On the upswing

Lots of development since the last post. I visited Mom at the hospital around 10am today and the doctors happened to be making their rounds at that time. Dr. Roe walked in and made a very warm introduction. After a few minutes of pleasantries, he cut to the chase. The transplant committee met Wednesday night and had made its decision about the course of action:

Overall - he is a prime candidate for transplant, but he needs to pass some preliminary tests beforehand, including:
1. Heart cath to ensure the arteries and ventricles are strong, to be done Thursday afternoon around 2pm.
2. Colonoscopy to ensure he had no polyps, anticipated for Friday morning.
3. If passing, the transplant board would review the results, talk to the insurance, and submit his candidature by the weekend.

**About the lung transplant: Steve's blood type 'A' is one of the rarest in America, so finding donors won't be easy. However, the severity of his disease puts him toward the top -- if not at numero uno -- for recipients in the nation**

The report was quite sobering, although graciously earnest. Dr. Roe even said that he was delivering this news with "cautious optimism", a metaphor of the precarious position we find ourselves in. Steve's lungs continue to decline and each passing day that he sleeps while on heavy sedation and steroids is another day of gradual muscular atrophy. Plus, the longer he stays on a ventilator the harder it will be to wean him off post-transplant. There is a narrow window of opportunity, and they're doing everything in their power to hit the mark.

So, after discussing contingencies, Mom and I broke for lunch. Other friends were going to visit that afternoon so I headed back north and worked the rest of the day. I didn't see Marian again until this evening around 7:15. Since I hadn't heard from her I assumed the procedure (heart cath) went smoothly. I was right...he passed solidly...and even more encouraging news followed. It seems that since Steve had a colonoscopy within the last couple years, they are going to skip tomorrow's scheduled test and go right toward getting him on the list.

We ended tonight on a positive note. The Griffins drove back with Marian to the house and we had a nice dinner (a small array of food delivered previously to the house by friends -- we are too lucky!). Marian said that Dr. Roe made another round toward the end of the evening and his tone was much more optimistic. The atmosphere felt light and uplifting. Then, at 9pm, Papa and Minerva arrived. It was like a small family reunion. Laughter and dessert ensued.

A final word and important detail: Steve will most likely stay sedated until after the transplant. He also will not be getting a tracheotomy for risk of infection. We aren't out of the woods, but it was a relief to see some light. THANK YOU all for your prayers, calls, and letters. We continue to believe.