I can see clearly now...

Every time we have driven to Duke Eye Center in Durham it has rained, without fail, it has rained. Several times we have both thought of this as symbolic, the metaphorical representation of the cloud hanging over our lives since we learned of our daughter's cataracts. Every time we have driven to Duke Eye Center, we have wondered when the sun would come out. But that is part of the point, that there has always been sun after the rain, and there will continue to be for the rest of our days.

Today Mila had her third surgery in the morning. As you already know this was to open her left eye (the first one operated on) as its lens had closed completely.

Priscilla and I were sleeping in the waiting room when Dr. Freedman awoke us with the only words that we would want to hear. "It went beautifully, your daughter is big and robust and wakes up immediately after surgery her pressures were normal and her corneas were clear." At least we have that, another successful surgery under our belts, one more wall knocked down on the way to a clear view of the outside world.

Of course, she reminded us, there are no guarantees. The right eye is beginning to close as well, albeit at a much slower pace than that of the left and there is a possibility that, sometime in the future, we will have to go in and reopen it surgically. Dr. Freedman explained that the closure of the eye is one part contraction based closing (as in the aperture of a camera lense) around the hole made by the removal of the cataract, one part vitreous material, and (once the opening reaches a certain diameter) one part re-growth of lens/cataract cell material that spans the gap to close the eye completely. We do know now that in her years of experience she has only had to reopen an eye more than once a handful of times.

We also know that she was able to save enough of the lens material around the edges to leave open the possibility of an Intra Ocular Lens implant in the future.

We still have a check up tomorrow morning, but we left the hospital today with instructions to take care of our otherwise healthy little girl, watch her right eye for signs of closing and never forget that rain does not begin without an ending in sight. As we sat in our hotel room this afternoon our room was bathed in the warmest light we have felt in some time and only briefly blocked by the clouds that still raced past in the sky as they often will in winter.

Thank you all for caring, reading, hoping and praying.

We will keep you posted,
TP&M