Cincinnati Day #3

We made it here! It was a bit tough/comical trying to carry everything with only two of us, but thankfully we had TSA Cares to help. I would highly recommend using this service if you are flying with a complex child. More to come on part two of “Tips for Traveling with a Complex Child”.

The beginning of our flight was a bit disastrous, but overall Sam did really well. Sam was pretty upset for the first twenty to thirty minutes, but after that it was smooth sailing. I was definitely sweating by the time we boarded the plane. The beginning was a bit rough because we decided to board the plane last. In hindsight, we probably should have boarded earlier. This way we could have figured out how to situate all of Sam’s medical stuff. We made for some very good people watching, I am sure of it. If I was an onlooker, my mind would have been doing a lot of wondering. We are the people who get stared at, but that’s okay with me. Most stares are only sheer wonder, care, and/or concern.

This isn’t so bad.

I got this flying thing down.

Sam’s SATS (oxygen levels) dipped while we were in the air, but not enough to need oxygen. I’m happy to report after all Sam’s little lungs have been through, they’ve stayed pretty strong.

The first day was spent unpacking all of Sam’s stuff and going to bed very early from pure exhaustion. Between what we brought with us and the supplies that were shipped, it was a lot! I’ve gotten use to our normal, but seeing it all, sure puts things in perspective. Holy smokes, this kid does not travel lightly!

That’s a lot of stuff!

The second day was much more laid back. We ventured out to the Cincinnati Zoo. Sam wasn’t able to see a lot because of his vision, but he loves being outside so it was a win, win. Another plus was how much warmer it feels here than home in Minnesota.

A hippo is pretty cool to see this close.

I’d like to say day number three, our first venture to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital was super hopeful. Sam had three appointments. He saw anesthesiology, otolaryngology (specialized ENT), and speech pathology today. Our news today wasn’t very hopeful, but they still have lots of testing to do. We will find out more in the next few days. We will keep having hope as we always do.

Pray for hopeful answers in the next few days.

Sam Strong.

Faith Over Fear.