Surgery for Anna

Anna had surgery a week ago today to repair an umbilical hernia and an epigastric hernia.  She was so brave, and the only nervousness she showed was over the matter of not being able to eat breakfast the morning of surgery.  The surgery went very well.  We appreciated so much Anna’s surgeon coming in to see us before surgery and asking if he could pray for Anna.  Wow, that truly touched our hearts!  After the surgery Shawn or I was to meet Anna in the recovery room.   She was doing so well, though, that they just brought her straight back to us.  The nurse smiled at me as she wheeled Anna’s bed into the room.  She told me that when Anna woke, Anna told her, “It was just like my mom said…I went to sleep, woke up, and it was all over.  I didn’t even know anything ever happened.”  She was like a broken record after that until the medicine wore off, asking whether she had the surgery already and in shock it happened without her ever knowing.  She was trying to drift off to sleep at one point and said sweetly, “Mom, thank you for helping me during the surgery.”  I thought she was confused (I never would be allowed in the operating room.)  She clarified, “Thank you for feeding me my slushy after the surgery, and thank you for asking if I wanted help putting on my hospital gown before the surgery.”  She turned over again to sleep, and I wondered to myself how I got so lucky to have such a loving, thoughtful little girl.  Anna is healing nicely now.  She handled surgery (as she continually handles many things in life ) with more grace and courage than a lot of adults.  I can learn a lot from this sweet girl.