Leah Ristau Fund and December 1, 2005

First of all, Leah made it through surgery very well yesterday. The surgeon, Dr. Lawrence, felt it all went as planned. We met Dr. Lawrence last Thursday (Thanksgiving) and were very impressed with him then. He is a man you know is important the moment he enters the room. Yet, he is kind and calming and we have enjoyed visiting with him. Chris has even talked a bit about running marathons, since Dr. Lawrence has run one, too.

Leah is sore. Her incision on her abdomen is roughly 2 inches long on her right side, exactly where her elastic from pants will hit. I don't think the port itself is painful, but right now that is how she is receiving medicine and has tubes coming from it. The incision above it is more likely a sore point, and what is causing her to notice the port and request it be removed. Up until bedtime she lived with just Tylenol, but around 7:30 pm we did ask for her to receive morphine. She had another dosage during the night and she is still sleeping soundly now.

Again yesterday we saw so many people-doctors, nurses, volunteers. We enjoy our nurse, Kristi, a great deal. She is quite kind to Leah, even though Leah wants nothing to do with her. So far when anyone tries to talk with her about what is happening, Leah's eyes glaze over and she is tuning it out. I am sure she is listening to some extent, but does not appear ready to deal with everything yet. We hear this is all very normal, but it is difficult to watch, and as our roommate Bailee's mom said, it feels like their spirit is being sucked out of them.

Both Chris and I are constantly commenting on the number of people who have reached out to help us at this point. It is truly amazing! Our fight is just beginning, so we hope that we continue to receive this support and the prayers continue to come for the months down the road. We have had so many requests and questions regarding a fund for Leah, that this seems to be the only way to share that information with people. The Denver Savings Bank does have a fund established for Leah in the event anyone would want to contribute something. Certainly, we do not want anyone to feel obligated to do this, and we truly appreciate all the thoughts and prayers. Yet we do also know that this will be a long, expensive process.

Leah has just awoke. As time permits, we will let you know what the doctors report for today. Again, please keep the emails, calls, and blog posts coming. You may feel that you are repeating yourself, but we look forward to each and every response.