June 14th:
Will is truly one of a kind. In all the struggles of his life thus far, he has overcome those moments with a lousy pair of lungs. At just 14 due to a bacterial war in his lungs, cystic fibrosis was calling the shots. Although they said they have seen worse, he definitely ranked high and was on a clock. 

I expressed my feelings to the team as they rounded on Will. I specifically thanked them for taking a chance on my son even though he was a high risk case, a decision that took all of February and March to compile and reference data. Surgery  went from 10:00AM Saturday until midnight proving the magnitude of specifics to Will.

 His progress has been stunning. As of Wednesday, he no longer needs oxygen and I see a monitor that reads 98-100 which is a miraculous picture. Yesterday, 5 days post op, he was stepped down out of the ICU, crushing the curve of transplant recovery.We did swim through four very crucial nights and participated in the INTENSIVE side. Being alongside the best nursing staff Will and I have been exposed to brought the meaning of CARE.
 The team said they wish transplant patients were all this dedicated. I shared with them the dynamics of how deep the veins of support run out and how that directly relates to his accomplishments.

The central line, two peripheral ivs, and all three chest tubes have been removed.Earlier yesterday morning,he started walking the hall with a low heart rate and high pulse ox. He stopped just short of the elevators, about 70 steps, took a break and went back. 

His biggest hurdle as of this moment is nausea. The surgeon noted that it can can several weeks or months for the nerves in the stomach  to recover and  return to a proper function. He is 6 lbs above pre-op weight which directly results from fluid retention. Once this is corrected, his diet, along with the aid of three anti nausea meds, should be more widely tolerated.

The next milestone for Will is this coming Monday. A biopsy will be performed to check lung tissue for rejection.

I can say St Louis saved his life or changed his life to save it. Either way, this has been the best experience I have been through in my life,period.