The Stars Were Aligned...

Yesterday Sadie got a clean bill of health from the cardiologist, with the exception of a slight heart murmur, which is to be expected. We finally saw Dr. Albrecht, the original cardiologist who diagnosed Sadie the night she was born. We were talking, and he paused and said, "Do you have any idea how lucky you are?" I, of course, replied that we knew, but he persisted. He said he wanted to tell me a few things that may bring it home at how close we were to losing Sadie those first 24 hours or so, and the few minor things that made all the difference, such as:

• If we had not made it to the hospital in time (i.e. we had only 17 minutes to spare),
  
• If the neonatologist on staff had not been persistent in trying to uncover the cause of her blue tint after her intubation,
• If Dr. Albrecht had not been the cardiologist on call from his group that night (he is a specialist in TGA - no one else in Richmond has his experience with infants and this particular defect),
• If the transport driver had not offered to extend his shift and take her to UVA instead of St Mary's (he operated out of St. Mary's) and too much time had been lost,
• If any of this had happened those first few hours, she could not have survived.

It's amazing to think how closely we teetered on the edge of losing her, and how the strangers we met that night made all the difference in her life. I try to do thank-you notes to all who have helped, but have no idea how to track down the transport guy. I don't know if he knows what an impact he made... but I want to be sure to let him know if I can.

Anyway, Sadie is doing great! We're almost completely weaned from the methadone now, and the withdrawals have subsided. By Sunday night we should be done with that stuff! Sadie is eating great, and gained 10 ozs in 7 days - she's just shy of 8 lbs now. She's becoming more alert (I suspect from being off the drugs), and has dazzled me with some beautiful, toothless smiles that melt my heart.

On a side note, we have joined the Mended Little Hearts group in Richmond. The group consists of kids who have survived CHD's of all types. Next weekend is the annual Richmond Heart Walk, and our group will be participating. Since Sadie is doing so well, our family will be joining in to celebrate Sadie's recovering and help raise funds for future research and care of other kids with heart defects. I'll post a link to Sadie's fundraising page tomorrow, if you or your family is interested in participating/donating!