Hello again, The last time I updated this page I was going back to a 5-day work week and Mirabel was headed to kindergarten. That seems like a lifetime ago. Mirabel has been to 4 different schools and is heading into middle school this fall. We've moved to a new home and I've been a stay-at-home dad for almost a year.

The last time I updated this page was also about a year after Mirabel's third open heart surgery. Her health has been good since then but we've still been seeing her cardiologist every few months to check in. They have been keeping an eye on one of her heart valves. it has leaked for a long time and they've managed it with blood pressure medications. Less pressure means less leakage. You've heard of a heart murmur, that's what this is. the murmur is the sound it makes when the valves don't snap shut like they are supposed to. Mirabel's leak has gotten worse over time and they've decided to replace that valve. It's scheduled for tomorrow but we've been planning for this for a few months. It will be a Cath Lab procedure so it won't be as invasive as some of her previous surgeries. They did cat scans earlier this year and made 3D models of her heart to make sure they were able to do it. They will go through a vein in her neck and place the new valve that way. The replacement is made of metal, nylon and bovine (cow) heart tissue. The procedure will be done at the University of Washington hospital. Their doctors have more experience with this specific type of procedure but the Children's doctors will be there too. Thanks to Covid-19 this is the first time we weren't both at the hospital with Mirabel. Cristy took her a little while ago and they're going to spend the night tonight before the procedure. Amelia and I will be at home. We might switch off depending on how long she has to stay in the hospital. The estimate we've gotten is 1-5 days but I'll update tomorrow regardless.
In the meantime here are some photos of the models they created.