It's A Good Day

 The kids and I brought a couple of loads from the apartment and dropped them in the pantry.  I should be attacking it right now since you can't even walk through the door, but instead I am writing this post.  Today was a very good day. (Sidenote: "It's A Good Day" is track #3 on Hilary Weeks' latest album Say Love.  The song is a family favorite.)

 Today we made the familiar trek to Primary Children's for Isaac's follow up appointment.  He finished his medication last week, and they needed to evaluate how he was doing without it.  They also wanted to do a follow up CT to see what the blood clot in his lung was doing.  He was all business-as-usual.

 He climbed right up on the CT table and stuck his right arm out for the IV.  The tech laughed and told him that she remembered him from last time because he was so brave.  I am so thankful that he does so well with all of the procedures, but it does sadden my heart a little to recognize that it is all so familiar to him.

 He was a rockstar for the CT, so we went down to the cafeteria to eat while we waited for the radiology team to read the exam and consult with Infectious Disease.  Isaac kept asking if he could pleeeeease choose a dessert first, but his request was denied.  I did let him get a soda, though.  We are both fans of the cafeteria at Primary Children's.  It is about the furthest thing from hospital food that I've ever eaten.  Everything is yummy and it is all affordable.

 While we waited for our appointment with infectious disease, Isaac played PacMan.  I was smiling the whole time I was watching him play, not just because of his very articulate and very loud sound effects, but because he has never felt well enough to play the games when we have been there before.  I remember holding him on my lap and watching the other kids play in the waiting room.  I remember thinking how they didn't seem sick at all.  Today the one playing was my kid.  Today he didn't seem sick at all.

 I was thrilled when I saw the CT.  The blood clot has done exactly what the doctors hoped it would.  The image on the left was taken during Isaac's last hospitalization, exactly a month ago.  The image on the right was taken today.  The blood clot has not broken loose and posed a threat.  It has shrunk significantly and almost completely dissolved, leaving scarring in its shadow.  When they told me my son had a blood clot in his lung and then sent me home, I was terrified.  When they warned me of the potential dangers should he contract any respiratory infection, I felt panicked and helpless.  For the past month, I have tried not to let the thoughts of what might be happening inside his little body haunt me.  I have tried to trust the doctors and be positive.  Seeing the images today brought indescribable relief.

 Isaac has loved Dr. Ampofo.  He thinks they are buddies.  Dr. Ampofo gives Isaac knuckles and calls him Mr. D.  He asks Isaac about things that matter to him, like Titus, and he talks to Isaac on his level.  He is truly gifted at what he does.  A person with his level of brilliance (bordering on genius) combined with his extraordinary interpersonal skills is rare. A person that can do all that he does and do it in a way that makes a sick child feel safe, comfortable, and happy is nothing short of an angel.

I have loved Dr. Ampofo.  He has been following Isaac since the day he arrived at Primary Children's on LifeFlight.  He saw us every single day, EVERY SINGLE DAY, the whole time we were in the hospital.  (I kept asking him if he ever took a day off.)  He met us in the emergency room when we had to return for Isaac's second hospitalization.  He has seen us at every single follow up appointment we have been to.  He has called several times to check on Isaac and make sure he is ok.  He has called our pediatrician to consult and followup and streamline Isaac's care. I am baffled by this level of consistency.  It is simply unheard of in healthcare today.  He treated us like we were family, remembering specific details and always calling us by name.  I was amazed as I observed his interactions with the other health care professionals in the hospital, from the nurses to the technicians to the other physicians and specialists.  He treats everyone with a familiar respect.  To have Isaac receive such premium care from this caliber of doctor was a blessing beyond measure.  It is people like Dr. Ampofo that not only make Primary Children's the amazing place it is, but also make difficult situations manageable, and who inspire me to want to be a better person.

 Isaac was completely healthy at his follow up appointment today.  The doctors said that even if he were to contract a respiratory illness at this point, he would be ok.  What remains of the old blood clot will continue to dissolve on its own, and Isaac's lungs will be clear and healthy within six months or so.  You should have seen the look on his face when he realized what the doctor was saying.  "I'm all better?" he asked.  He was sing-chanting on the way out to the parking garage, "I'm bet-ter, I'm bet-ter. Boo-ya.  Oh-yeah.  I'm bet-ter."

 We came home to this surprise "valentine" on our front porch.  It was yet another reminder of how those around us, that love us and care for us, have carried us through this entire experience.  I have to hope that I can't help but become a better person after having been the recipient of so much selflessness and love.  That is the hope, after all, that our trials shape us into the people we were meant to be.  I feel thankful that so many people around me have become real life role models of who I hope to become.