November 15, 2024

What a completely wild and surreal day…if you don’t like anatomy I would maybe skip over this update.

That’s right everyone, today was explant organ viewing day. To say I was shocked to see Ryder’s old organs compared to healthy organs was an understatement. Obviously we knew they were bad otherwise we wouldn’t have needed a transplant but to see them, wow, I don’t know how he managed to hold on so long. 

Doctors estimate the damage had been done over years (yes, plural), which is crazy because he was a high school and college athlete. They have a couple of “theories” on the causation but nothing definitive, they continue to work all their differentials.  

For size comparison, a healthy heart should be about the size of your fist.

The lungs should not have those dark marks…those would be the build up of the blood clots.

We cannot emphasize enough how grateful we are to have got to Mayo when we did, or to find a donor as fast as we did. We continue to pray for healing and comfort for the donor family. Would be wonderful to hear they will allow us to thank them in person.

Blessed beyond measure!