Dallas is HOME!

After a long 100+ days in the hospital, we’re excited to announce that as of Thursday afternoon, Dallas is home! Following her initial stay at UNC Children’s Hospital, she worked incredibly hard over the last six weeks at Levine Children’s Hospital’s Inpatient Pediatric Rehabilitation in Charlotte. They’ve given us an incredible head start in her recovery journey, and the team was truly top notch.

The therapists, some of whom have been working at this level of intensive rehabilitation for the last 10 to 15 years, have such heart and drive. Their energy truly motivates their patients and makes all the difference. Even on days when Dallas had poor sleep the night before and didn’t want to participate, they knew how to push her just enough to keep her going without losing her trust or causing frustration. You could tell they genuinely cared and had a unique connection with her.

The docs were great too, especially a certain NP that we’ll just call “Cheryl.” We knew that each weekday morning and afternoon, we’d have the calm and caring visit from Cheryl, checking in to make sure all was going to plan and that we were doing okay. If we ever needed something, such as changing or modifying a medication, she’d pull out her work phone and make it happen right away. No waiting, just action. When she wasn’t making her rounds, she’d be posted up at a workstation just behind the nearby nurses’ station, where we always knew we could find her. There’s something about having consistent, caring access to someone like Cheryl that brings peace of mind during an otherwise difficult experience.

Similarly, we had a great experience with Dallas’s nurses, but a certain nurse, whom we’ll call “Joey,” truly set the bar. Aside from being stealthily quiet, Joey seemed to anticipate everything we might need for her care, and just got it done. Most of the nurses would ask, “Is there anything I can get you?” before leaving the room, but with Joey, all the boxes were checked. He had already done all the things, including things we hadn’t even thought of. We loved the days when he was her nurse because it meant we could breathe, knowing he “had” us. Needless to say, if I were in the HR department at a children’s hospital, I’d aim to hire every “Joey” and “Cheryl” I could find. We’d have five-star reviews all day, every day. Hands down.

The last week consisted of a great deal of planning and logistics for bringing our girl home. Now that we’re here, we’re trying our best to acclimate to simply being home again and carrying out all the things we’d planned for—and it’s a lot.

We no longer have the pharmacy sending her ready-made meds up to the room throughout the day, a Joey to help administer them and her feeds when due, or the calm presence of a Cheryl to make sure we’re doing okay. That said, we’re finding our rhythm and developing some best practices, such as preparing all her meds and feeds the night before. Therapy sessions and doctor appointments are no longer in the room or just down the hall, but instead across town and at various locations. It’s a lot to adjust to, but we’ll get into the groove in no time. Again, just happy to be home.

There’s so much to be thankful and grateful for, beyond simply having our girl back home and our little family under one roof. We no longer need to get a pass every morning to be with her, there are no parking slips to validate, and the daily fire alarm tests and security alerts have all been silenced. We’re able to take strolls around our neighborhood, wave at neighbors, and simply listening to the birds chirping. There’s the added comforts of being home too – cooking our kitchen, eating meals together as a family at our table, showering in our bathrooms, Dallas playing with her toys, and just being surrounded by all our familiar “stuff”.

So many of you have followed along this journey with us, sent your well wishes, thoughts, prayers, and positive vibes. You’ve shown up and sent cards, calls, and texts offering inspiration, strength, and encouragement. Our neighbors kept our house from looking abandoned, maintained our yard, and collected our mail and packages. They also put out colorful “welcome home” decorations in our front yard, which was such a beautiful welcome to see.

At both Dallas’s birthday and her arrival home, you turned our spaces—both here and at the Ronald McDonald House at UNC—into what looked like an Amazon distribution center, filled with wonderful things that will not only help with our new routines and at-home therapy, but also bring peace of mind and comfort. The delicious Meal Train meals have been arriving consistently since we got home, and they’ve been such a gift.

We can’t tell you how special all of this has made us feel. Knowing that so many of you, in one way or another, have shown such love and support for our family on this journey has meant the world to us. When I say we couldn’t have done it without you, I mean it from the bottom of my heart. We’re so fortunate to have each and every one of you in our lives. Your care and encouragement help us continue forward, onward and upward, on this continued road to recovery. Much love and thanks!

“Home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling.” — Cecelia Ahern

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