of this process that people don’t always get to see.

When you look at our schedule, it just looks like a list of appointments.

But behind every appointment is a tired little boy who has to keep showing up and doing things that no kid should have to be doing.

It’s watching your child get poked again.

It’s sitting in waiting rooms.

It’s answering questions about his future.

It’s trying to keep him comfortable when he’s exhausted.

It’s watching the energy slowly leave him as the day goes on.

And as his mom, I feel every bit of it with him.

I know every test has a purpose. I know every appointment is necessary. I know this team is doing everything they can to gather all of the information they need to make the best decisions for Hudson.

But that doesn’t make watching your child go through it any easier.

By the end of the day, Hudson was done. And honestly, so was I.

But he did it.

He showed up. He answered the questions. He did every test. He kept going even when he was tired.

And that’s what this whole process has been — just putting one foot in front of the other and getting through whatever is in front of us that day.

Two days down. One more very long day to go. 🤍

We are exhausted, but we’re still moving forward. One appointment, one test, one day at a time.

And through all of this, we’re continuing to trust God with what comes next. We don’t know exactly what that looks like yet, but we know we’re not walking through it alone.

Thank you for continuing to pray for Hudson, love on our family, and walk through this season with us. It truly means more than I could ever put into words. 🤍