Wednesday Update

Today the recovery started. Surgery went very well. The surgical team felt comfortable enough to close Shepherd’s chest as opposed to leaving it open as was the original plan. He was taken off the breathing tube and is breathing on his own. Justen and Mindy were able to hear their baby boy cry for the first time since the day he was born. Shepherd is doing very well, he is opening his eyes; something he has not done in a week. Shepherd also started feeding today by bottle; this will be a big step towards recovery, especially since most babies start with a feeding tube. Feeding is a huge step, once the eating starts the tubes and wires start to disappear.