More on Cincinnati and Update
King Sean and Prince Sam
Before Sam’s surgery, we had some fun at the Cincinnati Zoo again. Sean was nervous about Sam and being around all the people, but it was nice to be able to do something “normal” with Sam since we had to have him in a bubble the month prior. Doing normal things with Sam always tugs on my mamma heart. Sam was more interested in trying to pull leaves off trees, and snatching my sunglasses off my face to throw in the ostrich cages. And, of course, his nose (filter for his trach) went flying too. So, if you go to the Cincinnati Zoo anytime soon and see the ostriches wearing sunglasses...
Okay, this gorilla is pretty cool.
My dad is way cooler than that hippo behind me.
For those of you who don't know sign language, Sam is signing "Daddy". He was telling us the lion was a daddy lion.
Our hotel didn't have a bathtub so we had to improvise. Sam thought taking a bath in the kitchen sink was great. It was a lot less stressful for Sean and I too, because Sam LOVES the water. If he was able, I think he would have his head under the water all the time. He has no idea what would happed if he completely submerged himself in water. He is very brave around water and is constantly trying to put in head under, which makes bath time and water in general, pretty stressful for us. My heart skips a beat when I think of Sam without a trach and the day he can completely submerge himself in water. I think he will be a fish. Oh happy day.
Cleaning my feeding tube.
When we knew we had to cancel our flight home because Sam was misbehaving, I instantly started looking for one way flights. It was not looking good.
We found out on a Wednesday evening, Sam would be discharged the next morning. The soonest flight out I could find was on Friday morning at $835 a piece! Not happening. The flights for the following week weren’t much better and we did not want to be stuck in Cincinnati any longer. Will and Abby were perfectly fine at home with my niece holding down the fort. I think they would have been happy if we were gone longer.
We decided to keep the rental car and drive home. We quickly packed Sean's things at Ronald McDonald House (RMH) after Sam discharged, but couldn't pass up the free toy from RMH for Sam. Of all the toys, he picked the doctor set.
Sean and I had to play a little Tetris to make everything fit in the SUV, but we did it. We were definitely homesick.
Sam does not travel lightly. And there were still six boxes waiting at the hotel for him!
Two days later, we made it home. Sam did surprisingly well with two full days of driving in a car. Sean and I were exhausted and very happy to be home. Sam was happy to see his siblings.
It has been almost six weeks since Sam's surgery. We wait one more week to find out if the surgery worked or not. When I asked the doctor in Cincinnati if he thought it was a zero percent chance the surgery worked because of what happened, his response was, “The only person who knows that, is not in the room right now. We just have to wait and see.” Hmmmmm. Faith over fear, Jamie.
Sam’s ENT trained under the ENT who did the surgery in Cincinnati. Thankfully, we don’t have to travel back to Cincinnati for Sam’s bronchoscopy to get the news. Our expectations are low and our hopes are high for the news. It’s yet another sedation for Sam. Prayers everything goes smoothly next Friday.
Like my friend said, ”I figure no news is good news.” Yes, since we’ve been home, Sam has been doing great. We’re still moving slowly on his feedings, but he started at twenty-four hours a day six weeks ago, and is now down to eleven hours a day! And barely any retching! Progress!
He has had zero signs of intussusception. We’ve all questioned if the intussusception was happening longer than we think. It’s a hard thing to catch because they can only see it on ultrasound or x-ray when it’s happening. It’s likely the other feeding tube (j-tube) is what was causing it, which then makes its less likely to happen again. Continued prayers Sam will not get intussusception again.
And BIG Happy Birthday to my sweet boy today!!!!! We've kept you alive for six years now! Everyday we get with you is a blessing we didn’t think we would get from day one. I’m incredibly thankful we live where we do, knowing in many other places, you would not have made it past the first day. Keep doing what you do best, by making other hearts a little bigger.
Faith Over Fear!
Sam Strong!
Looking Up
As of right now, Sam will not need surgery. Thank you Lord!
The surgeons were pretty convinced yesterday morning Sam would need surgery based off the six ultrasounds he had throughout the night on Sunday. As they came and pressed on his tummy throughout the day yesterday and rested his belly, they became less convinced Sam would need surgery.
Today we started some Pedialyte at a very slow rate in his g-tube. Those of you who know Sam, you read right, I said his g-tube, not his j-tube. After the misery of the getting the j-tube inserted in radiology (not surgery here), surgery pulled his j-tube that evening possibly thinking it was instigating the intussusception. For a few reasons, this could be a disaster or a blessing in disguise.
One reason is the j-tube has often kept us out of the hospital when he gets sick and is not tolerating Pedialyte or formula in his g-tube (stomach). Another reason is that he is currently dependent on his j-tube for half of his daily feedings. The blessing would be, he will tolerate ALL his feedings in his g-tube and not need the j-tube. We would absolutely love only a g-tube.
The surgeon and nurse laughed at me in the middle of the night when the j-tube was pulled and the g-tube was put in when I said, ”Oh it’s so beautiful.” If you know anything about feeding tubes, you can understand my excitement. If you know Sam medically, you can understand my apprehension. It’s going to be a blessing in disguise.
The best news is Sam woke up this morning clearly feeling much better. He’s sitting up and even giving quite a few smiles. He hasn’t made any sounds yet, but I don’t think we’re far from that.
A night and day difference from yesterday!
The hotel we were staying at did not have anymore availability, but we were able to get a room at the Ronald McDonald House here and we able to cancel our flight with no fees.
I’d be lying if I told this is easy, but you know me, I like to stay focussed on the perks. It’s much better for the soul. I also believe we are in the best place possible. Cincinnati Children’s is internationally known for caring for kids with airway and esophageal disorders. It doesn’t take long having a kid like Sam to see that.
Pray Sam will tolerate his feeds, the intussusception has fixed itself, it will not recur, and for NO MORE SURPRISES!
Thank you for walking alongside us in this journey, the continued prayers, and the encouragement. They both go a long way.
Sam Strong!
Faith Over Fear!
As Promised
I have been writing this post off and on since July. Where did the summer go?! And now we’ve already been in school a few months?!
Since our last hospital stay WAY back in May, life was overall good for Sam until August hit. He was mostly healthy and doing all the things. And when I say, all the things, I mean ALL the things. That being said, I will update on the not so great stuff and end with the great things we did this past summer.
I think the reason I have been struggling to continue writing this post is because I was so excited to have only good news. I'll try be a bit brief with the not so great stuff so we can focus on the super fun summer we had with Sam.
We've known since Sam was a baby, he “might” need an eye surgery to correct his lazy eyes. Yes, that's plural for Sam. We have tried patching off and on over the years. His ophthalmologist let us know at his last appointment, Sam will need the eye surgery. We plan to schedule this after Christmas.
One of Sam's many specialists is immunology. He only has this appointment once a year now. To make a long story short, one of his labs was very off at his last appointment. Both his immunologist and pediatrician thought the off labs might be the "c" word. Thank you Lord, after oncology looked over his labs, they were reassured cancer was not the case. This left everyone scratching their heads on which specialist we should see. It was narrowed down to nephrology. Thankfully, this is already a specialty Sam sees because of his hypertension (high blood) issues.
We had our appointment with nephrology and did lots of other testing to hopefully rule out chronic kidney disease (CKD). At this appointment, his nephrologist said, either way they would have to treat the way off lab results as they are at "too dangerously of a high level". Unfortunately, we did recently find out Sam has CKD. The CKD is in the early stage so that is a bonus. We will have to see nephrology more often now so they can keep a close eye on his kidneys.
In the past month, Sam has also had a few seizure like episodes. He saw a neurologist for this and confirmed the episodes were likely seizures. He prescribed Sam a rescue med for if the seizures last more than five minutes. He will have an MRI and EEG done soon to rule anything serious. We are confident and praying there is nothing serious.
Sam will have endoscopy to check on his esophagus and tummy. We will be able to coordinate his MRI with the endoscopy. I try very hard to coordinate sedation procedures/surgeries when I can with this complicated little man! Just call me the CEO of Sam Inc.!
Sam gets poked a lot as is, but the past few months have been more than normal. He was pretty sick for a week in October so this made for even more poking. Thankfully we were able to schedule an appointment rather than having to take him to the emergency room like normal. After all the testing, he ended up being super constipated and had tracheitis. He was pretty miserable for about a week, BUT we stayed out of the hospital!
We will shoot for the Spring to go to Cincinnati again and hopefully get the hole in Sam's airway fixed. Sam's pulmonologist suggested we wait till after winter to go. Cincinnati thought that was a good idea too.
Now, let's move on from the cruddy stuff and into the good stuff! My mama heart was full with the many firsts Sam had this summer.
Fun at Como Zoo.
He was finally cleared by his doctors to go back to school. He started summer school two days a week and loved it.
Sam had only been into a store one time in his life and it was brief. We decided to go big or go home for his first real trip to a store. Yep, the Mall of America. He was mostly in awe of the lights and high ceilings. We went to a dinosaur exhibit next to the mall. Let's just say the mall was much more interesting.
We celebrated Sam's fifth birthday! Swimming isn't the best birthday activity for Sam, but he loves the water so much! If he didn't have a trach, I'm pretty sure he would be in fish in the water. Some day!
Before Sam was born, we spent A LOT of time at our family cabin. Since he’s been born, we have brought him on a day trip once, there and back. Traveling with a medically complex child is no joke. Being on a lake with a child with a trach, again, no joke. It always feels a little odd when someone asks what would happen if Sam fell in the water and our response is, “He would most likely die.” We were also able to go to a friend's cabin twice.
Thank you to all of you who have collected pop tabs for us! We didn't turn them in last year because of Covid, but had a lot to throw in the bin at the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Sam thought it was pretty fun to throw the pop tabs in the big bin. Although, they probably wouldn't admit it, I think Will and Abby thought so too.
We took a spontaneous trip to Duluth. This was a really big deal for us and we were so glad we did. We had a blast!
Sam's first day of Kindergarten! No words from this mama for this emotional day.
"Don't worry mom, I'm ready for this."
Another spontaneous thing we did was go to a Gopher Football Game. Sam didn't like when anyone scored a touchdown. He got pretty scared with all the yelling, but overall had a great time.
"I really don't like all the yelling when a touchdown is scored!"
He, of course, loved the apple orchard.
Sam loved the train ride. I think the girls did too.
Sam's first time EVER in a grocery store! I wondered what people were thinking when I was overly excited to put him in the cart. It's funny what we take for granted sometimes. I remember when my other kids were little I was happy to leave them at home when it came to grocery shopping.
I can't imagine what people were thinking when we taking all the pictures.
We were hoping Sam would be over his sickness before Halloween. He was back to himself the day of Halloween! He has been out on Halloween, but hasn't been trick-or-treating before, partly because of being immunocompromised and partly because he can't eat the candy anyway. I thought he would get a kick of people putting something into his bucket. I was wrong. The first house we brought him to, he tried to go inside. He got pretty sad when he realized we couldn't go inside. This is where it's okay to laugh. We did. We'll try again next year! We had one neighbor who had bubbles and something else for Sam knowing he can't eat the candy. That little gesture made my heart flutter.
We all have stuff, stuff that makes life hard. We can make a choice to see the beauty or focus on the pain. The enemy likes us to focus our time and energy on the pain. I believe when we see His beauty in the pain, our strength gets stronger and our hearts get happier.
Sam Strong and Faith Over Fear!
Thank You!
A BIG thank you to those who donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities-Upper Midwest! Our team, Sam Strong, raised $1,805!!
Click on the logo below to read more about this awesome charity.
I promise updates are coming soon on Mr. Superman Sam. Summer is flying by! For the most part, no news is good news!
Only 3 Days Left!
Click here to donate to Ronald McDonald House Charities - Upper Midwest! It’s easy to give online by clicking the red, “Donate Now” button. Every little bit helps!
I cannot say enough about this charity and the gift it has been to our family for the past five years.
Thank you in advance and stay Sam Strong!
2021 RBC Race for the Kids
As most of you know, we hold the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) charity very close to our hearts. It’s a home a way from home for families like us who have experienced a child’s serious illness or injury.
The walk is scheduled for August, 7th, but will be virtual again this year. Although Team Sam Strong can’t walk together, it doesn’t mean families do not have a child with a serious illness or injury and are stuck “living” in a hospital.
Eating and sleeping are not on your mind when you are watching your child fight for their life. RMH offers these essential things to families so they can focus their time and energy on their child.
Please consider making a donation today. Every little bit helps!
“This is the house that opens its arms, that feels like home, that embraces the children, that comforts the parents. This is the house where families meet, to eat and sleep, to find their strengths and dry their tears, to look forward with hope to better years.”
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Thank you SO much in advance for your donation.
Donate to RMH Today!
If you’re able, don’t forget to make a last minute donation to Ronald McDonald House Charities today!
Last year our team won the Largest Team Award. Way to go Team Sam Strong! Maybe this year, we can win the award for Most Last Minute Donations! It’s not actually a thing, but it sounds good. 😁
Click here to donate in honor of Team Sam Strong!
Click here to read my latest post on what RMH means to me.
Have a happy and safe Halloween!
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMH)
A home-away-from-home that supports keeping families together and reduces stress during a child’s serious illness.
Sam’s PICC line took an hour to an hour and half to put in. They highly suggest parents are not in the room for this. Good suggestion. I don’t leave his room much. It’s a lot harder to leave now that he’s older. I know I didn't leave a lot when we were "living" here, but I felt more comfortable leaving back then. Thankfully, this place is not home to him anymore. Now he gets so afraid, as he should. Most of these people, although great, are strangers to him.
I decided to stroll down to the third floor, where RMH is. I walk through “the house” and start recollecting. I notice some of the changes. I see it's a beautiful Minnesota fall day so I step out onto the patio. I’m sure my body is screaming for vitamin D at this point.
As I sit on this small patio (picture above is the view from the Minneapolis RMH Campus), the memories of this place come flooding back to me. The sounds of the city going on with its day. Once in a while, a helicopter blares above or the sirens of an ambulance race by. I close my eyes and let the warm sun beat on my face. It feels good. The memories of the beginning of Sam’s life imbedded in my heart, good and bad, begin vividly racing in my mind.
There are so many memories, and some create an extra pang in my heart. I am beyond grateful for this charity. It’s one of those things, you don’t really understand the impact of what they do, until you or someone close to you gets thrown into a situation they never thought possible.
During our extended stay, RMH was a game changer for me. For over seven months, I had a free home cooked meal, a bed when I asked for one, a friendly smile to greet me each time I walked in, a place to get away for a moment without the feeling of being in a hospital, and a nice, warm shower, when it was often well overdue.
As I rarely left the hospital, having this, home away from home, only a few steps away from Sam, made an incredibly difficult time easier, both financially and emotionally.
Some of my most emotional moments were spent at RMH, like sitting, in the warm sun, on the balcony of RMH. Or when I saw my mom, dad, and sister for the first time after they had jumped in their car from Florida on a Thursday afternoon, and made it to Minnesota by a Saturday evening. Grandpa Larry cannot deny the speeding involved.
Here a few more moments from RMH, that will forever be in my heart.
Just like any typical kid during a Minnesota summer, my friend’s two sons wanted to have a lemonade stand. At this point, Sam had been in the hospital for about a month. Unbeknownst to her, the two boys had other plans. Their intentions didn't entail earning money for themselves. The stories they heard from their mom about how RMH had made a major impact on our family, struck a cord in their little hearts. The fine print on the sign they made reads, "all Money goes to ronald mcDonald house!". They raised $55!! Precious.
One morning I was sitting in RMH beginning a new journal entry for Sam’s CaringBridge. I ventured to the microwave to warm-up my coffee. I was already a bit emotional. As I was waiting at the microwave, I read the back of an RMH volunteer’s shirt.
“This is the house that opens its arms, that feels like home, that embraces the children, that comforts the parents. This is the house where families meet, to eat and sleep, to find their strengths and dry their tears, to look forward with hope to better years."
Ronald McDonald House Charities
I proceeded to tell the RMH volunteer how true the back of her shirt was. I couldn't stop the tears from flowing. She didn’t say anything, just gave me a hug. I tried to assure her, my tears, were happy ones, because I was going to take my son home soon.
I never understood the significance of RMH until life threw a curveball at our family. We will be forever grateful for the impact RMH was and is to us today. Since the beginning of Sam’s life, RMH has been a saving grace for me.
Giving to this charity can be as easy as saving your pop tabs. Beer tabs work too. ; ) Each year, the collection we turn in to RMH gets bigger and bigger. People collect them and give them to me. Once a year, I bring the stash to RMH. They make almost $20,000 a year in donations from collecting pop tabs! It’s such a simple thing to do. If you want to start collecting, I would be happy to take the stash off your hands!
Ever since Sam has started his journey here, we have participated in the RMH Family Walk. This year the walk is virtual TOMORROW October 31st! Covid, ugh. Although, we can’t walk, I was able to set up a team last minute and would love your support! I planned to set this up a while ago, but I have been a little preoccupied. 🤣 Please consider donating to this charity that helps families during unimaginable times.
Click here to donate to our team, Sam Strong!
Thank you in advance for your donations!
Sam Strong!
Faith Over Fear!
Grateful
My heart could not be more full. We walked to raise money for a charity who gives families a home-away-from-home when their child is experiencing a serious illness.
Put yourself in these shoes. You're watching your child fight for his/her life. It doesn't matter what is it or how they're fighting. Bottom line...they are fighting to stay alive and it's the hardest thing you've ever done in your life.
During that time, someone comes in and gives you the simple things in life, like a homemade dinner, a hot shower, or a place to step away without feeling like you're in a hospital. When you're watching your child fight for their life and you are able to access these things that seem so simple, but really are not, it means the world to you. I speak from experience.
I can't tell you how grateful I am for the Ronald McDonald House Charities and how thankful I am to be able to give back to them.
Our team, Sam Strong raised $2,285 for the Ronald McDonald House Charities - Upper Midwest! Thank you to all who donated!
Team Sam Strong
Award for the largest team! Go team Sam Strong!
We also won an award for being the largest team! I was overwhelmed with gratitude. Winning this award is evidence of the amazing support system we have. I feel so blessed. Thank you to everyone who gave up a their Saturday and endured the humidity for Sam, our family, and this incredible organization.
3rd Annual Ronald McDonald House Walk
“This is the house that opens its arms, that feels like home, that embraces the children, that comforts the parents. This is the house where families meet, to eat and sleep, to find their strengths and dry their tears, to look forward with hope to better years.” I never knew the impact of Ronald McDonald … Continue reading 3rd Annual Ronald McDonald House Walk
"This is the house that opens its arms, that feels like home, that embraces the children, that comforts the parents. This is the house where families meet, to eat and sleep, to find their strengths and dry their tears, to look forward with hope to better years."
I never knew the impact of Ronald McDonald House (RMH) Charities until life threw a curve ball at my family. If you don't already know, RMH Charities provides a home-away-from-home to keep families close during a child's serious illness. For over seven months, they did just that, and more for my family. Please consider donating or walking with us.
