Arthur's big surgery

Some of you may remember that Timmy and I have another buddy whose name is Arthur. Timmy's mommy and daddy adopted Arthur and I around the same time, and we both sat at Timmy's bedside while Timmy was in the hospital. Arthur was even there when Timmy was recovering from his first big surgery. When Timmy was a month old, Timmy and Arthur were almost the same size!



Well, this moose is writing this post to announce that due to some unforeseen complications in Arthur's health, Arthur had to undergo surgery this morning to get a g-tube and a trach. It was a very delicate operation, touch-and-go for awhile.




The surgeons ran into difficulty placing the g-tube because it wasn't stiff enough. So they had to get a little creative and use an old obturator from one of Timmy's trachs.
























The surgeons called out to the waiting room to update us and to let us know the surgery was going well before they proceeded with the trach placement:






















Finally, Arthur was all done!




When we brought Timmy in to the post-op room to see Arthur, Timmy was excited to see someone else with a trach and a g-tube. He has never seen another person with a trach or g-tube before, and he was fascinated!






















Timmy's very excited to have a buddy who will be able to go along with him to the hospital and who will understand what he's going through. (Plus, Timmy's mommy and daddy do not scold Timmy when he plays with Arthur's trach and g-tube.)




(If you're interested, search for "Tubie Friends" on Facebook to learn how to support an organization committed to providing stuffed animals with tubes to children with complex medical needs. We found some suggestions on how to proceed with the operation by reading this blog.)