update

Imagine there are two piles of poop (I would use a different word there but feel that maybe it's not appropriate for this blog); one pile smells like horse dung, the other of cow dung... then imagine you are being asked to choose which one you want to choke down. Which do you choose? How do you choose?

I got the call today, as most of you are aware the surgeons were meeting to discuss Josh's case, and the answers... well, the answer is that they don't know. There are two options open to us, different options than we had thought last week. One, is to replace the tricuspid and pulmonary valve again and hope against hope that he doesn't reject them as he has in the past. His history (they say) is an indicator of the future and they aren't sure that replacing the valves will give him the long term quality of life that they are looking for. They worry that we will be back here in a year, doing yet another open heart. The second option, is called a fontan procedure in which they (laymen terms)bypass the right side of his heart completely, leaving him with half a functioning heart. Options, if this fails, are simple... full heart transplant. However, it could give him a better quality of life for a longer period of time. The procedure is still new enough that they don't have any good stat's on how many kids actually live a long and full life with a fontan. I don't know that I want to find that out... The long and the short of it is that we need to make the choice. The doctors don't know which is best and they have given it to us. My Dad pointed out that what they have actually done is given the choice to God. 

I don't have a lot to say right this moment... I am reeling and a little speechless, but I promised an update. I would ask each of you to pray that God shows us very clearly what we should do. The best case for Joshua. We don't know the answers, we have a leaning in one direction but ultimately we need God to make this choice for us. Please, I know you are all praying. Pray for us tonight as we make this horrible choice.

L