Gabe has been doing well overall. He’s walking up and down the hallway with support. He’s eating off and on. We need to work on him drinking. They removed the drain yesterday. He had to be cathed twice because of bladder distention and holding his urine. Luckily, he finally started peeing and pooping some. Goals today are to meet with PT and OT and start drinking more. There have been some really hard moments, but all in all, he’s done excellent.
Surgery yesterday went as well as it could have. It took a little over five hours and his spine is close to completely straight. It doesn’t get any easier handing him over. He was a bit up and down last night, but overall stable and slept well. He had some facial swelling as we expected. Pain control, movement, and eating are our biggest focus. We should transfer out of ICU later today. He’s asking to go home. Hopefully soon.
We would appreciate all the prayers and positive thoughts tomorrow as Gabe undergoes spinal fusion surgery to treat his syndromic scoliosis. He’ll have two rods placed along his spine and be fused from T3 to L2. Prayers specifically for:
1. The surgical and medical team who care for him. May they be well rested and use their expertise to the fullest. 
2. For Alyssa, as she goes to school tomorrow with a bit more on her mind and in her heart.
3. For Justin and I, that we may be the best parents possible for Gabe, staying patient, positive, and strong for him and each other.
4. For Gabe, that his spine stays strong, airway stays strong, and spirits stay strong. That he may have understanding of what’s going on and work hard during his recovery. 
Gabe’s scoliosis occurred very quickly over the past year. It’s actually gotten 7° worse in the past four months alone. This needs to be corrected before it causes any harm to his lungs. He should grow 2-3 inches tomorrow after surgery. Surgery will start promptly at 7:30 and should last about six hours. We’ve already been flooded with such amazing support. It’s appreciated more than you know. We’ve been through medical challenges with Gabe before. It’s a bit harder this time since he’s more aware, and this is a major surgery and recovery. He is a fighter though. Never give up on Gabe. >>>💛💙
