This is the first day of the rest of your life.
Just over an hour ago I released her into the custody of the surgical team. They all say they are going to take real good care of her and I truly believe that.
It's been a long road, with both soft shoulders and dangerous curves. We drove out here on the Endonasal Highway and God put up a big detour sign at the last moment to keep us from going over the cliff. Now we're on the Eyebrow Express and all the lanes are clear. We knew that if this was the wrong road God would be there in the crosswalk with the big stop sign and redirect.
"God never promised He would inform us ahead of time all about His plan. He's just promised He has one. Ultimately, it's for our good and His glory." -Swindoll
Some medical things to pray about, potential concerns, to bring before you, especially you FPF's, you know who you are: There is still a concern about inter-cranial pressure, much less with this procedure than the other, but still a concern. They may have to put in a lumbar drain and eventually a permanent inter-cranial shunt to relieve the pressure. Please pray for NO SHUNT and NO LUMBAR DRAIN. Also it's quite possible she'll be intubated overnight if her breathing doesn't pick up right away coming out of general anesthesia, which means the kids might not see her awake tonight. And also her friend from Seattle, her tumor caused her to lose her eyesight on the left side, pray it's only temporary.
How am I doing? Glad you asked. I'm okay with this. I feel at peace with the road we're on right now. I feel I am spiritually prepared and the Lord has provided shelter from the storm. I am delighted that I was given the task of documenting her story, though she wants me to remind everyone that these are my words, she would probably tell the story differently. In fact she has only read the first post. Maybe she'll add some of her own words in the coming weeks.
The last few weeks Dana would often smell something like the lilacs blooming, or a row of air fresheners at the market and wonder if it would be the last time. As she headed into the O.R. I put her beach sandals in the same bag as her clothes and she said "Now my clothes will smell like the ocean"; I replied "let's hope they do."
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