Reese’s aunt Laura shares the following update with us:
Happy Summer ya’ll! It’s been quite some time since we have updated our friends and family on our Reese. We are happy to say she is excelling at home and enjoying life as a 10 year old. Reese has experienced summer full throttle…she went to two camps: TWEP camp (nature camp) and dance camp. She has been swimming, has enjoyed many days spent on the river in the boat tubing, and enjoyed lots of ice cream cones. She and Brinkley both had their dance recital back in June and they both did so good and looked so beautiful! We all took in a Washington Nationals game and Reese even caught one of the t-shirts (on one of the hottest days)! Reese and Brinkley both have bonded with the summer intern, Mikey and will be so sad to see him go next week (Claire and Justin too) Reese has gone to a few of Uncle Zachie’s baseball games and worked with her heifers on the farm. Reese showed her two heifers at her county fair this summer as a first year 4-Her. She made new friends and loved every minute of the fair life. We assure you she left the fair each day with dirt from head to toe, exhausted but all with a big smile on her face and ready for each new day. (But all you show moms and dads out there know that with each passing fair/show day the kids are a little harder to wake!) Reese ended the week with several blue ribbons and made all of her family so proud in the showmanship class where she had no assistance in the ring! She rocked it! (Her wheelchair is now collecting dust somewhere and not making its rounds to the shows!!) Reese got a new style of Lego this summer, a running leg that she has named “Lightening Lego, aka Double L”. This is a very different feel for her with a different motion so this is a new learning process for her but one we all embrace. We found out last week that Reese needs eye glasses which she has already picked out…purple frames of course!! (eye glasses for school – to turn those A’s into A+’s!) We are in the process of downsizing her trach as we prepare for the trach removal. Reese still requires no oxygen support by day but requires little assistance at night in the form of a Vent but on a CPAP setting. This is all huge when we think back to the support she was once on. In order for Reese to be completely weaned from the vent a sleep study must be done as well as a scope. We hope for these procedures to be done in the coming weeks. For the big question…her kidneys…Reese continues to do so well and just had a very good report at her renal appointment this week. She has been off of dialysis now since February and her diet has changed some to help maintain her kidney function 
but she has managed very well. We all think she looks better than ever and she seems happier than ever before. We know that a kidney transplant is inevitable but we pray she defies all odds as she has so many times before. Reese was able to overcome so much in the last years and much of that was through prayer – this we know for sure. We truly hope she will experience improved kidney function but if she doesn’t, a transplant will be necessary. We are happy to announce that a kidney donor has been found. While this is such a relief to us all, her doctor team and parents have decided to allow Reese to continue to heal so that when the time comes she will be that much stronger to withstand the transplant. She is monitored with blood work monthly and has renal appointments every 3 months. Please continue to pray for improved kidney function and pray our donor stays healthy too! Thanks to all of you out there who went through the testing process – we know there many of you! A special thanks to the individual who has agreed to be Reese’s match and saving grace. Reese is now looking forward to a week spent in the salt water and sandy beaches of South Carolina with family and friends. School is right around the corner which is most exciting for Reese – she sure loves school! The rest of the summer will be full of evenings spent tubing on the river, fair days with cousin Regan, afternoons with grandparents, endless Kubota rides and a few farm chores worked in there somewhere! As always, thanks for the continued support from all of you. Our lives are forever changed because of our friends and family and the love you have shown our family.
