Dylan Surgery Adventures, 2010, Part 1

We are a five minute walk away from where Dylan is having surgery, in the hotel across the street from the Stollery Hospital. The Timms Centre for the Arts is to my left as is the muted downtown Edmonton skyline, a small sliver of blue offers hope to what is a rather cloudy day.

What goes through one's mind when they're staring in the face of a four or five hour surgery? Dylan was laughing and joking, practically giddy in anticipation of the experience. While only 11 years old, he seems to have the wisdom of ages, and a serene trust in the universe, that things will work out just as they should.

Two years ago we waited right in the hospital, struggling for comfort in various waiting rooms, all of us on pins and needles. This time around we're more relaxed, Heather and I in our hotel room, Nadia over at a friend's place. The hours tick by and Dr. Dulai is still working away on a multitude of procedures that will greatly improve Dylan's walking abilities as he heads into his teen years.

We suspect that he will sleep most of the day as his body tries to figure out what has happened. I will take the first night shift, settling in on a fold out chair next to his bed in ward 4-D.