I flew in to San Antonio on Nov. 1st. Jake and Noa picked me up at the
airport and took me to their new home. It is a nice place with a fun
back yard. I liked the feeling immediately. I especially enjoyed having
Rorie come home from school. I feel drawn to that little girl for some
reason. She delights me! Malea and Colton joined us later for an early
birthday celebration for Meghan. It turned out to be a lovely evening.
************************************************
I slept at Malea and Colton's that night. We left early on Nov.2nd (5:00 a.m.) to check in for
surgery. I was amazed at the peace Malea
seemed to feel. It was certainly what we
had fasted and prayed for. She was so
brave and cheerful. It was hard to leave
her just as they were taking her back.
Being a small part of Mom’s two open heart surgeries made the
seriousness and risks of the surgery very real to me. I have had to work through the fact that
Malea is at a very different stage or life and has so many fewer other health
risks that this would be very different for her. What was predicted to be a 4-5 surgery turned
into a 9 hour surgery. After five hours,
both Colton and I grew anxious almost at the same moment. The standard texts from the OR letting us
know the surgery was still in progress offered little comfort, so Colton asked
the receptionist to contact the OR for an update. We learned that a new 23 cc valve had been
put in very successfully, but when doctors tried to take Malea off the heart
machine, the ventricle of her heart had failed to start back up. Upon closer inspection, they determined that
she did need to have the Aeortic Root or ascending aeorta replaced. So they put
her back on the heart by-pass machine, chilled her body, removed the valve,
replaced the root, replaced the valve and took her off the machine. Her heart picked up like “a champ”, but she
had been on the machine for about 5 ½ hours, so we knew recovery to
be slower. That night Colton and I went
back to their house to sleep. We were
told that Malea would be sedated all night because of her breathing tube and the length of the surgery.
When we returned the next morning, Malea was very
alert. The breathing tube was still in,
and it had been a very rough night for her.
That fact pained my heart because we had been assured that she would be
asleep all night so we went back to the apartment. Gratefully, Matt Hermanson, Karrie’s
brother-in-law, had noticed her name on the schedule and came to check on her
when he went on shift. We did not know he
worked there. He sat with her and held
her hand for a verily long time and got the sedation dose increased to make her
more comfortable. That was one of many
tender mercies during this ordeal. Our
presence made Malea emotional and more anxious.
She was so desperate to have to tube out. Gratefully it was removed within 30
minutes. She actually looked amazingly
well. At each milestone of recovery, I
had flashbacks of Mom and as sick, weak, and fragile as Malea was, she was
much, much better than Mom. I discovered
however, that as tenderly as I felt about Mom being in that condition, it was
harder to see Malea is such agony. She
described it as feeling like she had been run over by a truck, twice! Following are some texts that highlight her
progress over the next few days.
Nov. 3: “Malea is
enjoying ice like it was cheesecake.. She is able to talk, but it takes great
effort and it only a whisper. She is
doing great for where she is in recovery, and although she is groggy, she still
has her Malea Mary sunshine smile.”
“This afternoon, things are as good as expected, but she has
had some rough bumps along the way.
Doctors are thinking she needs a little blood to boost her. We are waiting for labs to come back.”
“Labs are in, and they results are borderline, so they are
taking things slow while waiting for the surgeon to make the final decision.”
“The surgeon came in and ordered a unit of blood. They are hooking her up now. I am praying that it works.”
“Jake and I both offered to give the blood, but they said it
takes too long to process it for donation.
They just used what was on hand. Jake
is coming to help Colton give her another blessing.”
“The transfusion is complete. She has had another blessing. They are getting ready to get her sitting up
in a chair for a while. Her blood
pressure is more stable now. She
actually feels a little bit hungry now.”
“Malea has been sitting for a while now and says it is
better that way. Sadly, she has been
nauseated and threw up so there was no yummy dinner for her, just more clear
liquids and ice chips. DAY ONE
IS DOWN!
P.S. Malea say up for
over 4 hours and did really well. She is
having a warm sponge bath and then hitting the sack. She and I are having a sleep over tonight and
planning on a good day tomorrow. We are
hopeful that she will get out of ICU soon.
Nov. 4: “ Malea
had a much better night. She is off all
meds but pain meds. Her kidneys have
stepped up nicely and she is back sitting in her chair. We are anticipation getting out of ICU today.
“
“Malea is still on clear liquids, mostly ice chips and
chicken broth. The pain meds are making
her nauseated, so they have discontinued the morphine for now and are trying
something new. She went for a short walk this morning, but it was shaky at
best. Her goal is 4 walks today and she does her breathing exercises every hour
or so.”
“We are still in ICU because there are no rooms available
elsewhere. Her bladder is struggling
since the catheter was removed, and her stomach isn’t doing great either. Both could use some prayers. Her bladder is not emptying as it should. She
doesn’t have much of an appetite, but she is gaining strength and she tries to
do whatever they ask her too even if it is very painful. They plan to let her
sleep more tonight. DAY TWO IS DOWN!
(Colton stayed the night)
Nov. 5: Malea was moved into a new room about 9:00
p.m. last night. The night in the new
bed wasn’t as good as hoped. Malea is
sleeping now and her bladder has picked up a little bit. It is quieter over here. Today the chest drain and wires should come
out.” (I went to Rorie’s baptism that morning and had lunch with their
family. The drain tube and wires were
removed while I was gone. Lillie Hermanson stopped by with flowers and a bag a
goodies and gifts. )
“Malea was able to have some cottage cheese and a ½ of a
toasted bagel with cream cheese. She
said they tasted so good. “
“ Meghan , Rorie and Noa came to visit today following Rorie's baptism. Malea’s
bishop and his wife stopped by that afternoon, too. The chest tube is out! The chest wires are out! Dr. Carpenter yanked them out while I was gone. Hearing Colton talk about it made me glad I missed it. Malea enjoyed a long shower! Her bladder is
working much better, but her appetite is still sluggish. Here energy is picking up and we may get to
go home tomorrow. I plan to stay the
night with her tonight. DAY THREE WAS A GREAT DAY.
Nov. 6: “Malea’s
night was a bit rough, but just a change in nurse has helped a lot. The light of day brings something comforting
with it as well. Malea has been a brave
trooper and has already hurdled the toughest mountains, but she still has some
to climb. We are confident she will be
home by nighttime and I will have no problem leaving her in Colton’s care. It has been a privilege to watch his
optimism, patience, tenderness and love. “
“Dr. Carpenter just left.
Discharge orders are underway.
The next text will be from home. “
“Malea is home! “
NOTE: We got her home just after noon. It is hard to describe how much better it
was. Even though she wasn’t able to lay flat and had to sleep in the recliner,
it was clear from the start that she would going to be OK. Prayers have been answered and priesthood
blessings honored. What has taken place
is in many ways a modern day miracle and the brightness of hope this sheds on
the future warms my heart.
Nov. 7: I flew
home today. Jake took me to the airport
and Andrea picked me up in SLC. I had a
long lay-over in Denver, so it was a long day and it felt so good to be home.
Rorie Elizabeth
Kenison’s Baptism Day: November 5, 2016
I was blessed to be in San Antonio, Texas for Rorie’s
baptism day. Malea was in the University
Hospital recovering from open heart surgery.
It was a spot of sunshine in an intense week to be able to go with Jake
and Meghan’s family for a few hours.
The
grandfather of the other child baptized that day shared an analogy that was so
insightful. He said that he was assigned
to study the owl population in an area in Alaska. He spent many nights learning to hear the
call of the different species with an expert in that field. At first he was frustrated because his
trainer would say, “There is the call of a Boreal Owl? Did you hear it?” Hour after hour his answer was the same, “No,
I didn’t.” As he made greater effort and
didn’t give up, he soon learned to hear and distinguish the call of the
different owls, and was able to complete his assignment. After returning home, he was in the house
with the window open when he suddenly heard the sound of a rarer species of
owl. In excitement he asked his wife,
“Did you hear that?” Of course she had
not. It then occurred to him that he had
traveled far to discover what existed in his own back yard! But until he had
trained his ear to hear the soft sound of an owl at night, he had missed the
wonder of it all.
He then said that learning to hear the voice of the
Spirit is like his quest to learn the different calls of owls. It takes specific, diligent effort. It takes time. But, as we practice, we will learn to hear
the still, small voice of the Spirit no matter where we are and the sound of
His voice will bring us joy, peace, and direction. Then we can help others learn to hear His
voice.
The
Confirmation: Rorie
was baptized and confirmed by her dad, Jacob D. Kenison. There wasn’t the usual BIG circle of uncles
and grandfathers, but the same power and sweet Spirit was there. It was a small circle filled in by the
priesthood leadership in the area: Bishop Andrews, Brother Callen, and Brother
Matthews.
By
the power of the Melchizedek Priesthood Rorie was told to “receive the Holy
Ghost.” She was admonished to remember
the analogy of the owls as she learns to listen to the still, small voice of
the Holy Ghost. She was assured that He
usually speaks in a still voice. She was reminded that she knows what is right
and what is wrong and counseled to always remember that. She was promised that
if she will listen for the Holy Ghost, He will guide and direct her whether at home,
at school, or at play. As she learns to
listen and then follow the voice of the Spirit, He will guide her through life
and lead her back to live with Heavenly Father someday.
(P.S. Rorie was
wearing her golden shoes, so we
celebrated at the Golden Corral afterwards.
It was a beautiful day!)
