Happy Halloween!

Our little witch and alien from outer space wish you a Happy Halloween!

Home & Ready to Trick-Or-Treat!

Joseph was discharged on Thursday afternoon. We are home now and ready to go trick-or-treating! We spent the morning carving pumpkins. Now we have to get some Halloween candy. I'll post their costumes later so you can see them, they are so proud. Here is a peak at Joseph's, but Abby will be sporting a friendly witch later tonight. :) They were especially proud to dress Max in a ghost t-shirt. Joseph feels good, we just have to make sure he stays hydrated. We'll take water with us when we go tonight.
Looks like Abby and Stephen were having fun while Joseph and I were at MUSC.

Happy Halloween! Thanks for your prayers and a big thank you to the folks at MUSC for taking great care of Joseph and getting him well in time to be home for the fun.

Love to all,

Angela, Stephen, Joseph, and Abigail

Latest on JoJo

I'll try to catch you up so speed. Joseph went back to school near the end of September and has had a good year so far! He is learning a lot and loves to read. His favorite subject is science, just like his daddy. :)
Last week, he got sick with the flu. Fever, chills, bodyaches, vomiting, and diarrhea. He began taking Tamiflu right away but just kept getting sicker and sicker. On Saturday, we ended up being admitted to MUSC (our home away from home) so they could get things under control. He was dehydrated and very ill. Lots of fluids and nausea medication has brought him back around. They did a heart cath Monday to rule out rejection. We have the results.......no rejection! Thank God!

He woke up yesterday feeling much better. Then, yesterday afternoon, he took a turn for the worse. Symptoms were back and just as bad as before. He was miserable. They are waiting for results from a blood culture to make sure there is no infection in his blood stream. He is receiving IV antibiotics for now and we will decide what happens next once the 2nd blood culture comes back. His electrolytes are still a little off so they are replenishing them as needed.
I will tell you that he is in the best possible care. Nothing goes unnoticed. His doctors and nurses are all about kids. He loves them. There is NO PLACE we'd rather be when he is sick. They will probably have to push me out of here while I'm still asking, "Are you sure he's okay? Are you sure? Are you sure?" :)
Thank you for keeping up with our little fighter. He has shown us this week that he still has more strength and courage than we do, and we take our lead from him.
Love to you all,
Angela, Stephen, Joseph, and Abigial

Joseph is heading to 3rd grade!

We made it Charleston for Joseph's biopsy. He had a really hard time taking the premeds before going into the cath lab. We are going to try something different next time. He's never had anxiety like this before! :(

But, the day ended on a very positive note. Amanda called Joseph's rejection episode "resolved." That was music to our ears! His heart pressures look great, his blood work was awesome, his rejection level is ZERO. The best news came for Joseph when they told him he could head back to school! :) He is so excited! We are packing his book bag as we speak! This will be the first day of school for him! We are going to get a haircut and last minute supplies that he needs. We are looking forward to this because he wants it so bad.

After the cath, we walked over to a research lab with Dr. Hsia. He introduced us to a team of Dr.s and scientists who have been doing research on cardiomyopathy. Joseph's very heart is in this research lab and many of them have been studying it. His story inspires them to keep the research going and why they are there. Their discoveries and developments could potentially benefit Joseph personally. Isn't that an amazing thought? They told us a little about some things they are working on right now that could make early detection of rejection a simple and promising thing! We are looking forward to hearing more about that.

Thank you for checking in on us. We are happy to be home and are looking forward to sharing some third grade stories with you!

Heart hugs,
Angela, Stephen, Joseph, and Abigail

Not Yet...

We had labs drawn Friday week...our normal (wonderful) "Mrs. Suzie" wasn't there when Joseph went in. The blood they drew clotted and we didn't find out for almost a week that they couldn't use it! Ugghhh!!! Stephen rushed him to the lab at McLeod so we'd get the results before this weekend in hopes he could go back to school tomorrow. Well, as it turns out, it didn't matter about the initial delay or the rush for retesting because Joseph's immune system still isn't strong enough to mix and mingle in a public setting. So, no public school for him just yet. I know I sound impatient. Please don't think I am complaining. I certainly would never want to rush him into something his body is not ready for...I just want him to be a "normal" kid and get to do all the things that are important to him. School is definitely at the top of his list! Too bad this didn't happen in April when he has spring fever and can't wait to get out of school! :) Ironic, isn't it...he wants to go... and Abby wants to stay. :)

So, his next biopsy is this Friday, Sept. 11th. Please start praying for good results for Joseph. Please join us in praying for a "circle of protection" around him, so that when he does go back to school he can stay as healthy as possible. The seasonal flu and the swine flu do have us a bit concerned. Pray for his donor family as well. I know they would love to know that a part of their loved one is doing well and still beats life into the heart of a child.

Thanks for checking in on us. I hope to be reporting good news on Friday!
Love to you all,
Angela, Stephen, Joseph, and Abigail

School Days

Abby started 5K at Carver and loves her teacher. She, however, does not like the whole concept of school........getting up early and staying all day. Every day she wakes up and tells me she is not going to school today. :) I tell her about all the exciting things she will do there and all the friends she'll get to see. She doesn't really buy into that kind of talk. I asked her to help me get something out of the car one morning and she looked at me as serious as could be and said, "I'm not falling for that, Mommy." I had to choke back a laugh! :) She cried everyday for 7 days straight but finally seemed to turn the curve on day 8. Thank goodness!

Joseph is receiving home bound instruction from his 3rd grade teacher. We are so excited that she offered to do it! He is getting to know her and she is telling him about their class and who is in there. He is real excited and anxious to go back. He is filling his days in creative ways (putting puzzles together, building with Legos, and writing a "mystery novel"). He wants an old fashioned typewriter so he can write more books. *Nurse Joy, Joseph and my mom finished the pirate ship you gave him! Thank you so much, they had tons of fun doing that! I'll try to post a picture soon so you can see it! He has already made his Halloween costume! He wants to be a ghost. He is taking a New Christian class and has enjoyed that also.

I am working full time for the first time since Joseph was born. I am really enjoying being back in the classroom teaching 4th grade! I am getting to know my students and enjoy the independence and enthusiasm of the 4th graders. They are a fun bunch to work with! My school is very supportive and the staff is very positive. I am thankful for these things! While I work, the grandparents have pitched in and are taking turns staying home with Joseph. He has loved spending time with them, so it has been a win-win situation! They help him with his school lessons and do the fun puzzles and things with him. This week his "Grandma Greenwood" wants to start teaching him to play the piano. Grandmama Cribb is in charge of making costumes. He knows she likes to sew. I can't wait to see what they come up with!

All in all, I think we are making the most of the situation. We will be so happy when he is back to himself and able to enjoy the outside world again! He is getting cabin fever! I can't blame him! Thank you for all your prayers and don't forget to continue to pray for our donor family. I'll try to post again soon when we get lab results from Friday's blood work.

Until next time,
Angela, Stephen, Joseph, and Abigail

Great News!

Joseph did great today at MUSC! He had labs drawn first and was very brave. Then he went to the Peds Cardiology Clinic and somehow got a Nestle Crunch Bar out of the deal?!? Nurse Caroline says he's going to be a lawyer someday. :) He can talk you into almost anything! The good news is his chest sounded wonderful.......no gallop sound like they heard before. The best news was that his echo showed great improvement. His numbers were better than they were last April! Dr. Forbus actually used the words "fantastic" and "awesome"! Music to our ears!! He will not be able to start school quite yet. His blood counts are heading in the right direction, but they're not quite where they need to be. We'll reevaluate in about 2 weeks. Thanks for checking in! Keep praying that his blood counts will continue to head in the right direction so he can start school and we can schedule his baptism.
Heart hugs,
Angela, Stephen, Joseph, and Abigail