Happy Birthday Granton! Kinda :-)

One year ago today we took a big leap of faith. We went for the last chance one in a million Hail Mary touchdown pass. It wasn’t expected to work and even if it did we were prepared to have a little frail boy on a ventilator for the rest of his life. However, after much crying out to God in prayer we felt, as bad as it was, it was Granton’s best chance. Actually, this was the first time since March when our boy was admitted into the hospital that I felt a peace. I knew it was what God was telling us to do so we did it. Granton was the first ever child to receive a transplant of this kind in the PICU at Children’s Mercy. The transplant team and the PICU team even had to have meetings just to figure out how to work together because they never had before. They had never attempted anything like this on a kid as frail as Granton. We knew his lungs were already wasted and we were told the treatment involved in the transplant would make them even worse. It would most likely kill him. But again, we also knew eventually we had to try something. We had a peace from above about this decision. I will never forget all the doctors and nurses bowing their heads as Jenni and I prayed for the new blood as we watched it enter his body. We asked that it would be his life blood. Jenni noted that Granton was admitted into the hospital on Easter, the day celebrating how Jesus paid for our sins and saved us with his blood. Now we were praying for our little boy’s life to be spared through this new “life blood.” That was a year ago today and we have a happy little man who is not enslaved by a ventilator. He doesn’t even require extra oxygen; instead our son breaths just like a normal boy. He runs all over our house and smiles all the time. He is constantly getting into trouble, turning everything upside down like a little tornado. He is a whirlwind of blessings and we love him so much. We are so thankful for all the blessings our Lord and Savior has poured out on us pressed down shaken together and running over. We are so thankful for the doctors and nurses who God used as tools to save our little boy. We are so thankful for the countless people who constantly prayed for Granton and still pray all the time for our little boy and our family. Thank You. You are all a part of Granton’s “Birthday” calibration.