Kenzie was a real trooper on Monday - Made it out to the zoo for most of the day with very little complaint. She will have 1 month in this cast and then we'll see how successful the surgery was. She will be in orthotic braces for the rest of her life but she's been in them most of her life anyway! Also can't wait to have a real pair of shoes on her again.

Sportin' some Bling!

Kenzie is doing great and will be going home today! She's weened off the narcotics and is alternating Tylenol and Motrin and seems to be doing great. Last night as expected was a very sleepless night. I got about 1/2 an hour between 4 and 5 a.m. and some dozing at her bedside. I think she really hates the side effects of the narcotics so much it undermines what they are supposed to do to help. Thrilled to be headed home in time for the fireworks so she can show off her cast! Thanx to all for the kind words, and prayers. Love d

Kenzie came out of surgery like a rockstar! Dr. B is very pleased with the results and I'm very pleased with the super cool cast! Now it's a matter of pain control since those muscle tendons are tough little buggers and can be very painful with spasms, so far she's comfortable and happily dozy on fentanol. I imagine about 2 a.m. all will change!

The Nitty Gritty!

Well, we're on our way! Kenzie went back at 8:00 a.m and is scheduled to be under for 3 hours. For the last 6 months I have been studying to become a massage therapist. I have a much broader base of knowledge now than at any other time in the past about muscle anatomy and their origin and insertion points in the body. I'm not sure if that's better or worse. Sometimes when it comes to your child and surgery, ignorance is bliss. However, this surgery is going to be really cool!!! You see, one of the muscles that runs down the back of the calf (tibialis posterior) inserts itself in 8 different points on the bottom of the foot. The surgeon will take some of those muscle insertions off the bottom of the foot and put it on top of the foot to literally pull her foot out of the permanent point it's in now. How cool it that?! There will also be an insertion point of the tibialis anterior, the bulky muscle that runs down the front of the calf (the one that hurts with shin splint), that will be brought from under the foot to the top and lengthening of the Achilles tendon. Some real skill and finesse will be put into this surgery! Good thoughts go out to Dr. B!

Pre-Surgery Update:

I posted some of the things Mackenzie has been up to in the last year. We are grateful for her strong recovery and unsinkable spirit (she was Molly Brown for a school report this year too)! We spent this spring break traveling to Santa Fe to visit Grandma and Grandpa and then down to Phoenix to enjoy some sun and fun and visited with mom's friend from high school.

Mackenzie made such a phenomenal recovery but was left with some anomalies we have to deal with now. On Thursday, she will be in surgery this time to help correct her left ankle which at some point during her April 2009 hospital stay developed a contracture that could not be worked out through Physical Therapy. She has a very beautiful toe point. Great, if you're a ballerina, not so great if you plan on keeping shoes on your feet! Thank goodness high-tops are still in style since they lace above the ankle, they stay on!

I will post updates here during her stay at Pres./St. Lukes as it seems the most convenient way to disperse information to everyone at once.

I am so blessed to receive that beautiful smile from her everyday when she has every right to be the most miserable child on earth! Enjoy the photos below.