At no time was hope ever completely lost but I must admit things did reach a stage for Natalia and the decline of her health in the last few days (CO2 levels came down w/ the Novalung but getting enough oxygen into her blood was starting to prove an insurmountable challenge plus she was going septic) that makes writing the following 3 words a rather surreal and hard-to-believe experience:
NATALIA GOT LUNGS!!!
Yes....you read it correctly....
NATALIA GOT LUNGS!!!
After a successful transplant she is back in the ICU where she is stabilized and doing well considering the battle she has been through.
There was some initial concern about post-operative blood loss but that is being controlled, her blood pressure has become normal again, her C02 levels are currently 39 vs 120+, she is now receiving 40% oxygen on a ventilator vs. 100%, her oxygen saturation is 98, her temperature is up at 38.3 degrees C but white blood cell count is down to 13 (which suggests her immune system isn’t creating white blood cells to fight against her new organs). Her O type lungs are healthy and working.
Apparently Natalia will likely be kept completely sedated for several more days and it’s unlikely that she will be coming off the ventilator for the next 2 weeks or so (when she does come off it will be done in stages) because she is currently too weak to breathe on her own.
How close things came for Natalia is hard to fathom and harder to convey.
It has been discussed and agreed by Martin and family that the timing was quite literally a miracle.
To give you a sense of how close things were, when I spoke with Martin less than an hour before the call came out-of-the-blue he was literally at his office preparing his last will and testament and putting his business affairs in order as a precautionary measure in preparation for the possibility and hope of going into surgery as a live donor to try and save her life.
Indeed, Martin, John and Chris were fully and equally prepared to hear the results of a meeting with doctors scheduled for yesterday afternoon that either A) Natalia was no longer a candidate for any form of transplant due to her deterioration or, in their hope and estimation more likely B) the living donor option would be moving forward and likely moving forward almost immediately with 2 of the 3 of them before it was deemed too late to be viable, her candidacy removed, and all options and hope lost.
And then, the lungs came.
During what must be a profound period of mourning for another family right now, the ultimate gift was bestowed upon Natalia. The most generous gift a human could ever possibly receive has been provided by complete strangers and the gratitude of Natalia’s family cannot be expressed in words.
There’s actually quite a lot about the last while that can’t really be expressed in words.
Natalia’s journey - her battle, her will, her spirit, her determination, the love she has for her family and the love her family has for her - defies measurement and defies description.
It's a story that couldn't have had many more twists, many more turns; any more ups, any more downs - and any more at stake.
Martin and family are doing really well. They’ve been on the rollercoaster ride of rollercoaster rides as you know, and currently have what I think is a sense of cautious relief with elements of residual disbelief. The reality and extent of the recent course of events hasn't had a chance to settle in for them yet, plus they are fully aware of the fact that Natalia is still in a fragile and vulnerable state. So they’re optimistically realistic or realistically optimistic, one of the two.
Natalia's battle has been one of unbelievable proportions where human will, science and the skill of incredible doctors and medical staff all came together to beat what was quickly becoming a certain path - but as she sleeps and rests and recovers right now she is not out of the danger zone yet.
But she is on the other side now. A new battle has begun. And also another chapter.
A humble and continued thank you on behalf of Natalia and her family for the concern, thoughts, love, prayers and support of all of you, and to the donor and donor family who gave so much.
We’ll continue to keep you posted as things progress for Natalia. There will be more obstacles. But there will also be more victories.
And Natalia is a giant leap closer to that walk in the park.
Myles
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