Today is Daniel's fourth day on the list. Four days of agonizing waiting, keeping our phones close, sleeping lightly, figuring out whether to stay in Edmonton or go back to Winnipeg. We didn't think the wait would be this hard this soon. But that was before the doctor said he thought it very likely Daniel could get his transplant within the week. Before Sunday morning when he walked in and told us they could have done the transplant the night before, but thought they could find better lungs for him. Every day has been a small roller coaster of hope followed by disappointment as another day passes with no news. Yesterday was a frustrating day as we felt like the doctors were trying to push us out, either to discharge us here in Edmonton or fly us back home to Winnipeg, both of which made us uneasy.
I've spent the last few nights up late, anticipating a call at any moment, almost pleading for the transplant to come. Last night, I spent some time thinking about the donor, trying to accept our time of waiting so that the donor could have another day with their family, could tell them one last time how much they loved them. I hate that our chance at life has to come at the expense of someone else's, but we are so grateful that others are willing to give their organs to extend someone else's life when theirs is over.
So here we are today, day number four. Around noon, while I was waiting in line to get lunch, we got word that there is a possible set of lungs available for Daniel. They'll be brought in tonight for assessment and if they're still ok, the surgery will go forward in the very early hours of tomorrow morning. There's been a flurry of activity as they begin prepping Daniel for the largest surgery he's had. Daniel's mom and dad are already on a plane out and his sister, Bridgette, and her husband John are driving out overnight.
If someone had told me two weeks ago that this is where we would be today, I wouldn't have believed them. We've come so far in such a short timeframe. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we anticipate his surgery tonight. I've created a sign up sheet here for a vigil, if you could spare 15 minutes sometime over the next 24 hours to send us your thoughts and prayers, that would mean the world to us. We've seen first hand how far you have carried us over the last two weeks. Thank you for continuing to carry us.
I'll try to post updates as we learn more in the next few hours.
Laura
