Rachel's Birthday Balloon

We thank God for every miracle...

Happy Birthday, Rachel!

Wow, it’s been a while since I last posted too…

Monday (8/15) is Rachel’s 24^th birthday. Last year she felt terrible on her birthday and just two days later she was hospitalized with a lung function of 23% (This was 3 weeks before my first post on this blog). It was during that stay that her doctors came in and told us that we needed to start the process to get on the transplant list. Here is a piece of a blog I posted on cysticfibrosis.com right after we got the news:

"I made a decision to be fearless"

I read this quote on the cover of men's health magazine on Friday after returning from John's Hopkins where I was visiting my wife. I read it over and then repeated it to myself. Being afraid is not a choice Rachel and I have right now. God has a plan and it's our job to trust Him.

After being admitted to John's Hopkins last Tuesday with a lung function of 23%, Rachel's doctors knew that we couldn't continue with the current plan of attack for her resistant pseudomonas. Up 'til now we've been treating her flare ups with higher doses of prednisone and IV's, but every time she gets better, she's not as good as she was the time before. Dr. Boyle and two lung transplant surgeons came in and talked to Rachel and me on Friday afternoon. They think it's time for us to begin the evaluation process for a double lung transplant in the near future. We didn't take this very well at first, but after talking and praying about it, we know it's the right thing to do.

And boy was it ever…just the other night Rachel’s lung function was over 78%! We are looking forward to this Monday, as it not only marks the anniversary of Rachel’s birth; it’s a celebration of her amazing life thus far. Rachel’s maturity was something that I always admired, but see how much she’s grown in just this past year has been incredible. She’s more confident, outspoken, and secure after going through what she did. I see it in the way she works, deals with frustrating insurance companies, talks with doctors, and puts me in my place when I’m being a 12-year old (haha). I loved the girl I met when  I was 16, and I love even more the woman she’s become. Happy birthday, baby.

My newest tattoo to match Rachel's transplant scar. 

On a different note, there is a Cystic Fibrosis Foundation fundraiser coming up that I’m a part of. No, I’m not sprinting up a staircase or running with a straw in my mouth of anything…I’m actually not even in the event. It’s one of my clients, David Zepp who will be taking part in a 65 mile bike ride across Frederick to raise money for the CFF. Dave has lost over 48 pounds since December and continues to impress me with his progress in his sessions with me. When he’s not training in the gym with me, he’s riding his bike to stay in shape while gearing up for this event. His fundraising campaign is just like mine was for the stair climb. He has a personal page on the CFF site where people can donate online to help him reach his goal. Here’s the link: www.cff.org/LWC/DavidZepp

With how busy I am at work, I’m not able to do the ride with Dave, so I’m asking for donations on behalf of Rachel to go to Dave’s campaign. Rachel’s transplant didn’t cure her CF, and there are thousands of other people who suffer from CF that need your support to find new drugs, therapies, and fund research that could ultimately find a cure for CF.

Oh, and one more thing I just remembered that makes the Rachel of this year amazing…she can work out now! Haha, I know it sounds weird, but it really is awesome to see her able to exercise now that she has the breath to do so. The other day she asked me to make a workout for her and I could have cried. Ok, not really…I’m not that ridiculous (although Rachel would probably argue otherwise), but it really is incredible, the kind of healing God has brought to us. She still has her bad days with pain from the surgery and reactions to medicines, but I’m pretty sure that this birthday is gonna be 100 times better than last year thanks to Him.