>>"cort's surg.", 01/06/2003, 8:14pm<<
hello all:

it is about quarter til eight, jan 6. i just arrived home from the
hospital (children's memorial).

cort's surgery took approximately seven and a half hours by our estimation.
he was told to arrive at children's memorial around six for surgery by
seven thirty, but once we arrived we were told that nothing would begin
until seven, and that surgery wouldn't begin until eight thirty. i believe
they took him into the operating room around just before nine o'clock. we
were updated about every two hours on his status, which was good with every update.

sometime between four and four thirty i think it was, the doctor came out
to tell us that they were finished, and that it would take about another
forty-five minutes to an hour to close up the opening. they replaced the
artery. they also replaced the valve using a pig's valve instead of the
human valve. there was another valve between the two heart chambers on the right
side of the heart that was "leaking" that was also repaired. they
did not have to perform the arrythmia procedure b/c cort's heart regulated
itself. that would have added time to the procedure. the pacemaker was
placed in his abdomin, and according to the doctor it is one of the best
pacemaker's available. it can be programmed from outside his body,
eliminating the need for further minor surgery to change the program if
need be.

when we left (that is--cort's best friend, heather, my boyfriend, eric, and
i) we had seen cort in the icu. since this is really the first surgery i
have been fully aware of, seeing him in the icu may have seemed more
extreme to me than it really was...he looked pale, but he was breathing
well on the ventilator. he was under sedatives to keep him from moving,
and pain killers. there were a lot of tubes running everywhere and you
could see his heart beating in a sense...but the doctors and the nurses
said he was doing well. mom and dad will be staying at the hospital until
later this evening, but will be coming home to sleep in their own bed
tonight if his condition remains in good status.

eric, heather, and i will be staying the night at home as well, and headed
back to the hospital in the morning. the nurse told me that they would
decide in the morning when to wake him up. the three of us should arrive
home around four in the afternoon (tuesday) and that will be when i will
send the next update unless his condition changes at all.

to sum it up, he is doing well, recovering in the icu. he is still on the
ventilator and has a lot medication going through him to keep him from
moving, and to help for pain he might have. they will most likely wake him
up tomorrow, and go from there on taking him off the ventilator.

please feel free to email if you have any specific questions. i will try
to check my email tonight and tomorrow morning and respond to what i can
before we head back the hospital in the morning. please excuse any
gramatical and spelling errors as it has been a long day with not much rest
from the night before...

God Bless,
Joylyn aka Cort's lil sis.


>>"cort update", 01/07/2003, 04:20p<<
hello again:

thank you all for the many emails of encouragement. this morning when i
checked email mom and dad were with me, and we were all able to look at the
emails together. i am sorry if i don't email all of you back personally...

we all slept very well last night, and that rest was much needed.

cort had a good night as well. he was taken off the paralytic medicine
this morning. when the doctors were in this morning they were happy with
how he was doing. he is still on the ventilator, and taking breaths on his
own every once in awhile. he is still not awake. mom and dad are staying
at the hospital until later this evening, and will call if he wakes up
tonight. if he does, his friend, heather, and i might head back to the
hospital tonight.

i will return to work tomorrow (wed.) and won't be able to see cort again
until tomorrow evening. i will send another update later tonight, if he
wakes up, or i will until after we have seen him tomorrow evening.

again, thank you all for the love, support, and prayers. i will pass
everything on to cort when he is aware enough!

God Bless,
joylyn


>>"another update", 01/08/2003, 12:52a<<
hello again:

mom and dad were at the hospital longer than anticipated because cort was
awake and wanting to communicate some tonight. he was motioning and
writing a little bit, asking how everything went, and questions like that.
he still is not yet breathing on his own, and he motioned for his tubes to
be cleaned. he probably won't remember what all went on this evening, but
we are hoping by tomorrow he will be even more alert.

i am looking forward to seeing him tomorrow evening, and i will send
another update after i get to see him again.

again, thank you for the amount of support all of you have shown. i have
printed off so many emails for cort to read in the hospital my eyes are
crossed! ;-).

God Bless,
joylyn