6.21.10

Nicholas is in the operating room now, the surgery should be well under way. The nurse woke Nicholas up at 5am this morning to begin preparations. The anesthesiologist started work on him bright and early at around 6:15 or so this morning. Of course, Nick's primary concern going into the surgery is only whether or not his iPod will be adequately charged when he re-gains consciousness. Ah, to be 14 again. (By the way, Nicholas's personal preparation for the surgery was to catch up on facebook and shave his head) Needless to say, he is in great spirits.

The surgeon will be making an incision from the base of the neck (top of the sternum) to the base of the sternum, then opening the sternum itself, putting Nicholas on a heart/lung machine while he "cores out", layer by layer, the scar tissue from the lungs. Amazing. Prior to doing all this, they have cooled his body so the blood flow is minimal and after the surgery, the doctors will spend some time warming the body again before he can finish in the operating room.

The doctors are very enthusiastic about the outcome for Nicholas and feel he has a better chance of success than their typical patient due to his age and (otherwise) good health.

We are looking forward to reporting good news soon! Thanks again for all your support everyone!