~Successful Surgery and Elmo~

A huge thank you to those of you that kept Nicole in your thoughts and prayers on Thursday. Her surgery was a complete success and I haven't the words to describe how relieved I am. I feel as though I can finally breathe, as though I have been holding my breath. The surgery lasted 3 hours and went well - she had no side effects from the anesthesia and is healing as expected. I'll spare you all the details, but suffice it to say, it was THE longest day of my life and terrified doesn't even begin to describe my feelings. I have renewed faith in humanity and the kindness of strangers. I'd like to tell you a short story of the Elmo you see pictured below being held by a very happy Nicole as she leaves the hospital. Nicole has wanted a stuffed Elmo for a couple of years, and as some of you may know, they are hard to find in stores (this kills me because I gave away an Elmo years ago). About two weeks ago it occurred to me that eBay might be a good place to look for an Elmo to keep her company for this frightening event. I found the Elmo you see (chosen because the auction was ending soon and I was desperate to get it here before Thursday) and emailed the seller to ask if she would consider upgrading the shipping to express (at my expense) so that it would be here in time for Nic to take to the hospital. When I checked back to see if there had been a response, the listing was gone, but there was an email from the seller telling me that she and her family would like to send him to her as a gift. To say that I was surprised and immensely touched would be an understatement. She wouldn't take no for an answer telling me that any child, no matter what their age, deserves a smile especially in a frightening situation such as this. She also told me that if I didn't mind accepting it from a Yankee's fan that she would be incredibly happy if I accepted their gift. I gratefully accepted and Elmo was sitting on the seat of the car waiting for Nic on Thursday morning. She held on to him for dear life all the way to Boston, carried him into the hospital and he was waiting for her after surgery. He has kept her company since, and I find myself fighting back tears of happiness every time I look at her. People ARE good and I am grateful.