Fourth of July passes without event (bummer)

Well, my hunch that Patty would get a call for a heart this past weekend bore no fruit. Our Fourth of July was mostly uneventful. We visited our friend Barb at Moon & Star in Sandwich (a very cool store...you should check it out if you're in the area), watched a bit of the drubbing the White Sox administered on the Orioles, and spent a couple of hours in the evening with our neighbors Jim and Trish.



Patty has been doing remarkably well since her dose of IV milrinone was ramped back up. Her breathing has been almost normal, her headaches have not been nearly as bad, and she just generally seems to be faring better than in days past. Today, Patty has a routine appointment with her cardiologist at Edward Hospital, Dr. Costanzo. If anything new emerges from our discussions, I'll be sure to add a post.

We've been reading the blog that chronicles the transplant journey of Peggy DiNunzio, a heart transplant recipient with whom Patty has been exchanging emails. We're slowly making our way through it, and I've found myself already choked up several times. Some of my emotions, I think, are from understanding, and some are from anxiety -- it really sounds like they've been through a great deal. Lately, Patty has expressed some fear about the future, and about the changes that will inevitably accompany her medical travails. Still, all things considered, her strength has been pretty inspiring.



We're hoping to bring Devin and Colin down within the next couple of weeks, so that our whole family is together (even if for just a while.) Normally, we would have brought them down earlier, but this is no normal year. Patty's heart was warmed by a comment Colin left on the blog a few days ago, and I think it made us miss the boys even more. PJ, Kelly and Connor returned late last night from a long weekend with Steve, and will again be on the move later this week -- they plan to visit Peter, Rachel, Ben and Sam for this coming weekend. We're grateful to everyone who has helped keep them happy and active this summer.



Please keep your fingers crossed that a new heart will come soon.

Love,
Brian