Make a Difference!!!!

Dear Ryan and Jennifer,

I just want both of you to know the impact that you have had on mine and Bella's life.

At the end of May Bella got very sick. She was throwing up and having terrible diarhea. She was admitted to BSA for dehydration. We soon discovered she was one of the children that had gotten e.coli here in Amarillo. Soon her kidney function started to become unbalanced. It was decided that we needed to be transferred to Northwest to be under the care of Dr. Vesylyevia, the pediatric nephrologist in the panhandle. After being here for a couple of days Bella had surgery to put in a pertineal dialysis catheter. She started her dialysis and everything else seemed to get better...except for her creatinine level, which shows kidney function, and she was not urinating. After being on dialysis for 2 weeks without much improvement, we had several conversations about being transferred to Cook's Children's in Ft. Worth and even thoughts of transplant in her future. She continued her dialysis in the evenings and as she started to feel better she became more up to
 playing. With the help of the wonderful PICU nurses and Becky, the childlife specialist, we convinced Bella to go for a ride in the wagon. Soon she was playing putt putt in the healing garden and playing with the dinosaurs in the playroom.

On Friday, the 17th of June, it was decided that unless something miraculous happened over the weekend, we would be transferred to Cooks that Tuesday.

Well, the next day a miracle did happen!!! She tee teed over 120 cc!!! God started to heal her little body!!! Everyday she would urinate more, which meant less dialysis and more playtime!!! She loves going to the playroom to play like she is "Dr. Bella June Mason" and check everyones' blood pressure. She had her last dialysis treatment on Wednesday, June  22nd!!!

Today, she had surgery to have her dialysis catheter removed!!! We are hoping that she'll get to go home later this week.
 
Thank you so much for the Healing Garden. Over the course of these 4 weeks it has been a place of peace for me to go grab a breath of fresh air, pray, and clear my head. We've had friends come in the evenings to play with Bella and the garden has been a perfect meeting spot. Also, Bella has so enjoyed the playroom. Watching her play and laugh with all the toys made some pretty grim days a little easier to swallow.

I believe that God is showering us with His grace!!! Through the power of prayer, love, and some fun Bella is going to continue to get better.

Thank you both again for everything you have done here at Northwest and in Amarillo.

Many Blessings,
April and Bella Mason