Ethan’s Journey

This picture is from a few weeks ago. Look at Ethan flying on that thing. I wished Ethan a happy heart day this morning. He didn’t seem that impressed. I know he wants to forget about medical issues and just get on with his life. We went through a big deal. We still are. Today I had to file paperwork from SSI as well as call the hospital for yet another account that Ethan has, that needed to be resubmitted to insurance from just about 2 years ago. I also finally got the name of a family counselor and made an appointment to go. Ethan has already said he doesn’t want to “waste” his time with another appointment. Who knows, maybe he will go at some point. Either way, I think it will be good for the rest of us. I have been thinking about the donor family non-stop today. I can’t stop putting myself in their shoes. I was happy to see that Ethan made some plans this evening and went out. I hope he has fun and stays safe. It’s weird when I see him do normal stuff. I like that for him. I finall...

2 years ago right about now, a family lost their daughter, Nicole. They called her Colie. Colie’s organs no doubt saved multiple lives, one being Ethan’s. It has been a long journey. Colie was an RN and her family describes her as loving animals. Avery’s talented friend, Rachel, drew this picture for us. We love it. We were visited on November 21st. Not quite 48 hours after signing the paperwork to be officially listed as status 1 A. Ethan had a series of set backs that night which prolonged his surgery and they finished up on 11/22/20. I haven’t heard from the donor family since this spring. I will likely reach out again, soon. Some days I don’t want to reach out. Ethan has proven himself as difficult that day and I wouldn’t want to share that with the donor family. I am grateful everyday for Ethan….even when he is the biggest pain in the ass. We have been through a lot and we keep blazing this odd trail we are on.  Avery had a big day today. She joined the “I am aging” club. She ...

 My back is not well. I am pretty sure I have a herniated disc in my lumbar area. Life without anti inflammatories is a bit rough. Physical therapy helps but I am now getting the pins and needles in my legs. Dang it! This will come and go. Unfortunately it won’t go soon enough. Ethan cleaned his room today, but time. There was so much garbage. Ew!  Avery volunteered at her school today with the school play. What a good kid. We were able to see some good friends this afternoon. That was nice. I had told Avery earlier in the day “Dad and I have a play date with our friends.” Play dates as adults is so much better than play dates as kids. The weather is now getting to the point where I feel assaulted whenever I set foot outside. How did our ancestors do it? No wonder they all died on the Oregan Trail of dysentery. I am sure it was from the frigid air. Back to work tomorrow. This week will be a good one. 

Paul was a work horse today. He finally was able to start loading wood in the garage. He cleaned up leaves. He prepared the yard for snow. This is why I keep him around. I started getting ready for thanksgiving. I had to cook bacon for one of the dishes I am preparing. We rarely eat bacon. I showed Avery how much grease comes off of bacon after it is cooked and she almost puked. Avery and I started running errands. One place we had to go was Walmart. As soon as I pulled into the parking lot I was immediately regretting my decision. People were driving like idiots.  I thought of the news recently in the past week. There was a young guy that was struck by a car locally, that didn’t survive. So many people are hustling and bustling around, living in their own, reckless world. Anytime of year is hard to lose someone, but so close to the holidays is especially terrible. Avery and I took our lives into our hands just navigating through the parking lot to get to the store. I told her it w...

I ended work early today. Not many people are looking for jobs around the holidays. I was told it was ok to do so and expect to not work a whole lot next week. That’s cool. Today is Jiminy’s first birthday. He spent it cuddling with me all day. He didn’t get any special trays today because yesterdays special treats cause his stomach to be a little off. We made up for it with attention though. Ethan hasn’t been working a whole lot this week because some people at his work got Covid and he is being safe. His employer is very cognizant of his health issues and always keeps him safe. We finally got the name of a counselor though my EAP at work. The closest one accepting clients is 44 miles round trip. We are voting for a video call.  I am going to the veterinary conference in Orlando, Florida in January of 2023. I am going to stay a bit longer and go to Tampa with one of my BFF’s after the work conference. Today we booked our tickets. We are excited. I know I will have to work my ass o...

Ethan went to the lab this morning to make sure his levels were stable to continue with his medication change. For the most part, Ethan’s medication change has reflected positively in his bloodwork. The exception, his platelets. His platelet count is going down again. I am sure they will watch it closely. Ethan does say that he doesn’t think he could work full time because he becomes fatigued.  Paul and I both received an odd message from a friend on Facebook messenger. When he arrived home from work, we started talking about it. I told him I had just changed my password and he should do the same. He starts belly-aching. “Ugh, I don’t know how to change my password.” Really Paul? You are a grown adult. “You do too.” I said Paul couldn’t remember his current password.  “Don’t you write it down?” I asked. Why would he write it down?  “I don’t write it down because my device remembers it for me.” 😳 I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Avery and I gave him a proper ridicul...

 Today was pleasant. The house was quiet with an occasional outburst from Penny. Collections contacted me again. We are making progress. The bill has dropped about $3000. Woo hoo! Paul and Ethan went on a little road trip together. Ethan is purchasing a trailer to store some of his things in, so we can stack wood in the garage. He wanted something portable. This is a great compromise because he can also use it to get his race car to races. He has been saving money all summer. He has always been good at saving money.  Paul has been waking me up the last few nights with his epic snoring. It sounds as if he is being suffocated by his own tongue. He likely has a bit of sleep apnea as well. I tried to put a pillow over my head, but it still didn’t drowned out the sound. At one point I was so tired, that I was in a weird state of sleep. I hear Penny barking in our room. It was load and ear piercing. I was confused because she gets locked up in her crate. When I got up, she wasn’t th...