Tuesday Evening.

Today was the best day we have had in quite some time. Oakes room was quiet and peaceful. We had several nurses and hospital staff swing through to check on us today. Several of our visitors had tears in their eyes when they heard about Oakes rejection, but everyone had the same comments, that they love Oakes, that he is strong and they all asked what they could do to help. We LOVE our SLCH family!

Labs from Pheresis did not come back, but we are expecting those tomorrow. Oakes urine output is not what it should be, his kidneys are reacting to all of the medication that he is on, but this is to be expected and is completely reversible. Evening rounds went by quickly, which is always inspiring. An uneventful day gives the doctors little to talk about, which was very welcomed. The little steps that Oakes need to take in the near future are 1. to come off of the paralytic, and then 2. wean the sedation and vent, and 3. extubate. All of these will be HUGE steps, and it will more than likely take quite some time to reach each step, but we are hopeful. Before leaving our doorway, Dr. Doctor shared that he thinks Oakes has had a few good days. He acknowledged that Oakes is slow but steady (and for all of you that have been keeping up with our story, you know this is how Oakes operates!) He said most children make a little progress then take a step back, but Oakes has not, he has been holding his ground. I felt pride and relief. Dr. Doctor is very direct and I know he would not have said this unless he believed it to be true. After saying goodnight, I smooched little Oakesie on the top of his head (through my mask) and walked out of those CICU doors with a little smile on my face tonight. That boy of mine is AMAZING!