**Prayer Needed** Rest and Arrhythmia

Monday, August 29th was Zechariah's first checkup with his Pediatric Cardiologist. For the next few months, can look forward to visiting the doctor twice a week and then once a month for about four months after that. A typical checkup can take any where from 2-4 hours, sometimes more. This can depend on how well Zak is responding and feeling during his appointment or what the doctor has to tell us.

Yesterday's appointment made us aware of something that we need prayer for...

At different times of the day Zechariah's heart rate would below his normal heart rate and than minutes later we would take his blood pressure within minutes and it would be within the normal parameters. His energy level remains normal as he recovers at home. He is gaining more energy everyday as he rests and recovers at home. His pediatric cardiologist has said to continue watching this closely and will see him on Thursday morning. Please pray it will not be signs of arrhythmia. 

"I really do get better sleep at home than I did at the hospital. I'm glad to be home."         - Zechariah Kindberg

Thank you for your prayers concerning this. We know God will come through...


The Kindbergs

14 Plus 1

Kathy and I have had a great experience with the Pediatric Cardiology team that gave Zak his new heart. One of the surgeons is a strong follower of Notre Dame University. I found this out after wearing a N.D. T-shirt the first day we arrived at the hospital. Then, fourteen days later I was wearing my college team t-shirt of choice, U of W - Madison Badgers. 

Did you know most competitive sports games, like college baseball, basketball, and even football are won or lost by just a few points? It's the extra free throw, the missed field goal, or the slide to home plate that can win a game. This is what separates the Champions apart from everyone else! 

On August 27th Zechariah was only ONE day out of the hospital  from getting his heart transplant. Yes, we have seen great victories in the last two weeks thanks to amazing prayers and continued support. We would not be here without all of the amazing support of our friends, family, and loving God.

Now, we are on the next leg of our journey. The part that separates Champions from all others. In this part of journey, we look forward to establishing a new routine for our family. 

This routine includes...

• Helping Zechariah take his daily medicines, multiply times throughout the day. 
• Going to the doctor 2x's a week for checkup for the next few months.
• Keeping a "germ-free" home, as best as possible. This includes not having friends or family at our home who are sick with even a sniffle. Wiping down door knobs and drinking bottled water instead of water from a water fountain.
• Zak also needs time to laugh. (This prescribed by his Mom, Dad, and sister.) Check the sidebar -under SHARE A LAUGH - to see how you can help keep Zak's spirit high.
• We will, forever, be avoiding places like the McDonald's PlayZone or Chuck E. Cheese. However, you will find us at the park riding bikes, scooters, and playing at the playground.
• Sanitizing toys after they are played.

We know that we have been surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses to cheer us on. We have felt that we have had "home field advantage" as we have gone through this. We also know that we have a GREAT BIG GOD who cares for us and knows how to handle what we are going through, yet GENTLE to speak to our son and tell him that Jesus' lives in his new heart.

Moving On Up...

So, it's been a few days since our last update. We appreciate all of the prayers and support that are continuing to pour in for Zechariah and our family. Over the last few days quite a bit has happened... 

• Zechariah left the PICU on Sunday afternoon. He has been on one of the recovery floors gaining strength, trying to rest, and learning all about the importance of taking all of his medicines.
• The one area Zak could really use your prayers is in the area of helping to take is medicines. We are all learning about the total number of meds, as of the time I am righting this update. The total number of meds can be around 30 meds or more a day for at least the first six months. The previous four days Zak has had to face anxiety, fear, and other battles. God's grace IS sufficient for him and we know Zak will be victorious through time. We are working with him to help talk the medicines and have found may useful techniques from the nurses and friends who have help others before. The last two days Zak is starting to show progress and we would ask that you would pray in that way.
• Zechariah has gained a lot of strength back. He has worked with the Physical Therapist and Occupational Therapist to help him walk on his own use the simple things, like a tooth brush.
• The other day he sat up for about 15 minutes in the play room coloring a picture with Mom and today he scored 10,000 points playing bean bag toss. He was very excited to share that!

Overall, we are amazed at how well Zak is doing. God is the one who receives all the glory for making it possible to give our son new life!!!

In fact, we were even able to sit down, at the table and have a Kindberg Family Meal together, with Zak, Ali, Kathy, and myself for the first time since since Aug. 11. We treasure these little routines we have know that it is what makes us sparkle.

Scott Kindberg

V is for Victory

 

Today has been a day of going down...and up...and up...and up. Zechariah has had some minor set backs earlier in the day. Then, as the the progressed the victories started to come - one after another.

This afternoon he could keep anything down. He is beginning to take more medicine by mouth, like anti-rejection and immunosuppresent  meds, this is very important for him.

Then, later on he did complain of a some pain. Soon, he was comfortable and able to talk to us better (still in his cute "frog" voice).

After a little rest he was finally able to each a popsicle. Zechariah was beginning to see victory. Shortly after the  popsicle I gave a few spoonfuls of Cherrios, which he was able to keep down as well. Another victory.

Now, he was on a good and was able to rest a bit with a movie in bed. During the entire movie he was still able to keep all food down. His energy was growing. After a short game from his Leapster he ready to take more meds. This time with come candies to cover the taste of meds. Another victory.

Mary Poppins was right when she sang, "Just a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down." Even if it comes in the form a Jolly Rancher.

Our champion is now sitting up in a chair. He has gained so much strength in such a short time. It has been amazing to watch him rebound like this. Another victory.

Here is Zak enjoying a moment sitting up for the first time since his heart transplant.

Zechariah being the goofy Zak that we know...Victory!

Zechariah sat well in the chair so the nurse called for a chariot to escort him around the floor. He was positioned well in his "Red Flyer" and away he went to explore the rest of hospital floor. Another victory.

Here's Zechariah crusin' along in his Red Flyer wagon in the hallway of the hosptial.

Today was a day of victories. Please keep on praying that he continues down this path. We know (and I hope you know as well) that when you are pray you share in these victories. 

We could not do this without your prayers and without God on our side. 

Today we can rest with a V for victory.

It's Good Good Day...



Today was a good, good for Zechariah. It started early this afternoon when they removed his ventilator tube. Then, from that time on he has been slowly making steps forward talking, watching TV and interacting with Kathy, the nurses, and I.

After having the breathing tube in for six days his voice has been pretty coarse and will take a little bit of time to fully recover. Until then, our champion five-year old has quite "the frog" that he has captured in his throat.

Word has it this frog may even have a name...

Help name Zak's froggy voice...his frog.

Some suggestions have been.

• Bob
• Ribbet
• Kermit
• What's yours...

Zak has been is great spirits all day as he is recovering. He has been interacting and at times he may say some fun things due to the meds he is on.

Proverbs 17:22  A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Thank you for prayers and continued support. We have continued to tangibly feel God present in Zak's room. God's peace reigns over our family. Please continue to pray for all our family - Scott, Kathy, Alexandria, and Zechariah as we journey together.

Blessings

The Kindberg's

More Progress For Our Champ...

Today has been another good day. When I saw Zechariah this morning around 8:30 he was doing well. His color has continued to stay consistently the same color he has always been.

Zechariah has had four chest tubes in his chest to help remove any fluid that may build up around his heart. Today they have removed three of the four chest tubes. This is good because it is showing that there is a little less fluid around his heart.

They did lower the pressure of the Nitric Oxide quite a bit as well and he was not so comfortable with all of the action just yet. A few times he would clinch his eyes and lift hands show he was uncomfortable. We are so appreciative of all of the nurses, the doctors, and staff here and U of M Amplatz. During their care for Zak they have done everything possible to make him comfortable. Both Kathy and I feel this a top notch hospital from the surgeons on down.

Right now Zak still has the ventilator tube in. This to is good because he will be able to rest. Once the ventililator tube is out he will be fully breathing on his own and slowly begin to interact and play with us. While it is in he can rest. Please pray that it only stays in as long as it needs to be in.

So, today was a great day of progress and Zak is resting for the rest of the day into the night. We are hopeful to see what tomorrow brings. Continue to pray for peace, strength, and God's spirit to rest here.

Thank you for your support.

The Kindberg's

Day 2 of the New Heart

Today has been another great day for Zechariah. He is still not out of the woods yet, but we are beginning to see progress down the road of healing for just having a new heart put in last Friday evening.

Today's big news has been his ventilator. Currently the ventilator has been helping him breath since receiving his new heart. The nurses has told that he will be on the ventilator for a few more days. Having the ventilator help him breath is good while his body and his heart are "getting to know each other" along with all of the medicine he is on.

As I am writing this, Zak's overnight nurse has informed me that they will be weaning him off of the ventilator over night and through most of the day on Monday. This is good news! This meaning that his body is showing signs of strength and he is able to breath on his own a little more and more.

Please keep this in your prayers for Monday and the next few day. Thank you.

Thanks to a wonderful new media system in the ICU room we have been able to play Pandora.com Shout Kids Radio Station, a Christian radio station right above his bed. The music has helped keep a peacful atmosphere in the hospital room.

Thank everyone for your prayers and to all our friends and family who continue to show supports. : )

Day 1 with the New Heart

Thank you everyone once again for your continued prayer.  We continue to feel God's comfort, grace and peace  that doesn't make sense and can only be from God.  I just want to encourage you that if you are feeling at all stressed about everything we are sharing that is going on with Zak to stop and look to God and ask him to help you along the way.  In the Bible we can read about many of God's promises and the amazing thing is that they aren't about stories from the past but about what God has for us today.

I am going to share a few of the promises that I hold onto on a daily basis and I really encourage you to search out God's grace, peace and presence yourself.  God is being tangibly felt by both Scott and myself along this journey and we are filled with His supernatural peace.

Here are just a few great verses:

^{Hebrews 4:16}

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Jeremiah 29:11-13

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 

Psalm 4:8
In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.

We love to be reminded about all that God has for us so if you have any verses that you look to for strength please post them in the comments below or email or facebook them to us.

Today we had many small things happen.  Zechariah is in a very critical state but he is stable.  This afternoon a fever broke out and getting that to lower was the focus for most of the afternoon into the evening.  Zak also had a blood glucose level of over 600 today so they are giving him insulin to lower that.  We thought that they would try to get him off of the ventilator tomorrow but he is still needing nitric oxide which is helping to lower his pulmonary pressures so that his new heart doesn't fail.  Zechariah is hooked up to 18 different medicine ports that are continually giving him medicine to help stabilize and support all that he has been through.

The hospital staff continue to assure us that everything is going as could be expected and that we have come through a lot of victories so far.  The journey we are on is a very long marathon and not a sprint.  Even after we leave the hospital and take Zechariah home to recover we will remain in a fairly critical state.

We so appreciate all of your continual support as we are traveling down this road.  We love to hear your comments, emails, and facebook replies.  We are going to do our best to continue to post once or twice a day.

Blessings,
Kat Kindberg

Surgery Went Well

I just want to say another quick thank you to all of you have been standing beside our family on this journey.

Zak got his new heart and is doing well.  The surgery was over around 11PM tonight.  Zak is now settled back in his room in the PICU.

Everything that we have been praying for is going great.  Their was concern before his surgery that his new heart may need some assistance pumping against his high pulmonary pressures but his new heart is doing great all on its own.  We also were told going into surgery to expect him to be out at 2AM.  He is doing well in his room and it isn't even 2AM yet.

The prayers that we have for the next few days:

1. That his body doesn't reject the new heart.
2. The first 24 hours he will be at a high risk of having a stroke. So we need to pray that he doesn't.
3. That he doesn't have any extra bleeding.

And I sure their are a lot more things that I am not thinking of because of the hour of the day and all of the different events of the day.  Please just pray for full recovery and that our little boy will be able to go home healthy and strong.

We so appreciate all of you and look forward to talking to you in the days and weeks to come. We have come along way on this journey and have a long way to go. Thank you in advance for your continual prayers.

Sweet Dreams!!:)

Blessings,
Kat

TODAY IS THE DAY!!!

                                 

Today is a great day. Zechariah is receiving his new heart. We are so excited for our son. 

We thank you for your prayers and support.

• 9:30am: We received the call this morning around .

• 11:00am: Zak arrived at the hospital to prepare for the procedure.

• 2:00pm: Zak was sent to the OR.

• 2:00pm - Present (8-12 hrs.) Zak is in the OR for the heart transplant.

So, Zak will have about 14 days of recovery in the hospital after the procedure. Then, he has 3-6 months of at home recovery.

The twenty-four hours after he is out of surgery is the most critical.

We know that all of you have been praying for us all day. We can truly feel God's presence and peace with us as we have been waiting for news from the doctors.  God is BIGGER than all of this. We know that it is through Him that we will not just survive the heart transplant but we will thrive and continue to experience his peace in the mist of all circumstances.

Blessings to you and your family.  We look forward to hearing from you. Please leave a comment below.

Blessings,

Scott & Kat