03.31.2008 - Bladder Surgery

From Julian's COTA Journal.

A quick note to let you know that Julian has a bladder surgery scheduled for April 10th - just a couple weeks away. This will be the first step towards his transplant, as the Docs in Palo Alto want to take care of Julian's bladder before they transplant the new organ. That way, the risk of post-transplant infection will be minimized - especially critical as he'll be on immune-suppressants after the transplant. Not sure yet when the transplant will take place, but the first step in the bladder reconstruction process will take place on April 10th.

We just found out today that we have a room at the Ronald MacDonald House in Palo Alto, starting on April 8th. This is huge relief, as it was unclear until now where we'd be staying long-term while in California. Julian needs to stay close to the Children's Hospital at Stanford while waiting for a kidney, and he may need to go back on dialysis between the bladder reconstruction and the actual transplant, so we're very thankful for the space at Ronald MacDonald.

Please continue to pray for Julian's continued health. He had a virus two weeks ago that he's very nearly over, and he needs to be in good health in time for the operation. His labs are holding steady, and we're doing our best to manage Julian's blood chemistry with the supplements we've been giving him over the past few years. As his native kidneys continue to decline, however, this becomes an increasingly delicate balance. Please pray that God sustains him through the bladder surgery (hopefully only a single operation), all the way through the transplant and subsequent recover period. He's in very good spirits, and continues to be a ray of sunshine for everyone he meets.

That's it for now. Good night.