March 2nd

Things were a little busy yesterday and I was unable to do an update, so here we go. We are finally over the insulin incident from Sunday - it proved to be a long day, night and early morning. Mitch was very sick and sleep escaped all 3 of us until about 4am and then we were only able to get about 3 hours. Because he was so sick he couldn't do the proper prep for one of his test's yesterday - which is frustrating because it just ends up pushing everything back another day.

His kidney numbers this morning were 1.9 - another good drop and we now see light at the end of the tunnel (normal for someone his size is .08-1.0). But as the kidney doctor explained to us this morning, getting that last .9 to drop will now take time and we will stop seeing the big drops day to day. The good news - we have gone from major kidney failure a week ago to now having his kidneys almost back to normal. We will never be completely sure how or why his kidney's failed in the first place (doctors have ideas) but we are just very pleased and feel blessed that his kidneys are healing on their own.

All his other numbers seem to be falling back into place as well, we have a couple that continue to be out of the normal range and are being watched closely. The reason for all this is still a mystery and has the doctors stumped. His back is still very tight and stiff, he had a small spasm last night but was able to work through it. He was able to walk around yesterday, making 4 strolls around the ICU ward with his walker and what he terms his christmas tree, his poll of machines and IV's. He was also able to accomplish a number of first's yesterday: take a real bath, shave for the first time, eat 2 good meals while being able to keep them down and talk on the phone. All first's for him over the past 3 plus weeks. We are hoping that at this point we can continue to take steps forward instead of 1 forward and 2 back as has been the history over the past 3 weeks.

We all hit the wall last night about midnight, as Mitch just simply wants to go home. We sure can't argue with that. It has been a long time away from home and stuck in a single room and the same bed for 24 days. He misses his sisters, his dog, his room, his house and his friends. We had a group hug early this morning, said some tender things to each other and let the tears flow - it was one of those moments that money can't buy, one of those experiences that will bond us forever and change our outlook on life for years to come. We then read all the wonderful cards and letters from all his friends - what a great bunch of kids who said wonderful and profound things. Unbelievable!

We have sure learned a lot through this process - "Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, but learning to dance in the rain". This is one thing we have sure taken to heart having lived what we have for the past 7 weeks. You better learn to enjoy the journey and not simply look forward to the final destination.

We are happy to report Mitch is making small steps forward - we are very thankful for great friends, family and all the support.