Iris took her first ride in a little red wagon at Doernbecher in early July. She had just been transferred out of the PICU, detached from most of her tubes and equipment, and well on her way to recovery. I pulled her up and down the hallway of her unit … sometimes escaping the double doors for a trip around the hospital to fetch her favorite treat … a hard-boiled egg from Starbucks in the lobby. She loved it. It was a chance to explore and feel like a child when she was going through something that was anything but an innocent, childlike experience.

Today we were back at Doernbecher. Iris had a follow up bronchoscopy with Dr. Milczuk to check her airway. Iris’ tracheal stenosis was caused because her left pulmonary artery was wrapped around her trachea causing a malformation and extreme narrowing. During her main surgery Dr. Rutter (Cincinnati Children’s Hospital) cut her trachea in half horizontally and then made a vertical slit along the front side of one half and the back side of the other half and slid the two together. So her trachea is now shorter but wider than it originally was. It’s still much narrower than a normal trachea but Iris has something to work with … and she’s making the most of it. I was excited today because I thought if the bronchoscopy went well she wouldn’t need another one for 6 months. It’s hard to imagine what it would be like to have that long of a break but I wanted it … for Iris.

It went well. Fantastically well. If Iris remains stable this winter (fingers and toes crossed), she will see Dr. Milczuk in clinic next spring. No procedure necessary! Her airway is clear and there hasn’t been any narrowing since it was reconstructed. WOW!

So today Iris took another wagon ride … all the way down to the front doors of the hospital. I’m not sure if it’s her last wagon ride at Doernbecher because she still needs additional procedures related to her arteries, and I’m not sure if today’s wagon ride felt differently to Iris … but it did to her mommy.