Good Morning and Happy Saturday!  

It's been a few months since we've had any updates on Claire's health to share as she recovered well from her gallbladder surgery and thankfully the pain she was experiencing is a thing of the past!

We had her 4 month follow-up appointment with the pediatric nephrologist in late June. She was so happy to see Claire thriving and doing so well. Overall her labs looked good, with the hemoglobin remaining a bit under normal, we know that this will be something she continues to be challenged with so she takes a daily iron supplement and we encourage lots of protein around here!  She doesn't always have the biggest appetite, but G & G Kinney came down from Grand Forks on Thursday night for a fish fry and she had no problem putting down two filets of that walleye goodness!!

While we were at her appointment last month, Dr Majed explained to Claire that she was sending off another round of tests to the University of Iowa to check-in on her complement system.  If you recall from early in Claire's health crisis, all of the docs we're leaning towards aHUS (the genetic form) and given how her kidneys responded so quickly to the medication given to treat that form, she shared that they felt it was really important to ensure she wasn't in just some state of remission so we could be prepared for any relapse.  This news gave us all a reason to pause for a bit as we anxiously awaited the results over the next few weeks.  Praise God - He proved science wrong once again, and the results came back within normal range and we're so thankful that she won't need to live in worry of that life-long battle. With that in mind, there isn't a vegetable we don't wash within 10 feet of us as what that also confirmed (aligned with ND Dept of Health) is she picked up the ecoli which caused the HUS from consuming lettuce in a taco from a local restaurant last September. Unbelievable, right?

Dr Majed also did a wonderful job of educating Claire about her future and ensuring she's taking great proactive care of herself.  We won't need to see her again until December of this year and assuming all goes well at that visit, she'll move to yearly visits after that - for the rest of her life. In addition, she explained to Claire that since we don't know the extent of the damage to her kidneys - once she becomes of age to consider having children, she'll need to ensure she lets her OB-GYN know of her anticipated kidney damage so they can monitor her blood pressure closely.  All manageable things, but certainly a lot to take in at 16.

Now on to some fun family updates!  We had a nice family vacation to VA, stayed with some dear friends and enjoyed some much needed sunshine and beach waves with many great memories to cherish.  (pic here of Claire on VA Beach, she's always been a lover of the sand and waves)
Both girls have been working at Grandma Susan's new walk-in clinic this summer while Amorelle also balances her online A&P class ( let me tell you how fun her and Jamie dissecting the heart the other night was!! Such a pleasant smell) and Claire has enjoyed jumping right back into her second season of cheer for the Sheyenne football team! Since COVID gave us a 'bonus year' with Elle, I've already had a few breakdowns anticipating her move-out up to UND in just a few weeks. I'm so proud of her and excited for her next chapter and know in my heart her wings are ready to fly, but I'm going to miss her sweet face and hugs throughout each day so much.  

We're so incredibly thankful for all of you who have continued to check in, diligently asking about how Claire's doing and praying for our family.  I found this quote the other day, and as I think about all that's transpired for Claire and our family over the past 10 months - I couldn't have found a better way to say what my heart felt during those long days in the hospital last fall: "Lord, please make it happen in the most impossible way so that they know it couldn't be anyone but you."

To God be the glory for the things He has done! 


We hope this finds you and your family enjoying your summer, taking time to slow down - step away from #allthethings and create lasting memories. 

Until next time - Our love,

Ann & Jamie