Henry’s Turn for Surgery

Hello out there!!! Yep, you read that right…that’s Henry’s name in the title of this post. I think he felt left out that Adam and Clara have both had surgery, so he wanted a turn 🙂 Many have been asking me what Henry’s situation is, so I figured I’d put it up here. Here are the two emails that I recently sent out to family:

Email #1:

Hello, Family and Friends.  I want to update you on Henry’s situation. We found out just today that his surgery will be on May 5! We are pleased that it will be soon, but a little surprised at HOW soon.

In case you need the back story…

When Henry was still inside my tummy, an ultrasound revealed that he had a kidney that was really big. We were hoping it would correct itself as he got bigger, but after close monitoring and numerous tests, it has not. His doctors believe that he has a kink at the base of his ureter right near where it enters his bladder, which is backing up all the urine. So, his surgeon (Dr. Peters) will go in, detach his ureter from his bladder, repair the ureter, and then reattach it to his bladder. That’s the short story.

The surgery will be at Children’s and he will be in the hospital for two nights post-op.

I’m not sure what time the surgery will be yet, but I will update you when I find out.

So, here we go again! Please pray for a smooth surgery and recovery, and that Henry would have no problems or reactions to the anesthesia. Also, please pray for all the logistics for the older kids that they wouldn’t feel too disrupted or anxious during the next week.

Thanks, so much, everyone! Your prayers and support are so treasured by our family.

Love to all,
Dana

Email #2:

Hello, again. Thank you all for your encouraging notes and prayers. We are again so thankful for all of you and the way that you care for us.

Henry’s surgery is scheduled for 7:30 AM on Tuesday, May 5. That means that we need to be at Children’s in DC at 5:30 AM! Due to our very early departure on Tuesday and thanks to some amazing friends, Adam and Clara will both be having their first sleepover ever on Monday night 🙂

That’s about it, for now. I will update on the day of surgery. The procedure lasts about 3-4 hours, so if you don’t hear anything for a while, don’t be worried.

Thank you for your prayers for our boy – keep them coming! I am more nervous than I thought I would be, but I know he is in good hands.

Love you all!

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