Happy Birthday…to me

As many of you noticed, Rudy’s Beat got hacked over the weekend so our apologies for any confusion.  We won’t ever post a link unless there is a clear connection to Rudy so be aware of vague, unknown links if it happens again.  🙂

Rest assured, this post IS from me!  Today is February 27th which means another month in 2017 has flown by as well as another YEAR in the life of me!!  Hello 51!

I was blessed to kick off my birthday weekend with a trip to one of my favorite cities!  We loaded up the van and headed down to San Diego on Friday for a special wedding celebration and for a quick visit to PLNU.    I lived in San Diego for only a couple of years before I married Rolf but I sure have a trove of special memories from that time in my life and relish any opportunity we get to visit…

Aw man, I could have extended our stay a couple of days but we got home in time to watch the Oscars last night and it’s back to the regular work/school routine this week.  Wilson comes home on Friday for his spring break so we have something special to look forward to.

Speaking of something special, Rolf was recognized at the SBRM Board of Directors meeting this month for his 10 years of service!  It’s hard to believe that Rolf started directing the work of the rescue mission ten years ago in January…we knew this would be a significant experience for our family when we relocated to Santa Barbara after our 15 years in Los Angeles but, of course, we couldn’t have imagined how truly rich life would become…even amid the heartbreak and challenge.  Our whole family has been shaped by our relationship with the dear people of the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission from the staff and residents and guests to the board members and volunteers!   How very grateful we are for this community as a whole and for the opportunity to minister alongside such amazing individuals.  Yay SBRM!!

Medical Update:

Rudy had his routine echo exam with Dr. Harake on Thursday and, thankfully, there is no notable change in his heart size or valve leakage.  It remains at moderate – severe and his hemoglobin number is high but holding steady at 21.  As was discussed with Rudy’s surgeon back in December, there is no plan to act but Dr. Harake does believe the next issue we’ll need to address is Rudy’s shunt as he continues to grow.  It’s hard to visualize that all of Rudy’s oxygenated and non-oxygenated blood passes through a tube that, at it’s largest, is only 5mm wide:

 

How long his original shunt can sustain his growing body’s blood flow remains a mystery but we applaud it’s stellar performance so far and pray that when he does outgrow it, doors for a next step will open.  Let it flow, Rudy!