We were feeling great. These operations are usually a sure thing And we get this fluke.

The day they were born, they immediately started having complications and quickly went downhill.

I was holding Nicholas on my lap at the hospital when the call came. It was almost surreal.

We know that the doctors and the staff that have taken care of them really care about them. It’s not just a job for them, and that has made all the difference to us.

It felt like I was being punched in the stomach. We were so excited to have the heart. We all could not talk about that [organ rejection] as a possibility, and it was very scary.

It was terrifying to receive the news that they had done so poorly in that first 24 hours.

He’s on his way. We’re just so encouraged. Wow. We feel like he has jumped over a major hurdle.

It was devastating to me. We just kept hearing so much negative information.

There’s an intimate connection we feel. We’re so grateful and in such awe. In their time of difficulty, they gave us a chance. I want them to know that.

The great, great thing is no tubes or wires. He’s unattached.