Side by side

Whitney (5:22pm PST, Friday 8/19/22)

These pictures were taken 5 months apart. The one on the left was taken in the hospital. It is Pepper’s left hand, the first time we saw it after she had it fully grafted. I remember it being like Christmas, counting down the days until they unwrapped it. If this picture is difficult to look at, please know I’m very choosy on pictures I post and leave the “scary” ones out. 

It was one of the best days in the hospital. Seeing her whole hand covered in fresh skin with a 95% graft take. We laughed about how her fingernails looked like something from a fairytale like witch story. The moment they gave us the thumbs up we did a manicure, and that cheered her up a bit. 

The one on the right is her left hand today. It is so smooth and function-able. She will need another surgery in the near future to release her pointer finger and pinky. 

Her right hand had a release surgery a week ago and has been in a cast ever since. The Doctor will unwrap it on Monday, and it reminded me of the last time we had to wait. We are all excited to see how her surgery went, how well the grafts took, and hopefully the surgery will allow her to have full function again. 

When I look at these side by side pictures I’m reminded of just how special our bodies are and how capable, if given the proper tools and time they will heal. Thank you God for giving us the tools and time to heal.