Family and friends,

March 22, 2023

Dave continues to do well. He is off the ventilator and is breathing with a specialized oxygen cannula. He was able to stand briefly beside the bed yesterday and communicated to the nurses it felt nice to be up. He also was able to speak with me briefly on a video chat as well as he has talked on the phone for a few seconds when I call to check on him. I hope to be back in the hospital with him starting tomorrow. Toward that end, I’m hoping to be moved into the extended stay hotel in the next few days. This project is going to cost a little more than I had hoped because it’s just difficult to find accommodations in this area that meet Dave’s needs for after discharge. To that end, I’ve bumped up our fundraising goal a little, just to make sure there’s nothing to worry about as we continue on this journey. We both appreciate your love and support more than we could ever express.

March 21, 2023

Wonderful news this morning so far. Dave is completely off sedation and they are in the middle of doing a breathing trial in order to extubate him later today. I get to have a video call with him just as soon as it can be arranged with patient services. Thank you all for your love and support. We couldn’t do this without you.

March 20, 2023

It’s official. Dave has successfully received his new heart and lungs. Aside from some concern over some possible bleeding (that has now been investigated and resolved), he is doing well. The nurse indicated that they are starting to wean him off the sedation in order to do a neurological assessment today. The hope is to have him off the ventilator as soon as this evening or tomorrow morning. Thank you all so much for your love and support. The important takeaway here is that Dave’s new heart is beating and his new lungs are working.

March 14, 2023

There’s not a lot to update today. We’re kind of in a holding pattern just waiting for the right donor. The goal of the transplant medical team is to keep Dave as strong and healthy as possible so he’s going into surgery in the best possible condition. He has been walking at least 10 laps around the unit every day with Pulmonary Rehab. Dave also has a little elliptical pedal machine he can use sitting in a chair. He did 45 minutes of pedaling last night. We like to pick a playlist every day for our morning stroll around and around the ICU. Today, we walked to some Queen. The staff has come to anticipate our walking playlist, which helps us to not be so focused on the waiting and the anxiety that comes with it.

—Mary

March 11, 2023

We’ve already had what the doctor’s call a “nibble” overnight, according to the Cardiac Transplant team doctor. The heart wasn’t quite the right fit or the best organ for Dave’s situation, but the team is confident we’re not going to have a long wait. Dave had a great night and got some much needed rest. Now, we’re waiting for the nurse to eat her lunch and then we’re planning to do some laps on the unit. The playlist for today is Cher’s Abba EP.

March 10, 2023

The transplant team was just in and Dave is officially on The List as of today. This has been a major hurdle in his journey. We don’t really know how long we’ll wait, but the fact that he’s in the ICU gives him a high priority.