June 21st:

Courage-the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.

Second definition- Will Flynn

I may have sold him short in his mental preparedness, it was far better than mine. From transplant day forward patients take a long slate of meds, require weekly to monthly to yearly scans and tests, constantly looking over the shoulder measuring the chance for rejection. The surgeon delivered a grounding opinion reminding us milestones are reached every 30 days or so for the first year and each single day there after. But right now, just short of two weeks from transplant, Will has exceeded every goal put in front him crushing the recovery curve and being discharged back to our apartment this afternoon.

The courage Will displayed through this process has been recognized and the St. Louis team is encouraging another family to ask for his guidance for their child.

It is possible for one person can change this disease, making a doctor or nurse remove the practicing medicine titles and focus more on the finer threads that connect humanity.

What if that one person has a brother, sister, or a loving parent, aunt, uncle, cousin, or grandparents to model themselves after, a blended family that opens even more hearts, or friends that offer their free time to try and understand….I won’t fight against it anymore. I’ll fight through it. Cystic Fibrosis… CF…Changed Forever.

Today is the best day of his life until he wakes up to start it again tomorrow. New lungs, a new Summer, a new chapter.