The road ahead...

Thursday is a BIG day for our little family.  Keagan will be discharged Thursday morning and we will finally hit the road for the long trek north to Palatine!!! 

Keagan's progress over the last few days has been remarkable and she has joined the ranks of the NICU "graduates."

Every so often it pays to take a look over your shoulder to see the road you've just traveled and the hurdles you've just crossed.  Being born at 25 weeks will not define Keagan or CJ, and it will likely end up just a footnote in their biographies....but it will be a pretty big footnote. 

CJ and Keagan have endured, and overcome, immense challenges. 

The first, and most obvious, they were born extremely premature, 102 days before their "due date."  A random Clayton fact: In 102 days the crew of the sailing yacht Groupama 3 could sail AROUND THE WORLD....TWICE.

We’ve seen dozens of children come and go from the NICU who were in “worse” shape than CJ and Keagan.  Our kids have seemingly avoided the most common causes of concern/medical issues for preemies: serious brain bleeding (CJ's final head scan showed "complete resolution" of his original bleeds and all clots are gone. Keagan's infarction is no longer there!), retina damage/blindness, heart/PDA surgery (Keagan's PDA is still open but still not an issue), gastrointestinal issues and physical deformities (other than the "toaster" heads!!) They will each have their own struggles and the lasting health effects from their battles won't be known for a very long time, but for the most part they’re healthy little kids. 

The reality is that the “odds” were not in CJ and Keagan’s favor 3 months ago.  The road they’ve traveled has not been smooth.  However, along the way, they’ve battled everything that’s been thrown at them and they are THRIVING. 

We will post an update on Friday with some pictures, but keep us in your thoughts and prayers for a safe trip home!