February 22, 2001
Ringing Phones & Wishing Stars...
My phone rang at 2:15. I looked over at the caller ID and saw it was Children’s. Knowing all the recent problems we’d had with Matthew, I should have been filled with dread, but instead, I knew it was good news. Don’t ask me how or why, I just knew.
It was D, calling to tell me they found a donor and they were flying to Omaha in an hour. She quickly gave me the lowdown and I asked if there was anything I could do, she said she didn’t know and hung up. She was still in shock. 10 minutes later the phone rang again, she said – “Can you come to the hospital?”
I was there in 15 minutes. I got up to the room and hugged her tightly. Her nerves were raw and she was more scared than I’ve seen her. This transplant will be risky, very risky, but it needed to be done and both her and J knew it. The room was packed up and all we needed to do was wait for the ambulance, plane information and J to arrive (working nights in the ER).
I walked over to the sleeping Matthew and patted his bottom. I paced. I moved the bags around again. I asked P & D (friends that also happen to be doctors as well that had come for support) questions that I knew they could answer. Then I looked over at my touchstone. I watched her struggle with the decision that her and J had made and I could see the fear taking over. I smiled and said, “It’s going to be ok, D, I promise – it’s going to be ok”. She smiled back.
I walked back over to Matthew and quietly talked to him. I told him how much I loved him and how much I admired his fighting spirit. I told him that he is a tremendous inspiration to me and to everyone that knows him. I reminded him how many people love him and how we have a prayer, love and support circle that’s all for him and that in spirit, we’re all going to be with him on his trip. I also told him that God was watching out for him and that I knew everything was going to go really well. I kissed him and told him that the tears I shed were not sad, but tears of relief and joy because we finally got the miracle we needed. I said I’d also say a prayer of thanks for the family that was making this possible.
At 4:15 a.m. we left the hospital for Midway - D riding in the ambulance with Matthew and J and P with me. The 3 of us sat nervously in the car, talking about everything but what was going to happen in a few hours. As we approached the airport – J looked over at me and said, “It’s really happening – isn’t it?”
As we drove on to the field, P remarked that this looked like something out of the X-Files. We sat in the car and waited.
Within a few
minutes, a plane flew over us, swooped down, landed and taxied over to us.
While they quickly boarded the gear, we said our goodbyes to J.
They loaded him and put him in the co-pilot’s seat.
Now it was time to say goodbye to Matthew and D.
I kissed him again, whispered my prayers and love and said Toodle Loo.
Now I had to say goodbye to my touchstone. I hugged her tight, then hugged her once more. I had no words, I'd used them all up.
P and I sat while the planes propeller started up again and lifted off into the stars.
They were on their way and now it was in the hands of the surgeons, God and Matthew.
We need a miracle.