When we went for our surgical consultation last week, the surgeon asked if we wanted to keep the caths once he removes them.

Maddi: “eww, that’d be gross!!”

Surgeon: “some kids are really attached to their lines!”

I laughed with my best friend about this later on; what an odd thing to have sentimental value.

Now, the eve before Maddi’s surgery to remove her central line, I can’t help but feel a little bit of sentimental attachment.

The truth is, Plasmapheresis gave us back our baby, and I am so happy we took the scary plunge into the unknown 6 months ago. Those central lines were a lifeline and allowed Maddi to get well much faster than others.

Tomorrow Maddi will have these caths removed and replaced with an internal port. This will make long term IV use so much easier (and safer.)

For tonight, we say good-bye life saving caths. Goodbye to weekly bandages changes that hurt like heck! Hello to showers & swimming!