My ICHF Postcard

Greetings from Santiago, My morning started at 2am. Not because of nerves - just because I woke up and figured there was no sense in going back to sleep. Needless to say, I'm really tired right now.

This morning I was greeted with a gift from Sofia. (You'd be seeing a picture of it but I'm finding the one thing I didn't pack is the cable that allows me to transfer pics to my Mac.) She had made another bracelet and left it on my suitcase with a note that read: "Bring this to the kids. Miss U already." Have I told you all how much I love that child?

Today's emotions run from one end of the spectrum to the other. My sister Beck loaded her Shuffle with songs for me - quite a mix, I might add - and I found myself crying to Karen Carpenter at one point.

This trip is different for a thousand reasons. I'm sitting in my hotel room with AC and wifi. There are markets, restaurants, paved roads and more here. If I forgot my toothbrush I can just use the one that's in the basket in my room next to the little bottle of shampoo. Crazy.

Today was a non-work day. I don't know what to do with myself. I expected to be at the hospital unpacking supplies and reviewing charts. Not that I'd understand anything, but just to get an idea of who is being operated on and when. We got to the hotel, settled in, then walked to dinner. We're just now getting back.

Erin, the OR nurse, indicated that I can be in the OR as much or as little as I want. She even said I could scrub in. I'll go in there for sure to experience open-heart surgery but I've already claimed the job of official rocker, hugger and feeder in the ICU. I think that's a good job for me.

My mind and body are tired, but I'm very excited and grateful to be here. I'm going to close my eyes for a bit. The surgeon lands at 8:30 and we're all going to meet - as a team.

Exciting stuff is about to happen, my friends.