Wow Florida in two weeks?

How are you all?
I have been standing amazed today, all day. I woke up to the sounds of Randy on the phone with the University of Miami. He has been accepted into a stem cell research program that starts very soon! We have to get everything in order quickly and get his semester of school finished early so he can get all the evaluation processes started. It is a one year program with him gone quite often in that time.
Its funny how the timing on things happen. We were just talking last night that he felt urgency to get something done with the stem cell option.
We were thinking we'd have to go to China or Germany to go with the stem cell route. I posted on facebook last night and got a few responses from some friends that they knew some people. Then this morning he is in. The doctor doing the study said "your timing couldn't be more perfect." That has just been the way things work around here. Tender mercy after tender mercy. I am a thankful girl today.
We want to take the full year to see if this less invasive procedure will heal his heart. The stem cell come from his bone marrow. So its not a controversial thing that might come to your mind.
I just wanted to let you know what was going on with us in that way.
In October he should have funding restored for the transplant, if we still need to go in that direction, then we will.
We have enjoyed living in our cute new home. I've been decorating, planting, weeding and just loving it. (new calling - camp director!)
We miss our friends that we have moved from and want you to know that we think of you often! Hope you think of us too.
Have a wonderful and lovely week!
Tiffany Shepherd

Living in the new house

I really mean new to us. We now live in an older house that I am in love with. At least I love fixing and painting and decorating. I think that when everything gets crazy with work and kids and Randy's health issues, I find comfort that I can sew something, paint something, or plant something. I would even love to have chickens, I wonder if I can make that happen!

I just got an awesome garden cart off of craigslist for $35! It had two rakes and a shovel and a garden fork. I am excited to use them. I will be planting the cutest baby peach tree in my yard tomorrow. First I have to somehow find the coldest place in my yard. hmmm. . . .

I am also going to be canning beautiful and delicious (hopefully) strawberry jam. I have added a few new hobbies lately, its a good thing I can do them with my children so we are still spending great time together.

I am almost two weeks into a health challenge that has me done with diet coke! So far so good. I don't miss it . . . most of the time as long as I stay busy.

A great Day

I loved today! I just love the primary program. I am the primary chorister in our ward and I just loved how well the children sang. They followed me so well! Primary Children can sing with dynamics! I just love my calling! To top things off I said the closing prayer and cried my way through the first bit!
Krista turns 12 in less then two weeks! I think I might be old now. A daughter in Young Women.
Wow!
Randy is tired a lot! I love every day we have together!
I just feel so blessed to have every single day with him!
Nathan is so big! What a cutie pie.
Kelsey is lovely doing so well!
I am happy and hard working! Is that okay to say?

Another Delay

They are keeping Randy for a few more days. They want his blood to be at a 3 and it was 1.7 for the last two days. Missing him. Makes me sad to think about it too much.

Leaving Tucson

As I drove the lonely road back from Tucson by myself I wondered if I had made the right decision to leave Randy at the University Medical Center and come back home and work and take care of my children. I pondered all that had taken place in the last four days, was it only four days? My eyes have been opened to the world of heart transplant and everything I saw was fearsome. Who would ever agree to go through that? I am not that brave. I am not that optimistic, even if I am a happy person. I am way to whinny to go through that. I do have challenges on my side, but I have been prepared after all and I will take my challenges. I can be a support and comfort, a provider and caretaker. I will be thankful for my part of the challenges and even more thankful for support and help to be made strong.
Randy has to be made from the strongest stuff on earth, he is such a kind hearted funny loving example to me of grace under incredible pressure. I adore him.
WE were supposed to be done with testing today and able to BOTH come home, but there were some minor (I hope) glitches and Randy had to be admitted and monitored for two days because his blood didn't get thin enough after one of his most invasive procedure. It was a surgery if you ask me, they put him under and sliced him up and feed tubes from his legs up to his heart and blew up little balloons and poked around and measured things. It was surgery.

They also found something on his kidney, I got to see it on an ultrasound. They don't think it is anything but they sure made some people move fast to get more tests on that little pea sized thing. If they end up doing a biopsy,I want to go back down there.

So he will be okay, he is officially to be called pin cushion, and yes I hated leaving him there. Its not quite home without him. But he does hunt and camp out, so for the next few days I will just pretend that he is out with his brothers on a hunt.

Please keep Randy in your prayers. Thank you!
Love,
Tiffany

Trip to Tucson for Heart Transplant Evaluation

I've been thinking for a while that it is time to write to everyone to let you know what is going on. We had our first meeting with the transplant team and they reviewed Randy's charts and did a few minimal tests. They were quick to come to the decision that he should be evaluated for transplant. Randy was so worried about that visit the night before, it surprised me because this wasn't a life threatening situation, he wasn't about to go into surgery and he's been somewhat stable even if his energy is still low.
We got a call a few days ago and we are finally taking that trip to Tucson for all the tests that evaluated him for transplant. We left Monday Morning and will be gone till Thursday night. I have been checking in with face book since my phone allows me access to it from everywhere. Randy had quite the day yesterday and had 14 large vials of blood taken for the tests that check for "everything, the doctor at the lab stated, If they can't find it, he doesn't have it. Wow.

He had a psychological profile done and I visited with the psychologist too. They recorded our visits and a report of everything that happened in these 4 days is summarized and a counsel decides if he should go on the list and where on the list he should go.

Today is the day of many body scans, heart scans and long meetings with social workers, Why social workers? I guess I'll find out today. This is getting to be a bigger deal the more I am learning about it. Can we have our old life back? Maybe just pretend this isn't really happening? Is there a beach nearby, I think I'm ready to feel some sand between my toes.

We are staying in the neatest place. Its like a home away from home. Its a hospitality inn, and we just love it. Its in a residential area and we cook our own meals in a great kitchen and it feels like visiting a friend.

We are hoping for your prayers again at this time, and thank you for them. We know that as you have prayed for us mountains have moved.

We will know as early as next Friday if he will be placed on the list. We are hoping that he will as he has stopped getting better, and has had quite a few setbacks.

We love you and are thankful for you. Especially Penny and Mike Law watching our three beautiful children during this trip. Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!

Tiffany and Randy

Happy and Well

I hope this finds you happy and well!
Our family is happy and enjoying having good, quiet, normal, family time. We are relieved that so much drama has passed. We had two doctors appointments and each appointment had more hope and encouragement. Randy can now start "working out" or walking a few houses down the street. He does more each day and loves that he feel tired but not exausted. I can't believe how things fell into place for him to be able to baptize Kelsey. He has had severe arm restrictions on his left arm ( so the wire leads don't come out of his heart!) and just got a few of the restrictions lifted a few days before the baptism. What a special day this was for our family.

We shared Kelsey's baptism day with three other cute kids in our ward and things went so smoothly. I love baptisms and especially love watching my own children be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost. I also loved watching Nathan watch Kelsey get baptized and now he talks about getting b-tized like Kelsey. It is so cute.

I have shared many beautiful moments with you that I have counseled with Randy in sharing, and am glad to get the feedback that you care. We know the hand of the Lord has been guiding these experiences we have been having. We continue to know that the Lord is guiding us carefully still as we prepare to get Randy on the Heart transplant list and all the tests and procedures that that entails.

I am surprised by how much stronger Randy is getting. At our last Dr's appointment the doctor felt that based on Randy's age, and the factors involved in his condition, that possibly, this last surgery with the pacemaker/defibrilator will heal his heart. We will know in 6 months if it is working, but we can tell a difference in how much energy he has. The devise is forcing his heart to work together and beat consistently and more effiently. This should shrink his heart and continue to improve his condition. The heart transplant is now refered to as a safety net, not the main hope that it was once. A lot can change in a month.

I hope that the closeness we feel as a couple continues to grow, and the closeness we feel for the Lord also increases. There is a country song I heard a few weeks back on the radio( while driving to the hospital) that mentions " I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying. . ."
Or someone you love for that matter, what a lesson on life and loving and treating people with kindness and not taking people for granted. I would never wish anyone to experience this, yet with our miraculous outcome it's a bit easier to seperate the stress from the blessings and the hard times sweeten and the pain (Randy tells me) is worth it. And I know I learned things that may never be learned in any other way.
Things like, I sincerely cannot wait to shoot my bow with Randy on an archery course.
Like I said things change in a month.
I still believe in miracles, I live with one.
Tiffany and Family