Homecoming!

Greetings bloggees from Hays, KS!  Yes, I was given the green light to go home last Thursday (7/16/26)!  I'm sorry that I haven't notified you all sooner but life has continued to be a little crazy and I've had a lot of making up for lost time this summer!  This all went down unexpectedly at the regular, scheduled checkup on 7/16 and us girls couldn't get packed up and headed home soon enough!  Dad and Bubba were still at Camp Alexander but heard the news through text and email when they got cell reception!  I am so very thankful for all your continued thoughts/prayers and support!  You can not begin to imagine how good it feels to be home and sleep in your own bed - Dorothy was right, there's no place like home!  

Since being home, it's been hectic from unpacking to sports practices to work...you name it, it's all happening with our family!  I've most enjoyed just being home and getting to see some of you - I hope and pray to see everyone, soon!  

I just got back from my regular scheduled apt on Thursday (7/23/26) and all continues to look well!  I even got my lasix mx reduced and this Friday will be my last day of the steroids, YAY!  I was able to get my PT orders transferred back to Hays so I'm continuing that here and will continue to have weekly appointments in KC for the next few weeks!  I think the tentative plan is to have checkups every other week in KC once school starts and progress from there?!  

Did I mention how happy I am to be home?!  I am so very grateful for all of you and my donor family - my family and I could never have done it without you, we are forever indebted to you.  Thank you and I love you.  I will keep you all in my thoughts and prayers, but I have to run - the grass is starting to grow under my feet!  

                     We're outta here, doughnut for the ditch!

                                   Snugglin with Bronson

   

                                    Wrestling Camp Crew

                                           Hot Up High

                                            Oh Layla!

                                           

                                        Until next time!

Happy Birthday Warren!

Here's to wishing my little bro Warren a happy 12th birthday (7/10/14)!  Hello, hope and pray you're all well and having a great summer?!  I miss you all so, so bad and want nothing more than to come home!  All my test results, bloodwork, biopsies, medication numbers, you name it look continued stable to improved so no changes for the next week or foreseeable future really at this point!  

We celebrated Warren's birthday early on Thursday in KC!  Gemma was in KC also but was busy with a cheer camp so we missed being with her!  I'm hanging with mom and Layla this next week, possibly Gemma, and I've also got more family rolling through next week while Warren and dad are gone at Camp Alexander Scout Camp.

Cheers to a safe second half of summer!  The talk around here is that I might get to go back home the first part of August if things continue to go well?!  Until then, doin time!  JK, so very thankful and blessed to have all your support!  Love to all! 

                                      More from the 4th!

                                        A bit much?!

                                  Happy Birthday Warren!

                     Lee taking our waiting room selfie, LOL!

                                   Layla and her Bubba!

                                         Birthday boy!

                           Gemma and the HHS Cheer Team

                

  

Happy Belated Birthday America!

Happy Belated 250th Bday USA!  To all those of you that have served or have ever had family serve, thank you for keeping us safe - Cheers to another 250!  I hope and pray you all had a safe, fun holiday weekend with family and friends like I did?!  Yeah, after all us being together for Father's Day and surviving, we decided to roll the dice again for the 4th!  What a great weekend but as they always do, it went too fast!  Dad rolled in late Thursday night with Gemma and Warren!  We had fun hanging out, cooking food, playing frisbee golf, and even snuck in a Royals game with a fireworks show afterward!  Too bad they couldn't have won yesterday like today, but oh well?!  It was hard to say goodbye today but it's only for a couple days!  

I have an 8 wk post op heart catheterization procedure w/ biopsy this Wednesday along with labs and an echocardiogram to monitor my progress!  I feel great for the most part and all my tests keep coming back showing no early signs of rejection!  I haven't really had any changes in meds other than the steroid is continuing to ween away.  All my lab tests continue to remain within normal limits or even improve in a couple areas!  I thank you all for continued thoughts and prayers, they work miracles!

I pray you all have a blessed, safe week back at work!  I'm hangin in the city, again, but will be entertained by dad caring for me and my youngest two siblings solo, LOL!  This ought to be good....three little words come to mind - Trust in God!  I love you, goodnight!

                                       Oldest & Youngest

                        WOW, we can be nice to each other?!

                                           Go Royals!

    

6 / 21 / 26

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there - I hope / pray you all had a great day?!  I had a great weekend with my whole family being together for the first time since, IDK, it's been a moon or two?!  We laughed, cried, cussed, hugged, loved one another - and we're all still alive to talk about it!  The circus will continue, full cast!  

My biopsy results came back last week and were all negative for any early signs of tissue rejection, again - Praise the Lord.  My blood tests are all continuing to look well and no big changes on any of my meds!  I have regular scheduled apts this Thursday, June 25th for my 6 week post op check up!  I continue to feel better each day but still have some chest/back pains and some pretty nasty headaches from time to time?!  My doctors all assure me that I'm doing great and I know I have you all as a great support network, so thank you for everything!  

I have a couple planned outings this week with some different friends and look forward to the 4th of July weekend when I get to be together with my family again!  Until then, cheers to hoping/praying you all have a blessed summer and harvest, love to all, peace, out

                                       Time with my sibs

                                              CHEESE!

     

1 Mo Post-Op

Hello my little bloggies!  Long time, no type - my bad, but I haven't had a lot of news to report!  I can't believe that as I blog, exactly one month ago I was in the middle of my heart transplant!  Time flies, but it doesn't if you know what I mean?!  I miss you all dearly and can not wait to return home!  That is not up to me or that one way ticket would've been bought weeks ago!  My family and I are constantly reminded of all the good left in the world because of you all!  The thoughts, prayers, calls/texts, donations, fundraisers, you name it...you all know how to make a girl and her family feel truly blessed!  Thank you from the bottom of my, well, 4-chambered fully functioning heart!  My love for you all will endure as well as my donor family - I pray to one day meet you and thank you in person!  

Today, and the preceding days, have been good!  I had a one month post op heart catheterization today after some lab draws and an echocardiogram.  My labs indicate that all my meds are adjusted accordingly and the pressures look similar to the previous cath two weeks ago.  They biopsied my heart again and we're hoping there's no early signs of rejection just like last time?!  My body is still adjusting to this bigger ticker and vice versa!  The O.G. organs and tissues are adjusting to the new pressures and increased flow while the new kid on the block needs to loosen up a little more and settle in to its new home!  The docs say all in all, everything looks great and we just need to hold the line!  While I'm still recovering, I know that I already have more endurance and that will continue to improve even more!

I'm missing my sibs but I think I'll get to see all of them next weekend for Father's Day as they have no activities?!  Until then, I'll be hanging at the Donho while the world influxes KC for the world cup - brown footballs are way cooler!   

                                               LOL!

                                   Retail Therapy Break

                                            

                                           

     

Sunday, 5/31/26

Hello!  Hope this finds you all well?!  I've felt better but maybe it's just cause I'm missing all of you and home?!  I want to go home in the world's worst way but know it will just take time!  The drs said that I could have some of these days, but dang - no fun!  I'm missing my brother playing baseball in Salina and Layla's dance recital, ugh!  Gemma's getting back from church camp today but she'll be busy with summer activities in Hays so I don't know when I'll get to see her again or Warren for that matter?!

On a positive note, Mom and Layla are doing the ol' switcharoo with dad later today after her recital!  I'm super excited to see my girls minus Gemma!  It's better than nothing and will be a nice change!  I'll spend the week with them and then we'll switch again next weekend after Warren plays baseball in Newton!  I don't have much else to report other than I have another scheduled check up on Thursday, 6/4 which we hope brings more good news and continued stability!

On one of dad and I's short excursions, we checked out the pop tabs operation at the Ronald McDonald Houses!  Talk about a lot of pop tabs - 4 tons collected in 4 months!  Please, please, please save those tabs as they provide lots of funding and support for this wonderful operation!  

All for now as I'm super excited to see some of my girls tonight, gotta go get ready!  I love you all! 

FRIDAY!!!

YAY!  We made it!  Today started out a little rocky to say the least with several phone calls to insurance and the typical runaround - I have nothing nice to say, so silence is golden!  On the flip side of that coin, you all worked wonders again with your thoughts and prayers - THANK YOU!  I got a call today from the transplant team and they said that my biopsies all looked perfect - they scored a 0 which means that there are no signs of rejection, whatsoever!  We're still waiting on the antibody results but that could be early next week before we hear on that?  

I received great news today and I am ever so grateful for the Good Lord above!  Dad and I were getting a little cabin fever so we decided to go check out Billie's Grocery that has a lot of gluten free and dairy free alternatives!  I can't remember if I've blogged to you how I was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease or not but it's been a bit of an adjustment for us?!  I've always been a big foodie so with the transplant on top of the recent diagnosis, it's been a little trying to say the least!  It was nice to get out and go explore / try something new!  Billie's kombucha isn't near as good as the fam's back home though - just FYI!  Gonna kick back and relax to start the weekend off right. Lets Go, Royals!  Goodnight, I love you, God Bless!  

                                              Cheers!