Happy Veteran's Day!

 

I am trying something new and seeing if readers are able to view this video of Nolan. If this is a success, we can try to include some more videos in the future! Matt sent this quick video via text, so I thought it would be fun to share.

Happy Veteran's Day to all those who selflessly serve or have served for our country. Nolan is a hero in his own right, but there are so many men and women in the military that are aware of the dangers of joining our armed forces, but yet make the decision to fight for our country's safety and freedom. The bravery amazes me! As many of you know the military life is very important to my family. My dad served in the military for 20 years and my sister served for almost 8, having had to go to war twice. I am so lucky that I got to live my first 16 years of life moving around with my family, living in different areas, meeting so many wonderful people, watching my dad climb the ranks...it is definitely a different lifestyle, but one I am proud of. It made me who I am and created an amazing family bond I am so grateful for.

Nolan had a great day today. Matt reported that he got a lot of his weekly labs/tests done today. His EKG came out great and they didn't have to increase his heparin because his PTT levels (Partial thromboplastin time is a blood test that measures the time it takes blood to clot) was 74 (his goal is 60-80). I think Matt was trying to have them do a CT scan or head ultrasound, I am not sure where he got with that. But, Matt said he looked amazing. Moving around a lot, chewing on teething rings and sitting up. He said that he did great in PT and OT, and music therapy came again, which he loves. One of our transplant doctors said that Friday is "the day" when we are back on course and ready to receive a heart. He did say that if one came on Wednesday or Thursday, they may have a quick conference to consider. I am so anxious and still in shock that we are really in this situation. I am not sure I will ever get over it. He is truly amazing and so are the people in Pittsburgh caring for him. I am thankful for them all! 

I have had people asking me about how to receive the red "Nolan - Heart of Steel" bracelet. I will be providing more information on that tomorrow. We also have a wonderful group of ladies planning an amazing benefit for the Nolan - Heart of Steel Fund, which my dad recently created. I will make sure to get all of this information on the blog site (http://nolanheartofsteel.blogspot.com/), as well as Nolan's Facebook page. I can further explain what our hope is for the Nolan - Heart of Steel Fund tomorrow. We are in the beginning phases of this and learning, so bear with us! We also want to extend our sincere thanks for all the wonderful cards and love we have received from people. I am slowly getting everything organized and just wanted to make sure you all know how much we care about each and every one of you. I wish I could personally come hug you all!

Well, I am going to call it a night. I hope you all had a good start to the week. Your love and prayers are certainly giving our little guy amazing strength. Keep it coming!

ONE MORE DAY CLOSER!

#nhos