Let's roll!

Tomorrow’s the big day.

I’m nervous.

I’ve been through this before, but if you remember, during my first experience, my blood pressure soared so high my nose spurted blood all over the operating room.

I’m not exactly Mr. Calm in this situation.

Add in the concern over my son’s heart and I’m probably going to be a mess. And when they place that child in the specially-designed neonatal ambulance to transport him to Children’s Hospital, I’ll probably be a blubbery mess.

Actually, it will happen before that when they let my wife hold him for a few minutes and then whisk him away. My heart will hurt along with hers.

Even tough guys cry, right?

We’ve done what we can to prepare for this. My mom is here for a month if we need her. My mother-in-law comes for more than a week.

Yes, my head is going to explode.

No seriously, I’m glad to have them. They will be a HUGE help. Big thanks to my brother, Rich, who not only funded my mother’s stay, but purchased her a decent ride to make the trip.  

My father-in-law is going to be here for a few days, too.  Maybe I can get him to mow the grass.

Guys are helpless in these situations, so we do what we do. If you are local and have any household projects, let me know. I can send him your way.  

Plenty of friends have volunteered to help with Sydney and the dogs, if needed. Thanks to EVERYONE for the offers of help and well wishes. We are truly blessed with great friends and family.

As a brave man said on 9-11, “Let’s roll!”

I’m anxious to know what we are facing. I want to get down to the battle.

Doctors are fairly certain he’ll be fine coming out of the womb. They’ll make an assessment right away to see if he needs surgery. If not, they’ll put him on medicine that will keep him alive until Tuesday, when all the big-wig doctors will meet at Children’s Hospital and make a decision on how to proceed. He’ll either have surgery that week, or they will wait several months until he is stronger. It will depend on the severity of his deformities and where they are located.

If you’re keeping track, there are three potential points for surgery: out of the womb, within the first week or so, and six to eight months in. One thing for sure: he will have to have at least one open-heart surgery at some point.

Regardless of the decision, we have no idea how long his first stay in the hospital will be. He will be monitored for some time before he can come home. So it is difficult to plan right now.

We just want to whip this thing and get life back to normal as soon as possible.

I’ll keep you all updated via this blog and Facebook with posts and pictures.

By now, you know writing is therapeutic for me. Here’s what I have come up with for tomorrow:

Tyson

He has his father’s blood
A fighter’s blood
Blood so furious it rejuvenates the fallen

He has his mother’s dreams
A believer’s dreams
Dreams so vivid they wake the dead

He has his sister’s smile
An innocent’s smile
A smile so brilliant it lights the dark

He has his family’s love
An everlasting love
Love so strong it touches the soul

He has his community’s hope
An overwhelming hope
Hope so absolute it overcomes all doubt

He has his inner strength
A warrior’s strength
Strength so powerful it heals the broken