The Wait

3 Biggest Ranger Fans

We have now been on the heart transplant list 103 days. We never dreamed we would still be at the hospital come July. Every day we pray for Ethan's special heart to come soon. We know God has his plan for Ethan but it's easy to slip into the thoughts of not understanding why it hasn't happened yet. When you realize what you are praying for each night is for some other family to lose a child it changes your perspective. It's very difficult to know how to feel and pray for such a horrible situation for one and happiness for another.

This is one thing I've really struggled with, remembering how I felt when Ethan went into cardiac arrest back in March which led to his Berlin. I felt so helpless and all I wanted to do was make things better but I couldn't. Knowing how that felt and the thought of losing a child is something I don't want to ever feel again. So how do you pray for another mother and father to have to experience that? I've talked to several different care team members and doctors at the hospital about this and they have all given different thoughts. Of course, they can't give you a biblical answer but they can hint at things. One of the approaches I was given was to remember life is going to happen and just hope the other family decides to give the gift. So my approach to how I pray is to pray for that family to decide to give the gift and also for peace for knowing they gave another child a second chance.

Daily baseball game in the hallway

The wait has been a very difficult road for us. It's the little things I miss the most.  Most of the nurses think I'm crazy when I mention that I miss doing the laundry, cooking, going to church, family time.  We've been homeless for a little over 3 months now and oh how I would love to have a normal day in our home. Sometimes it's hard to keep your strength when you are unable to go to the one place where you can get the most support, church. Every morning I read my Jesus Calling devotion. It's amazing how God finds a way to tell me what I need to hear. It's been very difficult on Perry and I but I think it's been the hardest on Caden. He's 4 and understands a little of what is going on but not everything. His whole world has been rocked. Within 2 days I took him out of school, gymnastics and away from his home and friends. He still asks when are we going home to Las Vegas. It's hard enough for me to handle this I can't imagine how it is for him.  Sadly he kind of gets left out lots of times. Our focus has been on Ethan and then Maddison came along. I think Caden truly misses having friends to play with. I think most of all he

misses his best friend, Ethan. 


Organ donation is now such a more meaningful part of our lives. It has always been a big thing for me since my dad had a kidney transplant when I was 14.  Now having a child needing a transplant it becomes an even bigger part of our lives. So if you are reading this and have not thought of becoming a donor, I do hope you consider it. 

You can also follow Ethan's story on his Facebook page, "Ethan's Heart Journey".