May the Fourth Be With Us!

We are on our way!!!
This has been a most stressful, yet incredibly humbling experience. We are in awe of the generosity of our friends and family as we embark on this exciting but terrifying journey.
I have gotten to see the scope of my students' appreciation for me. It is such a gift to work with 10-13 year old kids. They are difficult, don't get me wrong. But they are fierce in their adoration. Lol. I was overwhelmed by the gifts which ranged from verbal declarations of their love, to rainbow loom bracelets they made (I was beginning to feel like I was back in 1985 with jelly bracelets up to my elbow.) to coffee mugs and the SWEETEST crocheted bunny made by one of my 6th grader's GT Grandma Dolores. 🐰.  There are so many notes and posters with their thoughts that I cannot even read yet because I will miss them so much. One of the most wonderful was a song, composed and sung by my sweet Kate who will go so far with her MANY talents.
And then there is the unbelievable financial support from our colleagues and friends and family. We can not begin to express our gratitude. It has lifted so much stress from our minds.
So as we are driving today, we get a call from the Ronald McDonald House. (RonDonHouse). As many parents who have been through this know, it is often difficult to get a room. It hardly ever happens right away and it sometimes never happens. The good news is that we have a room waiting for us tomorrow!  I can hardly believe our good fortune!!!
Tomorrow Tiernan has a pre-cath appointment. I guess this means an echo and EKG.  Then a cath on Tuesday at 11:30. This was a change from the initial plan, but Hanley and his team said they need more information about his arch and the gradient. (Difference in pressure above and below the coarctation.) I know it's all in the name of being as prepared as possible, but it's another anesthesia and another recovery, albeit short.
We will hopefully be discharged post cath to stay at RonDon. But on Wednesday is the pre-op appointments and then we are the first and ONLY case on Thursday. This is good. But it also just proves how enormous this surgery is going to be.
We will be so fortunate to see such good friends through this process though. We will eat dinner with Kari and Adam McGrew and their family. (You may remember reading about their super boy, Joel)
And tomorrow Kristen Dill will meet us at LPCH. We first met her when she was Tiernan's nurse in the Mary Bridge PICU. She has since moved to LPCH to work in their CICU and will be  big support to me as a wonderful friend.  (Who happens to know the score)
We are also looking forward to the new friends we will make. I already have an important connection with a family who's son had a transplant at age 13. (He's in his late 20s now, i think). But they live in Palo Alto and we will see them often, I hope. The connection to the Vassers is so fun though, because they are family of our longtime friends, Jeanne, Steve, Olivia and Amanda White!  So interesting to see how we are being brought together through CHDs.

So brace yourselves for a massive increase in updates here. There will be MUCH to share.

Thank you for all your prayers and support. We feel it!!!!