Journal entry by Cassandra Price —
Tatum's surgery to remove the distractors went well without any hiccup. She did amazing. The team took her around 7:45 and she was done around 10:30 am. The only "complication" was one side of the jaw wasn't as healed as the other, so the Doctor put in a plate that will dissolve/absorb over time, it is more just prevent the jaw falling back into the original spot than where it has been extended to. The team was great and it was nice to see familiar faces because they were all part of that fateful day when the first surgery was attempted, they knew her history. We were able to meet her right away after and she was awake. Tatum stayed one night in the hospital and we were discharged in the morning right before noon. She started taking a bottle shortly after surgery and ate well through the night and next morning. This a big step in Tatum's road because she will only have one more surgery to fix the cleft palate next winter, so she gets a break from the hospital (sort of). Now Tatum is home and resting. We will have followup appointments in a few weeks and continue to monitor her weight and development. Thank you again everyone for supporting Tatum's journey, we are truly appreciative! We will try to keep up on this site with pictures and developments in Tatum's life!
A $25 donation to CaringBridge powers a site like Tatum's for two weeks. Will you make a gift to help ensure that this site stays online for them and for you?