Abby's stress test and wow, what a year!!!

Have I ever mentioned how amazing I think Abby is?    Less  than 4 months after collapsing in PE, and only 2 months after getting her new heart, she was able to perform a stress test on the treadmill.....and it was her choice to do it.  It reminded me of her first year playing soccer.  She was this cute, but tough little 4-year-old kid.  She was playing in a soccer game and at half time they decided to call the game because it was raining....hard, it was like a major downpour, and it was cold too.  When Abby heard they were stopping the game, she started freaking out!  She was so mad, she couldn't believe they would ever make them stop playing and especially when they were losing, she was not okay with it.  She threw a little fit right there on the field and refused to leave.  I had to pick her up and haul her off the field....and do you think she got over it??? NO, we had to hear about all day long!!!  This determination she had when she was just a little kid is what has helped her be as successful through all of this as she has, she's tough and she's a fighter.  They wouldn't let me stay in the room with her through the treadmill test, they said kids will work harder without parents being there-that's easy for me to understand after coaching swimming for so many years.  So, I left and wandered around, pacing for 40 minutes.  When they opened the door, Abby had a huge grin on her face.  She said, "I ran.....it felt good!"   She said that her legs got tired fast, I think they're pretty weak from not doing much for the last 4 months, but that her heart felt great.  She also said that she could actually breathe now.  She said that she would have started breathing hard after about 3 minutes before her heart transplant, but she didn't ever really start breathing hard during the test at all.  I just think that would be the most awesome feeling ever, she never really knew what running is supposed to feel like until yesterday!  Just wait until she's in good shape, she will feel like a superstar!!!  Dr. Everitt said that everything looked good, no problems whatsoever!  To me, it was just another miracle.

I have to thank everyone for all of the birthday wishes today!  It was fun to receive so many texts, emails, phone calls,  facebook messages, etc.  I definitely felt loved today!  I think I'm pretty certain that I will have an easier this year than I did last year.  All of our troubles started right after my 40th birthday last year, you know when they say that after you turn 40 everything just goes downhill..... they weren't kidding!!!  Hardest year of my life???  By far, there's no comparison; but also the most rewarding too.  We spent 4 months living away from home, Britt had 3 knee surgeries, we had financial struggles because of the surgery, I started a new job, and then everything with Abby's heart; but, I've also met so many great new people, made many new friends, had the opportunity to reconnect with many old friends and family, watched my testimony grow, strengthened my family, learned to rely on people, learned everything I could ever want to know about nursing, being a pharmacist, the human heart, and organ donation, listen to Abby's story about the day she died, become close with many people-I consider them family now, be on the news many times (not my favorite, but I had to include it), have the opportunity to see the good in people and how they really want to help, watch a community come together for a sick little girl, recieve the greatest gift that can be given (Abby's new heart), memorize the road signs from Salt Lake to St. George, wear the same bag of clothes for 4 months, and be a part of a multitude of miracles.    How can I complain at all about this past year when I have all of these experiences??  I honestly don't think I'd trade it for anything.  We also got to be home and together for my birthday, that's all I wanted. 

The plan now is to head back to Salt Lake on Sunday night for clinic Monday and then come back to St. George again on Tuesday.  We will do this for the next 3 weeks-other than September 24, when all of us are going to go to Salt Lake for the music festival at Daybreak-can't miss that!!!  We are going to be optimistic and be moved home on October 1st-remember when we were hoping for Christmas???   Then on October 3rd, Abby has her next cath/biopsy.  If things look good then, the transplant team gave us the okay to move back, but we're just going to count on it and move back the weekend before anyway.  If things don't look okay and we need to stick around Salt Lake, we'll just have to stay with my brother, he already said that would be great, but we're still  just planning on a perfect biopsy.  Abby cannot get sick between now and then.  There are a lot of people that are sick right now, so please, please stay away if you're sick or if you've been around sick people.  We just can't do it now....we have a plan and we want to stick to it. 

Things couldn't be looking better for us right now, Abby is feeling great and we're getting so close to being able to move home.  Life is good.