Tuesday morning, November 3

Thanks again to everyone for the prayers, they have been priceless as they say. Just talked to John's nurse and he is doing okay, they were giving him some fluids. It's a rough surgery to get over so these next few days will be hard. I know that Nicole posted for us since I couldn't get to a computer and my brain was shot anyway. Surgery went faster than expected, in fact they weren't at all ready in the ICU for him and had to move someone else out to have his room ready! They expected him around 4 am and he got there around 1 am. I did get to see him for a minute but he was still sedated. I will be able to see him sometime after 9 when visiting hours start, for a couple of minutes. I didn't get a whole lot of information from the surgeon since we were all relieved that it had gone so well, but as Nicole mentioned the doctor said that John's own heart was, as he put it, at the end of the line and he didn't think it would have lasted the rest of the week. God works his wonders, doesn't he? It is amazing that John's numbers did not in any way indicate that his heart was that bad, which has always been our concern due to his conditioning from all of the running. It tended to mask just how sick he was and how bad his heart was.

I can't even begin to thank you all for the care and concern. John still has a long recovery, but at this time things are looking well and we are thankful for that. These transplants are an ongoing battle to keep rejection at bay and to keep the organ working, but at least the surgery itself went well and we will take things minute by minute at this point.