She's all stitched up

Dr. Spray told us yesterday that the 12-24 hours after surgery are the most critical. We are now approximately 19 hours post-surgery and Zoe is responding well. She is sedated, paralyzed (by a paralytic), and on a ventilator, but in an odd way she looks strong and you can see the fight in her eyes.

After surgery, she was on 100% oxygen, but by this morning she was down to 40% oxygen, which means her lungs are beginning to adapt and work on their own.

Because her vitals held strong throughout the night and she responded the way she did, Dr. Spray closed Zoe's chest this morning. He explained that once the chest is closed, the plan for the next day or two is to wean her off the ventilator and off sedation.

Stacey, one of only a handful of adult patients in CHOP, will be discharged this afternoon. The hospital has 5 parent sleep rooms; we submitted a request for one of them this evening. We won't know if we can sleep there, however, until 5:00 or 6:00 p.m. If not, then we'll sleep at the rental house but spend as much time by Zoe's bedside as possible before we leave the hospital for the night. Stacey was told to take it easy and rest, as much as possible, over the next several days. It will be a challenge, however, to convince her to rest and continue to heal herself so she can gain strength and endurance over the next several weeks, which we'll need once Zoe is off sedation and active.

Please continue to send positive thoughts, as Zoe fights her way through the next 24-48 hours. We are confident in her strength and resiliency.

Zoe we love you and we are so very proud of all you have accomplished already. We are inspired by your fight and determination and we will continue to support you as you persevere through your battle with HLHS.

Isn't this the toughest little lady you've ever seen?: