Day 5

June 15th, 2017

This was a busy day in the rooms of Mr. and Mrs. Reece.

Jason had his first skin graft surgery. 93% of his body was burned, and about 83% of his body is in need of grafting. All the skin on his body is his own. His head was shaved so they could harvest skin from his scalp. His toes, feet, calves, and parts of the back of his thighs were all donor sites. The surgeons remove thin layers of skin from the donor sites and use them to cover the exposed parts of his body. His neck down to his knees have full-thickness grafts, partial-thickness grafts, and meek grafts. Jay’s first surgery took close to 7 hours.

As far as my day, my very best friend flew in from Minnesota. She had the lovely pleasure of showing up right on time for my daily debridement. Not the easiest thing for her to see but her and my mom together were a welcomed distraction, during all the scraping and peeling.

Maija and I are going on 24 years of friendship. It’s safe to say we have seen each other through some trying times. We’ve always been there for each other, so it was no surprise that she would hop on a plane to see me. I needed her that day. I needed that distraction for the 7 hours that Jay was under. We laughed, cried, worshiped, prayed… we did what we always do when one of us needs help. God has surrounded me with such special people and used them to love on me through some tough times. I was beyond blessed to have Maija there with me. Having her there also gave my sweet mother a chance to try and rest and purchase some clothes and such for herself since she hopped on a plane to come straight to me on June 11th. Maija- you provided more support than you will ever know!

This is also the day that I could go into Jay’s room for the first time. My first time being next to my husband since being separated days before. I prayed over him, sang to him, talked to him like I normally would…

That was an extraordinary moment I am saving to share with you in the book.

**Head over to THINGS THAT MATTER PODCAST

to listen to the Voxer messages from day 5, inside the burn unit. (Episode 4)**

Top Photos:

-Maija and I in our (new) matching sun hats that she brought from MN. She and her mom Lucia went shopping before she flew to see me. They knew I needed all the basics, so they ensured I was covered!

-The burns on my face are entering the scabby phase.

Bottom Photos:

-Freshly debrided skin

-The moms! Cristy and Rhonda