Gift of Life Child Justin Acosta - Day 41

Monday, November 24, 2008

The start of another Monday brings clear, blue skies, with just a few white clouds. This is a very important Monday, especially in the life of little Justin. He is returning to MontefioreHospital for his all important physical. We arrived at the hospital about 9:40. The doctor was to see Justin about ten o'clock; they didn't get to him until 10:50. They started with temperature and blood pressure. That was fine. The next step was the echocardiogram; it was perfect. Before we knew it, lunch hour had come and gone. It was one o'clock in the afternoon and I had not had my first cup of coffee. By this time, I would be having my fourth or fifth cup. I was now in second stage withdrawal. Finally, the all important sonogram was next. Justin was almost perfect for the technician; he really got a good reading. We left that room and went back Room 2 and waited for someone to come to take the last two stitches from Justin. They were single stitches and looked like they had almost disintegrated. Within a few minutes, Katie appeared with another associate. I didn't get her name, but when Katie reads this memo, she will e-mail it to me. For your information, Katie is the young lady that was so helpful to Dulce and Justin, and e-mailed me the information about the operation.

We had to go to the 10^th Floor to get a letter the nurse typed up so Dulce can take some drugs on the plane. While we were on the 10^th Floor, we stopped in to see Nuhan, the other young fellow from Honduras, age 13. He is starting to do well.

At last, we were told to go, and that Justin was good to go. He passed everything; he even passed Go! By the time we got to the car it was 2:30, and we were starving. Dulce suggested we eat in New York, but I said I don't know any of the restaurants there. We headed for the Meadowlands Diner, still open during reconstruction. We ate up a storm; however, Justin was so tired he fell asleep in the car. We carried him in and laid him down on the seat next to Dulce in the diner and he never woke up. We finished eating. Justin was carried back to the car, driven home, and was still sleeping (sounds great).

Well, this came back to haunt Dulce. We started packing about nine o'clock. I asked her what she needed the most back home. She said the toys. I explained how the toys took up so much room in the suitcase and duffel bags, that it would be easier to ship them UPS. So, after filling up a duffel bag that weighed only twenty pounds, it was all bulk, with teddy bears, etc. We emptied out the toys from the bag and loaded it with clothes. We may have two good size boxes to ship UPS. But that's alright, except Dulce thinks it's to "spensive".

Right now, it is 1:45 PM. At 12:15, I was at Wendy's, picking up hamburgers and fries for Dulce and me, and chicken fingers for Justin. Can you believe it? He fell asleep as soon as he finished eating about 1:15PM.

Dulce is packed and ready to go. I notified the Port Authority police. And Bob Poli is going to the airport with us. Actually, we are using his van. God fly with them tomorrow.

Yours in Rotary,

John Koch