It's been awhile.............like a decade.

                                                   

Somebody is feeling better.

Sunday morning, all is well.

Audrey is doing so well tonight. She had her first trach change yesterday and did great. We're hoping to get her home soon. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers. JB

A new door has opened

Audrey continues to do well this morning. You take so many things for granted in life and simply breathing is one of them. I shed a few tears this morning because for the first time in my daughter's young life she is breathing easy. There is no retractions, no labor, no gasping, no oxygen hunger, and no flaring. There is certainly a lot that lies ahead, but today is a huge victory and a new beginning. Praise God.......JB

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Little Audrey did great in surgery. She will be on the vent until tomorrow. She's resting easy now. JB

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Audrey is at Children's Hospital in Knoxville. She's having surgery tomorrow. Keep her in your prayers. JB

Postscripts from Kandahar

It's been a long month since I last logged in with my blog. We eventually made the transition from Basrah, Iraq to Kandahar, Afghanistan. Our surgical team has been split into two groups with one team in western Afghanistan, and my team that has been abandoned in Kandahar. I use the word "abandoned" because we were left in a RSOI tent with no mission, no equipment, and no clue of what they want to do with us. These are obviously not the ingredients to feel like one is doing worthwhile work. We were infused in the NATO hospital for all of about two days before we were pulled because of a "hot" mission that never materialized, and so it appears that we will give the NATO hospital another spin at the beginning of the week. One of my mentors gave me a good perspective of the affairs going on here after I expressed my frustration via email. I believe we are victim of circumstances in Afghanistan. I think the planners that do this kind of thing thought that we would have the surge of troops over here already, but that hasn't happened yet so we are left here with nobody to support. Don't get me wrong, the surge will happen in a few months and bubbas like me will unfortunately be employed. It's just not in the cards for us on this deployment.
Our circumstances make it more frustrating when I know that my wife is drowning back home. Little Audrey has been sick more in the last four months than she has for the previous year and a half. It's just been an up and down roller coaster with her, and I know that my wife is close to her breaking point. It makes me pose the question of, "Why does duty and honor to your country have to make everything you love and hold dear suffer?" I'm not the first knucklehead to ask the question, and even though our family situation at home is tenuous sometimes I should be thankful because someone always has it worse. If I ever doubt that statement then I just need to remember all the KIAs that I seen or cared for over here, and it will put things in perspective for me. Anyway, keep Audrey in your prayers..........JB