Getting There

The day after the big friend birthday party the kids and I hit the road once again but this time for San Diego.  In the last month we have spent about 10 non consecutive days in Vegas which is notable.  This trip had been a long time coming and we were anxious to get down there.  I wasn't crazy about leaving Lance in Vegas by himself or about another long car trip by myself, but we worked it out so Lance could fly down on Friday and then drive back with us first thing Monday. 

There is a back story to this San Diego trip.  On July 23 (just 2 days after Colleen passed away) my sister Whitney had been scheduled to have a corneal transplant.  We had been gearing up for it for a very long time and were quite anxious about it all.  It took months to decide to do the surgery, have doctors agree to perform it, and just get it scheduled.  My parents were working on tons of details regarding it right up until that weekend.  There was debate about much of it, but most of the concern was regarding the recovery as Whit wouldn't be able to rub the eye after without risk of blindness.  Telling Whitney to not rub her eye would be like telling Zuri to not rub her eye- they have no interest in your request.  The big difference is Whitney has the strength and determination of an adult.  So basically this means that someone would have to be with her 24/ 7 holding her strong and super stealth quick arms down for some time to ensure any hope of a successful outcome.  So the stress level was high about many things regarding the surgery.  My plan was to stay in Vegas until a week or so after the surgery and then I would go down to be a fresh extra helper when Mom and Dad were starting to get worn out. 

When Colleen passed Mom and Dad were heart broken as well.  It was a hard phone call for me to make to tell them.  They loved Colleen tons and wanted to do anything they could for us and Brice in any way possible.  They did much for keeping me on track that Saturday with lots of phone check-ins as I made my way to Utah with the kids.  On Sunday we spoke about if they should postpone the surgery and I immediately knew that Colleen would not have wanted that and told them so.  She also loved them and Whitney very much and was very aware of all that was going on with the surgery.  She and Brice were even planning to come to Vegas to help with our kids so I could make that trip to San Diego.  Even in the midst of it all in the hospital Saturday night Brice asked me about the surgery. 

So, that Monday Whitney did have the transplant surgery.  They were extra relieved that they had decided to have it as once the doctors got in to her eye they discovered that she was in fact blind in that eye.   Thus any vision the surgery brings her is a plus.  She spent that Monday-Wednesday in the hospital in the ICU where they could closely monitor her, sedate her, and restrain her.  Wednesday night they came home and Thursday morning my Mom got on the first flight of the day to come to Colleen's funeral.  Obviously it was no easy task for her to leave Dad and Whit, for Dad to be without her (they did have a few helpers come in throughout the day though which was necessary so Dad could get a few minute breaks), or for Dad to not be at the funeral.  Mom ended up taking care of Zuri at the funeral which was a HUGE help and comfort.  She flew back to San Diego that night so Dad and Whit didn't have to do the night alone. 

I should also share about something special in the midst of this long tale. Colleen was an organ donor which is awesome. Due to the nature of her injuries the one thing that she was able to donate was her cornea's. This is of course a very tender thing to all of us.  As I mentioned before her heart was very in tune with Whitney and my parents so I know that this was a special gift. 

Whitney's recovery has been long.  After the first few weeks they noticed that she was looking at things again like she used to, eating way better, and sleeping a lot less.  We believe that her eyes had been causing her much pain and probably were making her feel sick to her stomach quite a bit.  So we are thrilled about that.  The challenge still remains with some eye disomfort, a brutal eye drop medicine schedule, and mostly having her not rub her eye due to those things which is no easy task.  The doctors have basically said that she should always be a bit gentle with that eye, but it is of course not humanly possible to have someone monitor her like that every hour of the day for the rest of time.  We hope with every passing day it will get stronger, but it is exhausting to constantly have in the back of your mind "maybe if we just make it one more day of not rubbing it will be better".  Imagine 3am when you've been monitoring her for over a month.  My parents continue to be amazing in so many ways in the lives they live.

So, finally getting to San Diego last week was a relief.  Hopefully, we were a fun (if not exhausting) distraction for all of them.  I'm not sure we were really much help, but Whit and I were able to enjoy some good cuddle time.  It was good for us as well.  We very much wish we could divide ourselves in pieces and be in several different locations at once these days.      

*Next post will be a better documentation of the actual trip but bed is calling tonight.  :)