I have not updated you lately on my friend Stephanie who has cystic fibrosis. If you recall, in mid-July she had to be put on a transplant list for a double lung transplant since her body had gotten to the point that she was in the hospital for her lung problems more often than she was home. She has suffered from CF since birth and is not 31 years old and was facing a grim future. One month after she was placed on the list, she was called and told she had a set of lungs waiting for her and they headed to Nashville to start the transplant journey. They were told the surgery could be 8 - 12 hours depending on if the lungs worked with her body and how long it took to get each one in and breathing. Each lung went in perfectly and "pinked up" immediately and started working on their own. Long story short, about six hours after they started, she was already back in recovery. That was miracle #1.
Originally, the time frame was expected for a hospital stay of a couple of week if everything went okay. Then she could go to an apartment close to the hospital in case of complications. They were looking at about one year of staying near the hospital for constant supervision and watching for rejection. The doctors were amazed at her recovery. No complications. No signs of rejection and she was passing every breathing test with flying colors. So six days after her surgery, they released her to the apartment near the hospital. They told her that God was listening to whoever was praying for her and to tell them to keep up the prayers. They had never seen a recovery so fast that went so text book perfect. That was miracle #2.
That was in mid August. After just a few weeks of breathing therapy and physical therapy, she was out and about daily playing tourist in Nashville. Her breathing continued to reach higher and higher capacity as she learned how to breath regularly since she had spent her whole life never being able to take a deep breath. My mid September, the doctors announced that if she continued to pass all the testing as well as she was doing, they were going to let her go home around Thanksgiving....JUST THREE MONTHS AFTER THE SURGERY. Not a year, not six months but THREE months. The doctors continue to marvel at her recovery. Not complications. No signs of rejection. Nothing. So miracle #3 she will be home for good by Thanksgiving.
Last week she posted that she and her husband went on a 2 1/2 mile bike ride. A bike ride!! She hasn't been able to ride a bike forever and ever due to her illness. Now to hop on one, ride 2 1/2 miles, not get winded and not start coughing. She is full of bubbly laughter every time she updates something new she gets to do and is amazed at what it feels like to be able to just breath without having to think about how to do it. That was miracle #4.
BUT GOD (I just love those words) had other plans. Last Friday she went for an appointment and they said she has done so good that her follow up testing can be done right here at home. So guess who came home this past weekend!!! That's right. God pulled miracle #5 out and sent her back here to be with her family. Happy, healthy and praising His name for all the blessings He has bestowed on her through this. So instead of a year away from her family and home, she was released two months and ten days after a double lung transplant. It's no wonder she always has a huge smile on her face.
