Thursday, February 7, 2013

HOORAY FOR HOME!!!

I feel like so many things have happened since the last update and I can't wait to share all of the news with you.  Our trip home for the weekend (February 1-3) was a whirlwind!  

Wednesday January 30th we had an appointment for the staples to be removed and also for an ultrasound.  The appointments started at 12:30 but Abb was told she couldn't eat for 8 hours before this.  We were still doing the IV antibiotics every 6 hours so we decided to make Abb some breakfast around 5:00.  It all sounded like a good plan, but she didn't seem too excited about the breakfast burrito that early.  We just wanted to try and make it easy on her.  It seems like she has had so many times that she couldn't eat for almost the whole day and we wanted to try and ease the hunger pains.  When she had the 42 staples removed they had given her a mild sedative to relax her but I don't think it helped.  The instrument they use to remove the staples looks similar to the one used for a regular paper staple.  This time no medicine, just right to the task at hand 28 staples.  Sharon our nurse was awesome and when Abb needed a pain break she would talk softly to her and rub her arm, she is so cute.  We have fallen in love with Sharon and her fun Australian accent.  Mission accomplished on the staples and the scar and drain incisions are healing well.  I had mentioned her scar to my hairdresser and said I felt sad about it and she said think of it as beautiful, that scar saved her life!  
Now we were on to the ultrasound.  After her second surgery an ultrasound was given each day for 4 days after to make sure no blood was pooling anywhere and that the flow through the hepatic artery was steady.  So this definitely was not our first ultrasound experience probably closer to our tenth.  That being said it doesn't make it any easier.  You think should I look at the machine and try to understand what they are looking at or just sit and listen to the clicking and whooshing sounds as they take the pictures.  I can't look at the screen because my mind makes up all sorts of things, Randy has tried to ask questions but the technicians really don't want to make any judgments.  So what usually happens is we both sit there and then Randy will get up and go walk the hall and come back in and then I will leave and do the same.  This last one I think we were just so frazzled from the anxiety that we felt caged in that room.  We don't want Abb to worry so we just say we are going for a drink or to stretch our legs.  We have to convey on the outside, our face and demeanor to her that everything is good and we are not worried when we are in complete knots in our stomachs.  Then the waiting, always waiting and then the radiologist comes in. Most people recognize us now and they all love Abb and want to catch up on what has happened.  Finally she says everything looks great.  Such a flood of relief, if I could I would have just sat on the floor and cried and cried.  My emotions are so close to the surface all of the time.
We were given the word to stop the IV antibiotic that we had now been giving Abb every 6 hours for the last month!  We all thought finally a full night sleep and then we will leave for home for the weekend!
We were up and ready to leave by about 10:00.  We had to wait for Randy because he was in the Ronald McDonald House community kitchen making tortillas!!! He has made friends with several Hispanic people that are staying there and also that work there and they have been teaching him how to make homemade corn tortillas.  He has loved it and now he is always talking in Spanish to me and Abb!  They even took a picture of the group making the tortillas and put it on the Ronald McDonald website. Maybe Randy will set up a little taco stand at our house this summer :). 
Abb went right to her room closed the door and started to organize and put away the things we had brought home from the apartment.  I think the door closing meant she wanted some alone time without her parents staring at her.  I thought I would tackle the mail.  What a sinking feeling seeing the stack of medical statements.  
We were both able to go to Ty's game and Liss stayed with Abb and watched a movie.  She said that she was going with Josh when we got back.  We knew that this was the big weekend when he would ask her to marry him.  He had said Saturday night so when we got back and Liss said she had decided just to stay home for the night with Abb we didn't really think anything of it.  We later found out that Josh was all ready to ask her that night.  So when she texted him and said she was just going to hang out with Abb he blew out the candles and took off his tie to try for the next night.  He has been patient....  Liss was invited by Josh and his family to go to Hawaii in December and all of the arrangements had been made.  When Abb got sick she knew that there was no way that she could leave her even though at that time she was doing awesome.  I'm sure that was in the plan to ask her there.  Again I think January was an option but Abb got sick again and had to have the second surgery. Josh and his family have been such a great support.  Josh has been down at the hospital to be with Liss often and his love for her was evident as he held her hand and just sat quietly next to her for hours as she was at Abb's bedside.  Well, Saturday Liss woke up and decided that she wanted to go car shopping.  We thought she can't make a decision in one day so we would go looking with her.  I also noticed her fingernails and asked her if she was going to get them painted today.  I could tell she had just picked off her last manicure.  She said NO!  Well she found a car and so a couple of times I said do you want to have Josh come and look at it.  And Randy had said hypothetically if you and Josh get married will this bill be a problem.  And then she said, until I have a ring on my finger it's my decision.  I had told Abb by now what was going to happen that night and she was bursting.  Well she ended up buying the car and wanted to go surprise Josh.  She did tell him she was coming and so he started to scramble to put his plan in place.  Randy had said to her you will wake up tomorrow and look back on today and it will be one of the best days!  Liss thought it's just a car Dad.  Josh finally pulled it off and she accepted....the big day is April 19th in the Logan Temple.  We are thrilled and it was so cute when Liss asked Abb to be her maid of honor.  Abb said of course and then she whispered to me what does that mean.  I said you have to be her best helper and help her make decisions.  Abb said I can do that I love her so much she is my best friend!



I had received a call from a co-worker's wife, Melanie Buffhman asking about Abb.  After I caught her up she told me the sweetest story about her 12 year old daughter Katie.  Katie is a student at White Pine Middle School and her English teacher had told them the story of the One Thousand Paper Cranes.  The story is of a young 12 year old girl named Sadoko from Nagoya, Japan who in 1955 was hospitalized with leukemia.  Her village sent her a gift of colored cranes.  The gift brightened her and gave her an idea.   She believed in the saying that if you fold a thousand cranes, you will get over your sickness.  Katie had been reading Abbey's blog and decided that she wanted to do this for Abb.  She started folding the origami cranes, and then she even got her brothers involved.  She was able to make nearly 400 herself before her hands couldn't take it anymore.  Melanie contacted the English teacher who asked for the help of her classes and the students would make the cranes and bring them to Katie.  Her mom said that Katie now had over 1,000 cranes and was wondering if they could bring them over.  I was in tears, how touching that a young girl who didn't even know Abbey would take on such a huge  task and would follow through with it.  We were able to meet this remarkable new friend of ours, Katie Sunday when she along with her parent's presented Abbey with the 1,000 cranes.  There was not a dry eye in the room.  We just marveled at it all day.  All of the different colors and sizes and we tried to imagine all of the time and effort put into this.  Thank you sweet Katie we will never forget you or this wonderful gesture to brighten our day and give us a needed lift!



I wish we could have wrapped up in those cranes on the way back to SLC because we were all sad to leave home.  Abb cried most of the way back until she just finally fell asleep.  This was the hardest time to leave, we had a great time at home and there was a sense of normalcy to our life and if felt so good.
Monday was clinic at 1:30 and Abb couldn't wait to tell Dr. Jensen about Liss' engagement and also the story about the One Thousand Paper Cranes.  And I think Dr. Jensen couldn't wait to tell us that everything was looking great and we could be released to go HOME FOR GOOD!!!



I threw my arms in the air and Randy gave a yell! I have never seen a bigger smile on Abbey.  We would have blood draws Tuesday morning and then head for home.
We packed and cleaned and then we said our goodbyes to the Ronald McDonald House that we had been at since December 7th.  If you want to help out this great facility they still accept the pull tab only off of pop cans.  If you want to collect them please do and drop them off at our house and we will deliver them by on one of our upcoming Clinic visits.  

WELCOME HOME!! The best words in the world.  We are settling in and loving everything about being home; eating together as a family, praying all together, just talking and laughing, laundry, cooking, looking out my window at my wonderful neighbors, hearing Abb laugh with her friends on face time, listening for the front door to open after Ty gets home from school, Zac yelling up the stairs to see how his princess is doing, Abb texting Liss wondering when she will be home.  

Team Kenton had a great quote I would like to share from President Eyring.
"I bear you my testimony that the Lord will always prepare a way for you to escape from the trials you will be given if you understand two things.  One is that you need to be on the Lord's errand.  The second thing you need to understand is that the escape will almost never be out of a trial; it will usually be through it.  If you pray to have an experience removed altogether you may not find the way prepared for you.  Instead, you need to pray to find the way of deliverance through it." 

I just want to tell everyone that reads this how much I love and appreciate your concern for our family it has been wonderful.  We couldn't have made it this far without your shoulders to cry on and your arms that we have felt wrapped around us.  Our testimonies and lives have been forever touched and changed.  

Love to you all,
The Owen's 


7 comments:

  1. I'm sitting at my desk crying reading this post. I'm so happy to hear that you are all home and Abb is doing so well. I can't believe Liss is getting married, makes me feel so old! Congrats and best wishes for your whole family!
    Love
    Jess

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    1. Jess I have been looking through old pictures and scrapbooks and we have so many pages devoted to you! You will always have a special place in our hearts we love you, come and see us.

      Pauleen

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  2. I am SO happy for you all! Congratulations to Liss. Do you need Jess and I to bring you meatloaf now that you are home...

    Kelleen

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    1. Yes, how did you know! Jess should be very good at making it by now. Thanks so much for the lifesize Taylor Swift Abb has loved it!!

      Pauleen

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  3. Congradulations! It is a great feeling to be home for good. I'm so glad that everything is going well for Abbey. Much love!
    Corey Ward

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  4. Hi this is emma, im so happy for abbey! i cant wait until i get to see her. congratulations liss! :D i love abbey and her family and hope that she is going to be okay for a while and have a good time at home. we all miss her so much at school. i only ever think of her.
    love, emma

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  5. We are all smiles and cheering for your family! We are excited to visit Randy's Taco shop this summer. :) Maybe it could have an origami theme? What a great story!
    The NewMyers

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