One Year Heartiversary

 We are approaching the one year anniversary of Noah’s Heart transplant. It's this coming Friday and it’s hard to believe that it’s been a year already. I have reflected a lot about that day and receiving that anticipated call about a heart for Noah.  I have thought about how different our lives are now. I have thought about the donor family and have written many drafted letters thanking them for the gift they gave our family. It's hard to write a letter of this caliber. Thank you just doesn't feel like enough. I'm hopeful with the help of the Lord to send it out on the anniversary date this Friday. We have had an array of emotions but if I had to sum up the year I would say it has definitely been a year of gratitude and adjustment. 

Gratitude for a miriad of things. Protection over Noah’s body as he adjusted to a new heart not originally designed for his body. Gratitude for the Donor family who made a sacrificial gift in the midst of their grief.  Gratitude for our quarantine time that was hard to be away from family and friends but also sweet as we had time just the five of us. Gratitude for community who continued to step in to provide for our needs in countless ways. Gratitude that Noah could continue at Biola and is still on track to graduate in the spring. I honestly could fill up pages with the things we are grateful for and the ways we saw the goodness of God in the midst of the hard this year. 

It's also been a year of adjustment. Transplant comes with many medications that are constantly being adjusted and switched, many doctors apts. labs, and tests. New and unexpected viruses from the transplant heart that brought many adjustments with medications and hospital stays. Many phone calls from the team. Things change constantly and we have to adjust. In seasons of sickness and flu it meant missing out on activities and events. This was hardest on the kids who missed lots of fun school activities.  There was adjustments to new diets as we learned what foods to avoid and ways to eat more heart healthy. A year in I can say we have adapted well to these adjustments, it has become our new normal, and the Lord has been gracious to us. 

How are we all doing? I never quite know how to answer this. Emotionally? Physically? All of the above? This is always a loaded question and the answer changes constantly.  Short answer is we are all doing remarkably well at the moment and thriving. 

Noah- He will have his heart biopsy on July 31 to check for any signs of rejection. They will do this annually. He has been in summer school and he plans to graduate from Biola this spring with a degree in accounting and then he will have another year for his masters program in accounting and then hopefully take his CPA. We are so proud of him and how hard he has persevered through all of life’s challenges. (Look for a more detailed post about Noah's health on the Caring Bridge site later this week.)

Mel- I continue to fight for joy and persevere through the physical losses of my disease. Adapting to changes with physical pain, continual loss of my voice, and more breathing support has been the biggest challenges this year. The Lord is showing me his sweet mercy and growing my faith and understanding of who he is in the midst of these challenges. I have pushed myself to do hard things like physical therapy in the pool where we are seeing huge benefits.  I have continued to work on my book with a team of amazing editors. He has also been allowing me to use my hard to minister to and comfort others walking through suffering. I see this as a gift.

Jason- I'm so grateful for this rock of mine. Since Jasons' lay off we have spent time praying and seeking what the Lord has for him next. After much prayer, we feel confident that the Lord is asking us to use our story and our situation to serve him in a bigger capacity.  We are stepping out in faith to listen to the Lord’s leading on this and are currently working on some of those things now. We hope to share more about this at a later time. The Lord has been gracious to us in providing for our financial needs each month and we are confident he will no doubt continue to provide in the months ahead. We would appreciate your prayers. It has been a gift to work side by side on these things together and Jason has graciously stepped into the role of my full time care giver. 

Jonah- Is ready to take on the world( or at least his high school) as this years Senior Class President. We are excited for him and ready to soak in every last moment of his senior year. He is involved in so many capacities and it is going to be a fun year.  Jonah has enjoyed three full weeks up at Hume this summer. He also spent a week at a leadership conference at Pepperdine College. He has spent many days practicing with the guys from his band, gotten up many early mornings to go surfing, and has enjoyed working at CFA. It’s been a great summer.

Hannah- I’m still in denial that our girl is about to head off to high school. I draw comfort that she will be on campus with her big brother this year. Hannah has already experienced a little bit of high school by taking a summer school course on campus. This allowed her to make more friends and get a class out of the way.  She enjoyed two weeks up at Hume, a week long theatre workshop, and lots of hanging out with friends. She is already looking forward to school starting.

Continue to pray that we would have hearts and lives that are overflowing with the power of God's love so that we can extend that love to others, make a difference in this world, and bring honor to Him.

Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 13:8 that ".God's Love never fails."