Update #49 - Freedom

The day after Memorial Day, Trent got his new lungs. Today, the day after Independence Day, Coach Todd is using those lungs as he moves closer and closer to freedom...from hospitals, from breathing treatments, from complete dependence on loved ones and medical professionals for everything that he so easily did himself for so many years.

This movement toward freedom has given him a new room - M80, Room 16. It has given him six hours of rehab per day to regain the strength that he needs. It has given him control over his medications. And, most importantly, it has given him back in-person motivation from his two biggest cheerleaders, Bryce and Sophia, who are in Cleveland for their second visit as I type.

Trent's own Independence Day is going so well that Jill has decided to come home to Cincinnati with the kids tomorrow. While she will finally get a chance to sleep in her own bed, catch up at work, spend some quality time with Bryce and Sophia, and eat something that didn't emerge from a paper sack, Coach Todd will give the doctors, nurses and therapists 20...and 20 more...and 20 more. The "20" will not be push-ups (at least not yet) but instead 20 minutes of talking without a breathing treatment; 20 steps without support; 20 days without infection. He will continute to push; we will continue to pray.

Trent has a lot of work ahead of him. Like anyone who has ever "paused" their exercise program (but to the extreme), his muscles have atrophied during the months that he has focused only on breathing. In addition to building strength, he is learning a very strict medication schedule to prevent himself from rejecting his new lungs. He is also getting used to the ins and outs of his new life as a transplant recipients, practices and precautions that will one day seem routine but for now can be overwhelming (can you imagine how hard it was for him not to hug his surgeons when he woke up?).

This week, be praying for safe travels for Jill, Sophia and Bryce, and for a very normal week at home. Be praying for patience and endurance for Trent as he pushes through his therapy. And as we continue to celebrate the amazing gift that Coach Todd received, be praying for the families who lost someone over this holiday weekend and had to make the difficult decision to give that same gift to someone else.