Journal

August 1^st, 2010

Sorry we haven't updated in a while, but during the time between this and our last post Mikayla has been doing awesome!

Another biopsy was done and it showed no rejection! For about a month Mikayla was having some kind of stomach problems. She went to see GI and they scheduled an endoscopy and a colonoscopy. The preparation for this procedure was definitely not fun, she had to have a clear diet that meant no sweet tea, no red liquid, no candy, etc. So you're thinking, what did this little girl eat?? Well, she had popsicles, beef bouillon, and gatorade (which was not her favorite). The results showed that everything appeared to be normal. She was put back on Prednisone and the stomach issues have stopped.

Since school has been out for the summer, Mikayla has become a little water bug (: She has become an excellent swimmer and can go all the way underwater without her floaties! She's been swimming so much that we even had to take her to the doctors to find she had swimmer's ear! Well, school's about to start back up on August 18^th and Mikayla is excited to start first grade!

Thank you everyone for continuing to pray for our family! We can never put into words how truly greatful and thankful we are for everything you have done for us! ♥

Mikayla attended her grandma's 45th class reunion to meet the wonderful support group called "SOUTH DADE HIGH SCHOOL REBELS" who took her into their hearts during her journey to getting a new heart. They really enjoyed meeting her in person this weekend. The DJ, Tim, sang to her and she had her picture taken quite a bit.

Mikayla is thriving!! Life is as normal as it can be at the Trantham Home! Mikayla has been healthy. She has been participating in everything! - Spirit Week at school - "Cowgirl Mikayla" She loves to take Bubble baths in Grandma & Papa's Bathtub!

We really enjoyed the holidays with our little angel being home. She got a little bout of pneumonia during the break, spent 4 days in the hospital as a caution measure, missed two weeks of school, but is doing really good now. They cut her anti rejection medicine down to only once a day ( which is good ). She still takes some twice a day. She and her little sister spent the night with us this weekend-for fun. Everything is really great, she hopes to meet some of you at the Madison reunion on Saturday around noon in March. I don't email much, because everything seems so normal, consider it good news if there is nothing. We are going to try to keep the web site for a year. Love to all who are still keeping her in your prayers. We really appreciate it. She visited the hospital during Christmas, and got to see some of the doctors and nurses. She visited with a friend who is still in there. It was good for them to see her up and running around and laughing. The staff in PICU is awesome and need to see the results of all their work and worry turn out wonderful. Her scars are beginning to get lighter and have healed well . love to all, grandma carol

Christmas Eve ~ Mikayla joined the big girls as they entertained the family in their annual Christmas Chorus. What a Joy...What a Blessing!

Mikayla started school on Dec 2, (officially) at Bell Elementary, she is in Ms Dawn's kindergarten class. She loves it. Today, Dec 3, she rode the bus for the first time. She fell asleep on the way home, you can see the look on her face that it was a very long day for her. She went to computer lab today, and loves the playground with the other kids. Her check up on Monday went well, she asked the doctor if she could take a bubble bath now, YES. Mikayla met with another girl that was in the hospital at the same time, her good friend Jori was there from Georgia for her checkup as well. She also had lunch with one of her favorite nurses, Erin on Monday after the checkup. Well thats all for now, looking forward to a nice Christmas with the family. Many Blessings this year for us. Hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas.

Mikayla spent her Thanksgiving at her Grandma & Papa's house with many family members. She is doing well, feeling good and looking forward to (officially) starting school Tuesday December 2nd.

Mikayla really enjoyed trick-or-treating this year. Can you guess who she was? Ariel, of course. She is doing very well and loving school, 3 days a week, still home schooling with a teacher visiting the house. She went for a checkup on Thursday and everything looks great says the doctor. We have much to be thankful this Thanksgiving. Thanks to all of you who keep tuned for updates. People are just wonderful to care so much, our family really appreciates it. We are looking forward to meeting all of you someday, if not, know that we are very thankful for all the prayers and thoughts.

October 17, 2008

**NO REJECTION** That was the result of her test on tuesday. After all the Lord has done for her, we were completely confident that this would be the result - but the doctors needed to confirm!! While she was there at Shands, Mikayla was able to go and visit her friends in the PICU.

Mikayla is adapting to being back home very well. She was busy playing and trying to squeeze in over 7 months of not being able to run around and play into the first day home. Mommy had to make her take it a little easier. Dave and I babysat for her and Patricia on Saturday, her brothers had a football game, and she could not go just yet. Dave made BBQ ribs for her (her favorite)and she and Patricia baked a heart cake with sprinkles to celebrate her new heart.

Mikayla is doing really good and enjoying being home. Mommy still has to make a trip twice a week to see the doctor and get blood work done. In about two weeks she goes in for her rejection test on her heart. But I know there will be NO Problems. This weekend she helped me and her cousin Kelsey celebrate our birthdays. She really enjoyed playing with them and eating ice cream. She could not go in the pool but had fun throwing diving toys in to the other kids. We are so thankful to have her home. God surely has blessed us with her.

She was all smiles and so was the family when she came home today. Her brothers and sisters decorated for her homecoming. She climbed the steps to the porch and wanted to see her room. This is the first time in 7 1/2 months since she has seen her home. Thank God and the wonderful people at shands for taking good care of her, and the many, many, many people who have prayed for her and been there for her. We can't thank you all enought. There just aren't words to describe the great feeling inside we have. Love to all, and God Bless, She is just a great MIRACLE from GOD! LOVE, grandma Carol

Tuesday September 16, 2008

*~*~*~* Mikayla's coming home Today *~*~*~*

7&1/2 months in the hospital ~ 11 Days after her heart transplant, she is finally going home!! WOW!!

As Mikayla aunt, I know just how amazing this child is and what an incredible journey it has been to this point. God has an awesome plan for her life. God also knew as He was choosing her mom and dad, that they would need to be extraordinary parents to endure this journey. And they are! LOVE has kept this family (nearly) sane. Mike and Tammy - You guys Rock!

Huge Hats Off to Dave & Carol, they truly understand why God gives you children while you're still young!! lol You guys Rock too!

Wendy, Mikey, Tyler & Patricia - You're Going Home too!! You all have been so caring and understanding while you're sister has been in the hospital. I pray that life gets back to (somewhat) normal.

Monday September 15, 2008

Mikayla is doing so well, she walked 28 laps around PICU yesterday. One
mile is 13 laps, so she walked over 2 miles. Fantastic!!! The PICU
nurses and staff are all happy for Mikayla. The word around PICU is she
may be coming home this week. Saturday, nurse Stephanie and her fiance
bought Mikayla a 6oz steak from a local steak house, and she ate every
bite! Things are really looking good, our family is so excited. Our
little Mikayla is a real trooper, I don't think I could be as good a
patient as she is. We will let you know when she gets home. LOVE to all
our friends, family and wonderful people who care.

Mikayla is doing great! She walked 11 laps around the PICU floor
yesterday. She is eating good and in a really good mood. She is getting
ready to come home. Mommy says she probably won't be able to attend
public school for a while, probably January. She will be considered home
bound for studying. I guess it is till she gets stronger, with her
taking the anti rejection medication, she is more apt to catch colds etc
with all the other kids ( I am no doctor, so that is just a guess). We
will be so happy to have her home again.

Today ~~ Mikayla removed the pic line in her ankle - Yes, I said Mikayla! She removed the tape, put the cotton in place and pulled it right out, then applied pressure, until it stopped bleeding! HHhhmmm?? Maybe she'll grow up to be a nurse!

She has all the tubes and lines out! Only pic lines left. She is up
walking today, eating and feeling very good. A nurse cleaned up all her
bandages, bathed, and combed her hair, and said you look like a new
woman. Mikayla told her, " I feel like a new woman." how cute is that.

Mikayla is doing good, with the usual problems related to major surgery. They are working on getting her lungs cleared up, some gas problems in the stomach, and working on getting the drain tubes out of her chest. She is still not eating yet, just intravenous. I am sending a couple pictures of our little one, she is such a trooper. Mommy and Daddy are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel as far as having their family back together again. Mikayla is looking forward to going to school and riding the school bus with her sister and brothers. Take care and God bless you all.

GOD HAS TRULY BLESSED US THIS DAY!!! OUR LITTLE ONE IS OUT OF SURGERY AS OF APPROX 4:15 AM, IS IN A ROOM NOW. MOMMY AND DADDY ARE DOING GREAT-JUST VERY TIRED-THEY HAVE GONE DOWN TO THE CAFE FOR BREAKFAST. WE LOVE YOU ALL, THANKS, THANKS, THANKS. PLEASE REMEMBER THE OTHER FAMILY WHO GAVE US THIS DAY THROUGH GODS BLESSINGS. WE ARE SO VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE SO MANY WONDERFUL PEOPLE PRAYING FOR OUR LITTLE ONE. WILL KEEP YOU UPDATED AS I HEAR, I AM GOING TO TRY TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL AFTER I GET THE OTHER KIDS OFF TO SCHOOL THIS MORNING.

Thursday Evening September 4, 2008 (10:30pm)

As some of you have already heard, Mikayla is getting her new heart tonight. She went in for prep around 7:40 PM, and Mike called around 9PM and she was in surgery. The doctors say it will be approx 15 + hours of surgery. So I do not know what time it will be over. Everything looks good, please keep the doctors, nurses, all of us and of course the other family in your prayers tonight. This is such an awesome thing for all involved. Mike and Tammy are on edge and very nervous tonight, I can't be with them as I am taking care of the other children. Tammy's family is there tonight. God is with them through the entire procedure. Mikayla was in good spirits around 6PM when I took her brothers and sisters up to visit with her for a while after school, she had not eaten since last night, as they heard about the possible doner this morning. So many things had to match. Well I will keep you posted when I hear more. Thanks for the prayers and thoughts!

Mikayla has started school at the hospital, she is excited with a new backpack, new lunchbox, and a new computer donated by her Aunt Maddie and Uncle Jeff Williamson. She is keeping busy with puzzles and working on her school work. She is gaining weight and getting stronger every day. She is feeling very healthy, the Berlin machine is doing its job. It is 5 months now and everything looks clean and healthy. It is so hard to believe the difference it is making in her life, supporting all her organs etc. If she didn't have the machine attached to her body you wouldn't think anything was wrong at all.

Update July 5, 2008

Our little angel is doing really good. She is eating wonderful, gaining weight, joking with the doctors and nurses, she paints, works puzzles, walks the hallways and visits with the other children waiting on hearts and lungs. She says she is important because she is the only one there with the Berlin Heart machine, but we all know she is important because she is much loved. She wonders about the tubes in her chest, and says she hopes they put her to sleep when they take them out. It is amazing. She knows most of the medicine names she takes and what they are for. She can tell you the procedures being performed on her regularly. She is 5 years old going on 20. She says her doctor is handsome. She got to go up on the roof to watch fireworks and loved it. This past weekend she had lots of people stay with her, I stayed with her Wednesday night and Thur afternoon. Mikayla's little sister got to spend the night Thursday with her for the first time in 5 months. They watched spongebob and ate popcorn and had a great time. Debbie Nichols on Friday & night, Dave and I on Sat our regular visit-we took ribs and strawberries, Grandma Suzanne stayed Sat night and Sunday. Mike & Tammy and the other kids enjoyed some much needed family time. Carol & Dave and family

Update June 16,2008
Many thanks to Debbie Nichols, Tyler's first grade teacher, for spending the night with Mikayla on Friday night (Pajama Party), and to Ms. Tiffany, Mikayla's nurse for spending the night (off duty) on Saturday night. Mikayla is doing fine, just waiting on a heart, but she is ready to get out of the hospital. She had fun on Saturday with her little sister playing with a kitchen set the hospital provides for the kids in PICU. Dave had quite a scare on Saturday when one of the hoses suddenly blew out of the Berlin Heart machine. He plugged it back on in .82seconds and ran to get the nurse, who said his face was white. But there was no harm done due to his quick actions. They checked everything out just the same. Never know how fast you can move till you get the old adrenaline going.

Happy Anniversay Mom & Dad!!

Mike & Tammy celebrated their 20th anniversary this weekend. They needed to get totally away and rejuvenate themselves in order to keep up the strength needed on a daily basis to keep going.

Mikayla got a little too daring on her tricycle, scared her doctors, and they
took her bike away. The good news is she is feeling great! She walked the
entire PICU ward, the nurses had a scavenger hunt for her. She is getting
stronger every day. She is ready for the operation. She has no feeding tube
or oxygen in her nose now. She is eating good, enjoying all the toys
she received for her birthday. AGAIN, thanks so much for all the cards, it
really was awesome so many cards, and a lot were from children in classrooms
and churches. She loved them.

One of the nurses asked Mikayla for some of her chocolate, and Mikayla asked her,
"Did you eat?" I guess that is what Mommy asks her before she can have candy.

Her room is decorated like home, with a disney tv/vcr from one of the doctors,
balloons, and mermaid curtains.

Update May 5, 2008

Saturday Dave and I stayed with Mikayla for the day while Mommy took a little break and went home. We really enjoyed the day, she was able to go outside the building to a little park area at the hospital. She got to see the squirrels play and just to sit in the sun for a while. She isn't eating really well yet, so they are trying to cut down her feeding tube so she will get hungry. They brought her chicken while we were there and she didn't like it, and didn't like the choc cake, which I have to say is not like her at all, she loves choc. But they are feeding her pedisure by tube so it is no wonder she is not hungry. She put puzzles together, colored,danced, squirted the nurses with water, threw a fake bug on one of her favorite nurses to harass, David. She also had a race in the hallway with other patient. (of course she had her personal pit crew to help)I don't know who enjoyed it more, Mikayla or the nurses. She is still taking breathing treatments 3 times a day to strengthen her one lung that is working. Mikayla is getting stronger and I hope she gets a new heart soon. The nurses, doctors, and respertory persons in the PICU at Shands are really awesome. They go above and beyond for our little angel Mikayla, and we love them. Thanks for all the caring from all of you receiving this email.(see the new photos) We love you, Carol and family

Update April 30, 2008

Mikayla ate her first real food yesterday since entering the hospital on Feb 1, 2008. She had green beans, sweet potatoes, and chicken with gravy. She also had a Frosty from Wendy's. She really enjoyed the frosty. She has been standing a little with the nurses help, and she talked to me on the phone, she still whispers, so it is hard to understand her sometimes, but I did hear the "I LOVE YOU". Thanks again for all of you wonderful people who are praying for her.

Update April 27, 2008

WOW! the breathing tube is out and has been for more than 24 hours, wanted to wait and make sure before I emailed everyone. She is doing great! Dave and I spent the day with her yesterday and I actually had her laughing. She can't have any food until Monday, so I told her to tell the doctor she wanted greens (she loves them), chicken, mashed potatoes, etc. and she started laughing. We just melted to see that. She is sitting up quite a bit now loves to play uno with people. She is getting stronger everyday. We just want to thank everyone for being so wonderful, and thanks for the nice things said on her website. I am coping them for her and putting them in a notebook for Mommy to read to her. Yesterday Mommy did her nails and hair. We love you all, Carol and family

Update April 25, 2007

I will give more details after we visit on Saturday, However, the tube is out,
and so far she is doing much better, from what Mike says, being pretty
naughty and rude. Feisty is a good word!

Isn't She Entitled?? ~ this child has been so tolerant for so long!!?

Update April 23, 2008

Dave and I went to the hospital and stayed with Mikayla today-Mommy had
to do some shopping for the boys. They have grown out of school clothes,
with 6 weeks left, go figure. The good thing was we got to see Mikayla
up sitting in a wheelchair and go around the hospital. That is the first
time she has been out of her bed, except for surgery, since Feb 1. I
think she was a little scared, but she did fine. We also got to see her
play uno with her siblings, and paint, and color today. She is looking
much better. They are going to try and take out the breathing tube again
tomorrow, she has been doing breathing exercises to strengthen her
muscles. One lung is still collapsed, and she may not be able to use
that one until after a transplant. She really looks much better, I took
some more pictures and will send them to my daughter to put on the web
site. LOVE TO ALL OF YOU, Carol and family

P.S. They are now changing her bandages every-other day instead of everyday.
That's good - because it really hurts when they take off the tape! So she is healing nicely!