In a few short months...

...we will be headed to Children's for Mia's third open heart, Fontan surgery.

After Mia was presented at the cardiologist meeting on Monday, our cardiologist let us know that we could pretty much have Mia's Fontan early this fall (September or October) or wait until early summer of next year.

While some might wonder, why wouldn't you wait and put it off as long as possible?  That was not our thought.  Mia is strong right now, she is big enough right now, we know exactly what needs to be fixed right now, although she will be younger than some, we feel there is less risk right now.  We don't feel as though we want to chance it and wait with the possibility of something else happening.  Her left pulmonary artery may continue to narrow and need intervention if we wait.  She would need another cathiterization if we wait. Who knows what her heart function will do if we wait. While there are a lot of unknowns about after the surgery (no matter when she has it), we feel as though there could be even more unknowns in regard to her current health if we wait.

When we were told that our surgeon's first instinct was also to have it this year, we were on board.  That was our deciding factor.

After Mia had her second open heart, the Glenn, she was doing fabulous one day and we thought she needed a transplant the next.  There's no telling what can happen from one day to the next.

A scheduler from Children's will be calling me in the next few days to pick the actual date.  Another date that will forever be etched in my memory, just like October 20th and March 1st.  The dates of Mia's other two open heart surgeries.  I love my baby girl so much.  The first two times were extremely hard, but I think this one will be the hardest.  We have our own fears, and now she has hers.

The discussion around this decision was very difficult, but now we know.