Kacie found out that she gets to go home TOMORROW! So, they decided to go site seeing and went to the Portland Temple. They also did a little shopping! We are so excited that she gets to go home so fast! It's awesome to hear that she is feeling so well! 
It's hard to believe that it's only been a week since Tammy got the call that they had a kidney for Kacie. Saturday she was able to get out of PICU and move to a normal room that had a beautiful view of a courtyard with flowers. (Photo: They are in her new room watching "The Princess Diaries") 
Then Sunday night they gave Kacie the "thumbs up" to get out of the hospital. They are staying at a hotel in the Portland area for a week or two. They want to make sure that all of her kidney levels are stable before they go home. We were able to get on Skype with Kacie last night at the hotel room. She looks so amazing!
Tammy told me this morning that her blood pressure was too low. So, now they need to decrease some of the medicine...which is a great sign! We are so grateful that Kacie is responding so well to the new kidney! Thanks for all your prayers!
Kacie woke up in really good spirits despite the amount of sleep she got. Her blood pressure has been pretty high so she can't leave the ICU until that is under control. Looks like that may not happen until tomorrow now. Her creatinine was .72 which is normal. She has been eating jello, pudding, chicken broth, chocolate milk, ice cream and Popsicles.
Today it the day Kaylin passed away 10 years ago. I am so glad that my Mom and Dad can be together with Kacie and her family!
We got to talk to Kacie on Skype last night! It was so GOOD for all of us to see her. She got the bandage off her incision so she wanted to show us. It looks really good...she said it is NUMB and feels weird, but that is to be expected. She also wanted to explain to the kids what all the tubes were for. The kids were able to ask her questions and tell her they love her. While we were talking to her she kept drinking chocolate milk! She said with a BIG grin, "I can have as many as I want!"
She was so excited because before she had the surgery and she was on dialysis she had to be careful how much dairy she consumed. It was good to see her feeling better. She is just really itchy! I am so grateful for modern technology, it feels like we just flew to Portland to see her. 
Kacie also went on a couple of walks and even made it just past the ICU doors to get a good look outside. I am sure this wasn't easy for her, but she did it!
She said they hope that she can get out of the hospital this Sunday! She will need to stay in the Portland area for at least 2 weeks, and then hopefully she can go home!!! We hope and pray that she continues to heal fast!
(Photo of Kaylin Christmas 1999)
Ten years ago my beautiful little sister passed away from cancer! She fought her fight really well, and was so brave through it all! This week has been especially tender, since Kacie received her kidney two days before "Kaylin's Day."
I think that if anyone understands how Kacie feels right now after surgery...it is Kaylin. She had to have several major surgeries and I believe that she is watching over Kacie and all of my family up there right now. We hope and pray that Kacie feels Kaylin's loving arms around her as she continues to heal and get better.
I also hope Tammy and my parents feel comfort as they are in the hospital again. I am sure this triggers many memories of being in there with Kaylin. I am grateful that my Mom and Dad can be together today in Portland! You are such amazing parents! We love you!
Here are some pictures of our yearly tradition when the kids write messages on white ballons to aunt Kaylin! They look forward to doing this every year.
Mckinley REALLY wanted to wear Aunt Kaylin's T-shirt. Kaylin and Kyle had a matching t-shirts when he was a baby. (Yes...I still have that t-shirt after 10 years! Some things are hard to let go!)
Sorry if this is a repeat for some of you. I have friends and family that are wanting to receive updates about Kacie. (This is a copy from my sister's blog!)
"Kacie had a great night. She stood up this morning to be weighed and it was exactly the same as when she came in. Her creatinine was 1.7 (the goal is .5 to 1.1) & her blood pressure reading at this moment (12:50pm Wed.) is 115/76. Her cheeks are pink and overall she looks fantastic. Thank you again for your faith and prayers in Kacie's behalf. Knowing that you care makes our journey much easier to bear. We truly love and appreciate you.
Below is a copy of an email that Grandma Sue wrote:
(I'm sitting here in Kacie's ICU room recalling the blessing that Elder Yoshihiko Kikuchi gave her when she was in the St.Luke's hospital nearly two years ago. He promised Kacie that she would be restored to her whole health & strength. I'll never forget the power I felt during his blessing. I also admit that there have been times when I've wondered how, and even if, that blessing would come to fruition. Who knew that her receiving a deceased donor's kidney would be part of the fulfillment of that blessing. We are so thankful for the restoration of the Gospel and that the power of the priesthood has been restored. We are thankful for a team of doctors and nurses who have developed their talents to perform such a service as this. AND we are SO thankful for and care about the family who is grieving their horrible loss at this time. It will be ten years tomorrow (May 13) since Kaylin passed away. I've wondered if she has met this person and expressed to them our tender feelings of love.)
Tonight Kacie sat up in a chair again and did a lot of the work herself. She wants to know exactly what each tube is for and why she needs it. She is a lot more spunky tonight, which they say is good but she is driving us crazy. She is ready to get out of this ICU room. She is doing amazing!"
We pray that Kacie continues to heal fast and that this kidney will work great for many, many years! They told Tammy to expect to be in Portland Oregon for two weeks and maybe a few more. I think the Doctors are so impressed by how fast this kidney is working that hopefully it will only be two weeks, and then they can come home! Please continue to pray for them!
Here are a few more updates that Tammy posted on Facebook:
(5:30 pm) (Kacie was still in surgery)
"Just got another update and Kacie is doing great. They have the main artery attached and it is flowing profusely which sounded good. She has another 1-2 hours to go."
(6:23 pm) Tammy posted this picture so we could see where they placed Kacie's new kidney! It is so fascinating to see how they did this. The kidney will be in the front and they leave the old kidney's still in place.
(6:26 pm)"Just talked to the anesthesiologist and the kidney is already producing urine which is amazing because they said it could take up to 24 hours for it to start working. The ureter is also flowing profusely and they are starting to close. Will still be another hour."
(7:00 pm) Dr. Rayhill the surgeon came out to talk to us. He said that Kacie did really good. He said we were really fortunate to get such a healthy, non sleepy kidney. All he knew about the donor was that he or she was a younger person that was in a car accident which occurred in the Portland area. He also explained to us that Kacie had some titanium staples inside that would show up on an x-ray.
(8:00 pm) Tammy and Scott were able to go see Kacie in recovery and said she looked really great! Her coloring was pink and she was awake and talking to them! When Kacie finally made it to the ICU and was settled in she said to Scott and Tammy, "I'm glad it's over!" When Tammy sent me that text, I think it really hit me that everything was going to be OK! It is such a miracle!
This morning at 8:30 am: "Kacie had a great night. She stood up this morning to be weighed and it was exactly the same as when she came in which is awesome. It was hard work but she did it! Her blood pressure is lower so they are reducing her clonidine patch and her creatinine was 1.7. She is sleeping again now. Tomorrow she will be out of ICU..."
I am so impressed that she is already standing up and her blood pressure is already lower! Her blood pressure was normally around 130/80 with blood pressure medicine. Her blood pressure is already lower at 120/70 with less medication. They were all amazed how fast the kidney started to work. They could see it producing urine while they were still in surgery. It is such a blessing that the kidney is healthy and working so fast! We continue to pray that Kacie will have a fast recovery!
Last night my sister Tammy and her family received a phone call that they had a kidney for Kacie and that they had a half hour to decide if they could make it to Portland (7 hour drive) by 5:00 am! Kacie didn't really want to go, I can't blame her they had to wake her up and tell her that they needed to leave in an hour. Luckily Scott, Tammy and Kacie were able to pack really fast and they made it to Portland at exactly 5:00 am this morning!
They started doing tests on Kacie ASAP and it looked like it was a good match, they were just waiting for Kacie's blood work results. Then around 8:30 am Pacific Time, they came and told Tammy they had a surgery time set for 11:00 am. They took Kacie back to the OR around 12:00 and started the incision at 1:00 pm.
So, Scott and Tammy are just playing the waiting game. A Dr. came and told Tammy and Scott that Kacie is doing fine and that they will call her again in 2 hours. My Dad and Mom just got there to be with Scott and Tammy. I am so grateful everyone made it to Portland safely. We should have an update in about 20 minutes!
I am so grateful that Scott, Tammy and Kacie's prayers have been answered! I pray that Kacie will continue to do great and that this is the PERFECT KIDNEY for her! I also pray for the family that lost their loved one in the accident. I hope they feel comfort knowing that their loved one has given life to someone else!
