Michael posted an update that I’m sharing:

Today is Caitlin’s last day of school before the spinal fusion surgery. By the time Caitlin goes back to school in 7 weeks or so, it will be springtime and warm. Today it felt like -23 F as we put her on the bus.
I believe the kids at school will be doing fun things for her today. Some of her friends are also taking her to see Frozen this weekend.

I can’t tell you how much it means to us that Caitlin has friends at school. Since Lynne and I grew up at a time when kids with disabilities were hidden and separated from the other children, we weren’t sure that the other kids would ever accept her. Instead, Caitlin has a clique who invites her to parties, reads to her nearly every day, and covers the armrest of her wheelchair with Rainbow Loom rubber band bracelets. She has her own life, just as it should be. ❤

One plus about her not going to school is that it will give Waste Management and the district some time to fix the landfill mess. The IEPA determined that Waste Management broke state law. We’ll see what the school district does next.

At this point, we’ve done pretty much everything we need to do before going to the hospital. Caitlin’s pre-op pediatrician appointment went well. Caitlin is as healthy as possible. Other than some tense driving due to snow, it was an uneventful visit.

I will double-check paperwork today, but we’re pretty much down to cleaning and packing.

In case you are curious, Caitlin’s Aicardi syndrome sister Annie went through the surgery last month. Her mom has been keeping a detailed blog about the entire experience.

You can also watch a video of this type of surgery here.

Thank you again for your support this week and offers of support over the next few weeks. We really couldn’t get through this without our friends.