The day was here and surgery was scheduled to help Mariah start her road to recovery 💗 There were such a mixture of feelings that day. We were anxious, excited, eager, scared... needless to say we were an emotional wreck. She was going under the knife with the most trusted surgeon, Dr. Kays, and we knew she was where she needed to be. His passion and drive for these baby’s well-beings still amazes us and it goes beyond just a profession for him. We knew Mariah was in great hands here under such a great CDH team and surgeon at Johns Hopkins All Children’s. 

Coming out of surgery she looked great was was very comfortable. Dr. Kays showed is images of everything he did and it was shocking. It’s one thing to be told about her tiny lung development and see them on scans. But to see a picture of a lung that is a fraction of the size of her chest cavity is another. It looked almost like a deflated balloon. It took everything in me to not be concerned about how these little lungs are going to affect her overall and what her future holds. At the same time though I see those tiny lungs, her breathing tube, and a surgical dressing across her upper abdomen and it amazes me how much of a miracle she is already.