Post Op Day 1

Rose Nacheca did very well during her surgery. Once they got into her heart they found that she had more than one hole. We had been so disappointed when the catheter surgery on Valentine's day failed. Open heart surgery was something we desparately wanted to spare her. This news was a HUGE reminder of how God's plans are always perfect! If that surgery had been successful, if the patch had held, she would still have had a hole in her heart. Now she is lying in the bed next to me with a heart that is beating perfectly. This is such exciting news.

I sit here watching her, so very thankful for the opportunity that this special little girl has been given. This procedure would never have been possible in Haiti. Every doctor who ever listened to her heart got the same impression. You could see their face change as soon s they started listening to her heart. The words harsh, significant and extreme were all used to describe the sounds of the murmurs in her chest. Now it sounds perfect. Praise God!

Children's Hospital is amazing. The doctors and nurses are so wonderful and responsive. We got to stay at the Ronald McDonald house (which is one floor down from the heart unit) last night, so we were able to get a few good hours of sleep. They provided dinners for the families of children in the Intensive Care unit, free of charge every evening (and they are actually really good). I was even able to go down there and work out for 20 minutes on the exercise equipment they have for families.

They have kept Rose pretty sedated the whole day. There have been minor setbacks, like the chest tubes not coming out today, but over all she is doing great. Until the chest tubes are out we cannot hold her. The rare times she does wake up she is very unhappy. Not being able to comfort her is horrible. I crawled into bed with her so that she knew I was close. I held her hand and sang to her and she finally fell back asleep this evening.

Tomorrow once many of the tubes she has are gone, she will be more comfortable and be able to move around better. We can hold her and she will be able to start eating. So this will help her feel better faster.

Thanks for your continued prayers. The doctors say she is doing great. I wish she could talk to us. Goodnight!