Monday, November 29, 2021

Thank You...

 I have been doing a lot of reflecting over this holiday weekend.  This is a season that is set aside to for gratitude and thankfulness, and goodness, we have so much for which to be thankful.  We are thankful for our family, our children, our community.  We have truly been blessed with the best family, friends, coaches, teachers, and doctors.  Love runs deep in our village.  

Tomorrow is the 6-week mark for when Cael was hospitalized.  It does not seem real, and yet the sting of what happened is constant all at the same time.  Expect for when he is giving himself injections, his ever present (but improving) cough, or when we are trying to keep him from pushing too hard, Cael seems normal.  He is gaining the weight he lost back, he goes to school and lifting and wrestling practice even-though he can't really participate.  He wants to hang with his friends.  He's trying to be a leader, and has kept a positive mindset.  Frankly, he has handled the set backs of his illness better that we have.  We are beyond proud of him.  Like during most difficult times, there have so many good and beautiful moments.  

One of the most good and beautiful realizations has come from the tremendous love and support that we received.  We cannot fully express how thankful we are for all those who provided food, gifts, cards, notes, scripture, took care of our other children when they were sick and loved on them when they were worried, provided food for the PICU staff, prayed - countless prayers, wore blue and the #77 at football games, and supported us when we were in the thick of it.  We felt the love. We felt the prayers.  Our community wrapped us up in its arms and held us when it was all so heavy.   Thank you...from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.  

Love, 

Corbin, Melissa, and Cael 

 

Thursday, October 28, 2021

Update - Day 11



 I can't believe it - 11 days in the hospital!  Yesterday was a good day.  The doctors were able to remove the chest tube, and he is no longer in the PICU.   Hooray!  Cael was able to take a shower finally and felt like a new man!  He was also able to move from IV pain meds to oral.  He's taking more walks as moving is so important.  He gets tired out a little quicker than he'd like, but is to be expected for a while.  He is body is working so hard to heal.         

Cael in now is a "wait and see" holding pattern to monitor forward progress.  We've been told numerous time to manage our expectations.  He will continue to get daily chest x-rays and labs, breathing treatments every 4-6 hours, lots of antibiotics, and he is now a master at giving himself is blood thinner injections every 12 hours.  

His willingness to do "whatever it takes" has been unwavering.  He is making plans about how he's going to recover and get stronger.  The nurses have enjoyed caring for him as he has such an easy going, thankful attitude. 

He misses friends and teammates, misses school, and every really misses his siblings!   We all miss him too!!!  


Thank for all the prayers, love, and support!  

 

"But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD" ~ Jeremiah 30:17 



Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Update Day 9



Day 9 in Hospital 

                                                 Day 7 in PICU         


Cael had a good day yesterday and overnight.  Yesterday morning was a little rough as he had surgery to remove more fluid off of his right lung that had accumulated in a different area than where the chest tube had been placed.  Any surgical procedure while on blood thinners is not without risk, so it was a little scary for mom and dad.  The original plan was to leave a 2nd chest tube behind, however, the Interventional Radiologist was as able to simply drain the fluid and an additional chest tube was not needed.  Praise God!  The doctors said that big prayers were answered!  The chest tube is a necessary, but painful and uncomfortable. Cael was nervous to get a 2nd drain, so we are so very thankful that did not have to happen.  

The remainder of yesterday was just him resting from the procedure.  He had two big walks and played X-box.  We watched two Harry Potter Movies together (which I think was more for me than him).  

Overnight he was able to maintain O2 levels without any supplemental oxygen, which is the first time since he was admitted on the 18th!  This morning was so good.  The flight nurse came by and asked him if he wanted to go check out the helicopter.  It is a bit challenging to manage his chest tube equipment and IV's, but he did it!  It was so good to be outside and talk to new people!  

If the chest x-ray is looking stable or improved from yesterday I believe the plan is that he will be moved to the regular floor and out of ICU!  However, we are all trying to keep expectations in check - one day at a time.  He still getting breathing treatments every 6 hours, daily chest x-rays,  labs drawn multiple times per day, blood thinner injections every 12 hours, IV pain medication, and big time antibiotics. 

Prayers for pain management (though that is getting better, it is a hurdle that has to be jumped to get out of the hospital), lung healing, continued forward progress (the doctors are positive, but continue to be realistic that this process will be a very windy road), and removal of chest tube.

Prayers for whats up ahead.  This kid has big plans...it going to be a lot of hard work, and probably a bumpy road, but I know he can do it!  

#caelstrong 

Love you all... 





Sunday, October 24, 2021

Update - Day 7

"This isn't a straight road to recovery."
"Expect setbacks" 
"Cael is running a marathon, not a sprint."

Truer words have never been spoken...

Day 7 in hospital, Day 4 in PICU...

Cael had a great afternoon yesterday and was looking so good.  Overnight he did require supplemental oxygen, and is still on it now.  His chest x-ray showed some new pockets of fluid, which the CT scan confirmed.  The plan is that tomorrow he will go back into surgery to have a new chest tube placed in a different location to drain more fluid.  This means that he will stay in the PICU until Tuesday for close monitoring.  Any surgical procedures while on blood thinners come with some risk, but it is a necessary procedure.  

The good news!  Cael walked around the nurses station!  It's the first walk he has been able to take since Wednesday!  His pain is very well controlled, his CT scan showed that the size of the blood clots has decreased, and his labs were slightly improved!  Praise God!     

Prayers...no complications during the surgical procedure, and full healing of his lungs.  

I am still impressed with his positive attitude.  Getting a second chest tube isn't what he wanted, and this means that he will be in the hospital much longer than any of us wanted, but he keeps moving forward.  Watching Ted Lasso with Corbin, and Harry Potter with me are proving to be good distractions.  His SnapChat score is going to be at an all time high, and FaceTime is the greatest invention ever!   




The rest of the Winter clan are hanging in there and agree that the upside to this situation is that our house if full to the brim with really good food!  

Love you all...

Saturday, October 23, 2021

BEAST

This kid...so tough, so brave.  Many times I've heard people refer to Cael as "beast" because of his abilities on the field or on the mat.  Well, this week he took it to a whole different level.  Monday evening he was admitted to the hospital for severe pain in his side and chest.  It was discovered that he had blood clots in both lungs.  Pain killers and blood thinners were started immediately.  Thursday morning he was diagnosed with pneumonia, transferred to the ICU, and had surgery to place a chest tube which drained over a liter of fluid off his right lung (and it's continuing to drain).  Through his pain (level 9/10), terrifying moments when we couldn't breath, blood thinner shots every 12 hours, and surgery he has stayed strong, and positive.

Cael is currently on day 6 in the hospital, day three in the ICU.  There have been some ups and downs.  We have been told that this is marathon, not a sprint, and that we should expect 3 steps forward, 2 steps back.  This morning was a bit of setback as his oxygen requirements increased overnight, and there was really no change in his labwork/chest x-ray.  This afternoon and evening, however, he's crushing it!  He has not required any supplemental oxygen and he has not a fever for the first time since Monday!  His oxygen levels are still trending on the low side, so it's very possible that he will need it later - but this is a HUGE step in the right direction.   Praise God!  It seems like the doctors have found a sweet spot in regards to pain management, antibiotics are working, and breathing treatments every 4 hours are proving to be very beneficial.  Tomorrow he will have another CT scan to determine the status of the blood clots and pneumonia.  


Cael has a long road ahead of him, and is not yet "out of the woods".  He will most likely be on IV antibiotics via a PIC line for 6 weeks.  He has suffered lung damage, but we have been told that the lungs are incredible at healing over time.  His only priority over the next three months is going to be his recovery, and coming back stronger.  Other than telling me that he feels like he is in a "real life nightmare" he has not been afraid or scared...just ready to fight and "do whatever I got to do to get better".   


Support from the community, friends, and family has been over whelming!  We are blessed beyond measure with people who truly love Cael!   







I am going to use this family blog as a central place to post updates...  

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

How do you spell Quarantine?

"Mom, how do you spell quarantine?"  This is not a conversation I thought I would have with one of my children.  But here we are, in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020.   The virus is extremely contagious and causing severe illness, especially in those with underlying conditions.  In order to slow down the number of sick people in our already crowded hospitals, we have been advised to stay home with our families unless it's absolutely essential that we leave our houses!  We are required to social distance ourselves from other people, keep 6 feet between each other, not gather in groups of more than 10, not give in to our children's requests to hang out with friends, and one last final detail, all the schools have been canceled for 4 weeks; most likely longer.  Many businesses are closed, funerals, weddings, and church services are being live-streamed, and a handful of states have enacted "shelter in place" orders.   These are unprecedented times.  My grandmother is almost 97 years old and has never experienced anything like this before in her lifetime.  It's weird, it's scary, it's daunting, but hopefully, something beautiful will come from all this!

I have thought about restarting this blog so many times over the past couple of years.  For one reason or another, I have not taken the time to actually do it.  I'm not sure how to even catch up on all that has been missed, but I going to try.   Now I have the time!  My kids are growing up so incredibly fast.  The thought of how little time I have left with them takes my breath away and puts tears in my eyes.  So now, I'm going to use this quiet, unscheduled moment in our life to remember and document some of the important events from the past 5 years.  A lot has happened!  Then I vow to keep this thing going.  It's hard to admit it, but I going to need the organized pictures and memories for Cael's high school graduation! 

The past 5 years have been eventful!  The BIG things... we took custody of our sweet niece, Madeline, so we are wrangling 5 kids and moved to an acreage outside of town.  I tried to go back to work full time-ish but in the end, we decided it was better for me to be home. Now I work at Waukee Middle as a para-educator and substitute teacher.  I really love my job and I am very sad about not getting to go back.  Corbin is still running his business and things are going well.  During this "quarantine" I am thankful that he can work for home easily, although, being home all day with 5 kids and a husband takes a little adjusting.  

Cael is 15 years old and is a freshman in high school!  CRAZY!  He is a fishing fanatic and still loves all things sports.  He drives to school which kind of a terrifying thing for a parent, but the convenience of his independence is totally worth it!  His first love is football and he started on both offense and defense during his freshman season.  This year he had to make the choice between basketball and wrestling.  He chose wrestling and actually earned a spot on varsity in the 195 pound and heavyweight weight classes.  Being stuck at home with all of us is not ideal.  He would rather be with friends or out fishing but I'm going to cherish seeing his face around the house every day!

 

Avery is 13 years old and is in 7th grade.  She is a planner, an organizer, and a learner.  She loves to bake, sew, and exercise.  She isn't doing gymnastics any longer, but she likes to play volleyball, takes diving lessons, and participates in track. It has been a joy to watch her grow into a wonderful young lady.  She is a huge help around the house and takes charge of the younger kids!  Often people say that the middle school years are horrible, but she has really come into her own.  She has a great group of friends, and there is little drama.  Prior to the school closure, she was also a stage manager for the upcoming school play of the Lion King.  The play director was very impressed with her organizational and follow-through skills!  Oh, she also has her own business!  She makes giant bubbles with bubble wands and sells them at farmers' markets and on-line.  Avery's future is so bright! 



Madeline is our sweet niece/bonus daughter.  She has lived with us since the summer before her 1st-grade year, and she is currently in 5th grade and is 11 years old.  Despite some challenges that she has faced in her little life she is a bright light!  She is one of the happiest human beings I know without a care in the world!  She is super social and loves her friends.  She loves dancing, running, gymnastics and also excels at diving - partly because of the fact that this girl as NO FEAR!  Madeline is a key employee in Avery's bubble business as Avery could not make it all work without her.  We love her and it has been a blessing to have her in our lives! 

Gabe is also in the 5th grade and is 11 years old (6 months younger than Maddy).  He is a unique kid and still makes us laugh every day!  Gabe used to compete in gymnastics, wrestles, plays football, basketball and is going to try lacrosse for the first time once we can gather in groups larger than ten!  He has made some wonderful friendships in his 5th-grade year, and almost always has a smile on his face.  One of my favorite things about the "social distancing" order is that Gabe and Avery have reconnected.  When they were little they were best buddies and I have seen so many beautiful moments between them over this past week. 

Luke is 8 years old and in the 2nd grade.  He is tall and built like a brick house.  Luke wrestles, plays basketball and football, and love to fish like Cael.  Being the youngest of 5, Luke is a lot of fun.  He knows more than he should and full of sh*t!  I feel like his age puts him in the "sweet spot"... he is fun and independent but still loves to hug and cuddle.  He comes up to me multiple times a day and says "I have one question for you?  Why do you have to be the best mommy?"  I mean, come on, he has me wrapped around his finger.  The big kids say I let him get by with way more naughty stuff then they could ever get away with...they are probably right!  


Well, I have only left my house a handful of times the past week and a half.  I have not stepped foot into a grocery store or Target. What I have done?  I have cleaned a couple of closets and baked two loaves of homemade bread.  I have taken lots of walks and hikes with the kids.  We have eaten dinner around the table every single night!  I am reading the Harry Potter series out loud to the children.  Not because they are asking for it, but because it makes me happy and they don't have a choice!  Our daily pace has slowed WAY down, and it is actually kind of great.  Today we started a bit of homeschooling to fill in the gap of no school, although, it is super simple and low stress.  

I do have a heavy heart and some anxiety about what the next couple of months are going to look like, and I pray daily for everyone's health.  I may have cried real tears over the closure of Starbucks, and the idea of homeschooling 5 children.  I love living on an acreage, but I do miss seeing people.  On the flip side, there is a sense of togetherness.  There is a sense of love and hope all around.  I believe that we will be better human beings when this health crisis subsides.  I know for me, I will certainly never take being able to go to the grocery store, drop my kid off at friends' house, go to work, visit my parents and grandmother, or worship in a church for granted again! 

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Sangria

I kissed Luke the other day and he said, "Your lips taste like Sangria"...funny boy.  I think we like Blake Shelton a little too much around here - he sings a song called "Sangria".