A Sigh of Relief

This afternoon I visited the West Wing again to see Kalmin and his parents.
Kalmin is adorable, and was enjoying Frank Sinatra playing from his stuffed animal MP3 player.
While I was there, in the spot Tikva occupied for so many weeks, I saw that Dana Estrella is off the ECMO machine.
Not only that, but I don't think she is on any kind of ventilation support.
She looked good, and has a head of the thickest black hair.
I don't know more, but it was good to see her sleeping peacefully on her bed without that huge complex machine pumping her blood.
The ICN is an intense place - thus the use of "intensive" in the name - and babies sometimes don't make it.
But many times they do, and they leave the ICN and go on to thrive healthily in their lives.
Many times the ICN is simply a place where they can get a little help with their beginnings.
Dave keeps saying that this experience is not going to define who Tikva is for the rest of her life, and he is right.
This experience is just a part of her beginning, and it is here that she is building the strong foundation of health that will allow her to soar.