Twenty-four hours ago they wheeled Iris back to surgery. Dr. Stephen Langley performed two repairs on her heart (closing her ASD and repairing her pulmonary sling) and Dr. Michael Rutter, from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, reconstructed her airway. As they told me afterwards, it could not have gone any better. It was a huge surgery, but it went smoothly and with no surprises. The wonderful nurses that were in the operating room called me throughout her surgery to update me. Those calls were a reassuring lifeline to my daughter.

She’s in ICU now and will be here for a few days. Nothing can really prepare you to see your child with more tubes and lines connected to them than seems imaginable. I found comfort in knowing that this is part of the process and, more importantly, part of her healing. In the coming days .. little by little .. those lines and tubes will slowly begin to come off. She had a rough night last night battling pain and fever but I know better days are ahead. She’s a little warrior and she’s strong.

Her surgery is described as life-altering. Dr. Langley told me that she’s going to be completely different, physically, when she recovers. As difficult as yesterday was, it was also an amazing blessing.

There are no words to express my thanks to Dr. Langley and Dr. Rutter. They are the best in their fields and they have given my daughter the chance to have a long, healthy life.