Circle the wagons...it's surgery time again.

It has taken me a week to get here. Blogging was such a therapy for me when we were up to our eyeballs in bad news and crisis. But after a year of relative calm it felt like admitting defeat to return to this place. It was the thought of all our dear friends who have supported us over these years that finally brought me back.

First, the good news. Evelyn has grown and developed beautifully these past couple years since transplant. She is lively and silly. She's in the 90th percentile for height. She is quick to laugh with her sisters and friends. Yet she is an "old soul," who deeply feels the pain of others. Like when our church did a baby bottle drive for helping young moms support their babies. I gave the girls a list of chores they could do to earn money for our bottle. Long after the other sisters had chosen a couple a given half their money, Evelyn continued to beg for more jobs and kept giving all of her money. I tried to tell her she didn't need to give all of her money but she insisted. "I have to help the babies!" she said with sweet desperation. God has used this difficult situation to develop in her a deep compassion for the people around her.

Next, the not as good news. Evelyn's end stage renal failure was most likely caused by a combination of renal dysplasia (incorrect development) and renal reflux (urine going back up into the kidneys from the bladder causing infection). Last summer, we found that she was still refluxing, infecting the newly transplanted kidney. The doctors gave us a choice between a low-risk, lower success rate procedure and a high-risk, high success rate surgery. We chose the more conservative option, called deflux. Unfortunately, Evelyn's reflux has become worse over the past year. The transplanted kidney itself is functioning great! Unfortunately, the connection between the kidney and the bladder isn't. So we are scheduled for the higher risk surgery (they will lengthen and reattach the ureter) the first part of July.

All this to say, please pray for Evelyn. She continues to soldier on, entertaining and delighting her parents, sisters, and the hospital staff. I liken this surgery to a "mini-transplant," if that helps explain its significance. Keith and I have done our "stare at the wall" processing and weeping (ok, just me). Now it's time to enjoy the summer family time until surgery and then brace for whatever happens after that. We continue to be tremendously grateful for God's goodness to us throughout all of these hills and valleys. We are thankful for all the friends who continue to ask about Evelyn and pray for her.