Day 249 - The Final Post

It is February 14, 2009 - 249 days post-transplant. At 2:36 am, baby R passed away and went to be with Jesus.

Around 9:45 pm on February 13, we received a phone call from the Med Center that R was not doing well. After dropping off two of the three kids and heading to the hospital, we received another call that he was rapidly deteriorating and they were doing all that they could. We informed them that we were only a few minutes away.

We were informed when we arrived that staff were quickly getting to a point where there was not much more they could do for them. Machines were providing maximal support. His vascular system needed fluid, and as much as they put in would quickly leave the vascular system and make its way to his tissues. More fluid was needed to maintain pressure for his heart, however, as more fluid went in, his lungs were not able to rid the body of the carbon dioxide and he was becoming acidic. If the trend continued, his heart would eventually wear out.

Over the next few hours, blood gases continued to decline. We made the decision at 1:10 am to take Hannah to Grandma's and let her sleep. We made it back to the hospital about 2:05 am. We heard that things continued to worsen and within minutes of our return, R became very unstable. His heart rate and blood pressure began to fall. Soon, he had no heart rate. Staff made every effort to revive him for 30 minutes, but there was no response. He was gone.

A few final comments...

- We cannot say enough about the fine people at UNMC. It was a privilege to get to know them and work with them. They are simply amazing.

- Please keep the biological parents in your prayers. They are also dealing with this difficult loss and, more importantly, they need a very real encounter with Jesus.

- Lastly, thank you so much for taking this journey with us. We do not consider ourselves to be alone, but rather a part of a much bigger team. We consider you a part of this calling to "father the fatherless" and care for those that need to be loved. You are a blessing to us.

God bless you!