day 15

After 15 days in the hospital, Sarah is......home!!!! Well, almost. She is going to be staying at our parents' house for a little while and then will be home when she has some more strength. Her WBC was trending down today so she got the go ahead to be discharged. She needed some oxygen again, so she will be on oxygen at home until she has a follow-up appointment with her doctor in a couple weeks. She is tired...after everything that has happened in the last couple weeks, I think she is on sensory overload and needs to get some good sleep. Hospital rest is not the equivalent of real rest...as many of you know that have spent any time in the hospital. And yes...I know my profession gets largely blamed for that!

Well, I am happy to say that my stint as guest blogger has come to an end...there will be no more daily updates and for that I am very happy! Soon, Sarah will be back on and I know she has a lot to say. I am so glad she is home, she is feeling better, and that ultimately she is still with us. It was a very scary time and I am so glad that is behind us.

I know I talked about the "other place" in a previous post....referring to that other place that only happens to other people. Jimi's brother, Mark, talked about this when Rose was diagnosed with cancer. In every trial...you go to another place...somewhere you probably never imagined you would be. With that, you experience emotions and gain insight unlike ever before. While this "season" may be weaning, we all know that trials are a part of life and everyone will have their fair share.

Yesterday when I went to visit Sarah, I didn't go through the ICU waiting room on my way like I had every day before. I was thinking about that waiting room....all the hours we spent there. In the 2 weeks, Sarah was there, we saw a lot of families come and go. I remember one of the earlier days and seeing a family that was elated because their loved one was off the vent and was beginning to talk. I watched them all hugging each other and so very happy. I remember another time walking in one night and hearing loud sobs from another family. Hearing this woman cry was heart wrenching. Then there was another woman who was very kind and always sat in "her" corner. Her dad needed heart surgery, but had to wait a few days to have it. She would ask about Sarah and we would ask about her dad. We saw her routinely for about 3 days and then she wasn't there anymore. On Christmas Day, the waiting room was pretty quiet. We had both babies and Spencer there and the whole room was pretty much to ourselves.

We saw so much grief and pain, and then so much joy and relief. On the flip side, we were right there to experience these emotions first hand too. Some days I felt like there could not be any more tears (there always were though). I remember walking out of the ICU one day into that waiting room weeping. Then slowly the hope came...and 10 days later, I walked out of that waiting room ecstatic and jumping for joy. I think of all these families that I saw...I hope they are well...that whatever happened with their loved one, they are comforted and have peace. I hope many have the happy ending they were praying for. This life is so unpredictable and so precious.

Many people have asked how they can help. I know Sarah and Jimi and they will probably decline anything and say they are fine. Well, since I can put it out there on her blog...I'm going to use this as a platform!!! I heard one mother whose child passed away say she was go grateful for people who didn't just offer...but did something without being asked. They would show up with dinners ready to freeze, sit down and help her fold laundry as they were visiting, take care of the other kids while she rested, etc. I told Jimi back in those early days in the ICU that now he needed to let others serve him...which I know is always hard to sit back and do. Still Sarah and Jimi do so much for others and now we can all do our best to help them. I have loved reading every one's comments and hearing how much they love my sister. Now, let's really show it! Thank you all so very much for everything.