Leaving The Hospital

It’s official. On BMT Day 106 and after 112 days straight in the hospital, Ashtyn was stable enough to be discharged. After spending the day wrapping up loose ends and packing up her room, Ethan and I wheel-chaired her outside at 4:30 p.m. as the sun was setting. With about 15 minutes left of dim light in the sky, she wanted to drive around. I drove her through University Village, an outdoor shopping center 0.5 miles away, to check out what shops and restaurants were there. We then went to Metropolitan Market, stayed away from crowds, where she picked out soup, stuffing, and pumpkin pie for dinner. She and Ethan enjoyed the evening relaxing in the apartment while I did laundry and unpacked suitcases. I spent almost 2 hours organizing one weeks worth of medications, being slow and meticulous to not miss, or mess up on, the 49 oral pills she takes per day. Before going to bed I hooked a one liter bag of IV fluids with electrolytes to her central line that she’ll receive each night over 10 hours. We are all settled in and the timing feels perfect. Ashtyn’s first impression of being out of the hospital was how weird it felt. She also loves the “space to move”. Soon after walking into our apartment she said a prayer of gratitude giving all credit and glory to God for helping her get to where she is today.