Weekend Update

Hey everyone,

Just sending a quick update from Pembroke, NH. I just got word from Tina that Ethan is out of surgery and doing well. The poor guy got circumcised today, and since they had him under already they surgically fixed his double hernia while they were in there. They also stretched his esophagus to 5mm. He needs to be up to 8mm to be where he should be at this point. The good news is he's continuing to improve and he continues to treat surgery like it's no big deal. I'm so thankful he's such a tough kid, it's hard to imagine all of the stuff he's been through in such a short time.

We did find out that his pulmonary stenosis (the artery that supplies blood to the lungs, is worsening. The cardiologists feared this since his birth, and expected this to happen. We are hoping to get a better idea of how this affects when they want to do his open heart surgery. As of now, we are expected at 4-6 months, but that could change. Hopefully by then we get approval from insurance for his transfer to Boston. We sent in the appeal earlier this week and it could be up to 15 days until we get a reply.

Kevin's had a rough week as well, as he's been fussy whenever he's been awake. My wife, being the genius she is, figured out he's having problems with his multivitamin. She's addressed the issue, and he's been much more agreeable since. It's been difficult to talk with her most of this week, as he's definitely found his lungs and has been making good use of them.

It's been two weeks since I've been back to see Tina and the boys. I can't wait to get on that plane tomorrow and see my family. I have a tough time dealing with how much the boys grow each week and not being there. It's more difficult coming back after two weeks and seeing how much they've changed. I really cannot wait to have my family out in New Hampshire with me.

In other news, we added another member to our household in New Hampshire. My sister Kristen took an internship with the Red Cross in Concord, NH and is going to come live with us for a while. Tina and I are so excited to have her around; she'll be such a big help to have around the house. I've been getting quotes on adding a 2-car garage onto our house. It's hard to imagine a home without one coming from Columbus, but surprising not many new built homes out here have them. If the cost is too much, my backup plan is in the shed already. I picked up a snow blower that was the 2nd smallest one they sold here, but was still bigger then anything I've ever seen.

Thanks to everyone for the calls, messages, and visits. I'm sorry that I haven't been able to get back with everyone. Please continue to pray for Ethan. We are really hoping to get that transferred out here soon.

Much love,

Ryan, Tina, Ethan, and Kevin