Update June 12th 9:05 PM

Hi folks; Another good day. Linda, according to her medicos, is ahead of most people in her recovery. She briefly sat up in a chair today and ate a little broth. She remains very tired and, at 8:30, asked to sleep. As we left ,she said she just really needed sleep, given her poor sleep last night. So, overall, things are progressing well. She is able to speak a little bit, lifts a water glass and tracks all conversations well. Thank you, to the McCutchans for the beautiful flowers. I'll keep them in the hotel room with me until she is allowed to have flowers in her room. I think, in a couple days, she will be moved to a room where she can have them. Thank you, to all, for the good thoughts, prayer and positive healing energy sent Linda's way. John, Emma and Mandy

Update-Saturday 12:30 pm

Hello All, Linda is doing well this morning, and is much more awake and aware. She had a rough time sleeping last night and is very tired today. Her doctors came in early this morning and indicated that everything continues as expected with no surprises. We communicated the e-mails that have been sent to her and she was pleased and indicated she looked forward to reading them. We suspect Linda will be spending most of the day sleeping on and off as just a normal part of her recovery from the surgery. The nurses have been responsive to her indications of pain and Linda indicated that her pain is well managed. That's all for now, thanks again everyone:)
Love John, Mandy and Emma

Update June 12th 10:42 P.M.

Linda is in ICU, her breathing tube is out and she is sort of in and out of lucidity. She tolerated the procedure well and the doctor said, everything "went as expected." Emma, Mandy and Pam and Adriana were on the scene throughout the day. My brother Dud also came by as he was at Stanford with his son for medical purposes. The notes from everyone are wonderful to receive and I've been telling Linda about each note. Tomorrow, we will be with linda as she begins to deal with her post op treatment. So far, so good! Thanks all, John

Update-5:25 pm friday

Hey all! Linda is just being closed up after a long day of surgery. Everything so far has gone perfectly. It took some time to get through all the scar tissue but by 4pm the majority of the surgery was over and then getting her off of the heart-lung machine and closing up. We're still waiting to see her in the ICU where she will be for the next couple of days. She won't actually wake up for another 8 hours or so and then they will pull out the breathing tube. We will have more updates later on, but for now, its good news:) Let us know if you have any questions.

Love, Mandy

Update from surgery-Friday 11AM

So, they ended up being able to take Linda into surgery earlier than anticipated this morning. We were able to spend a little time with her before they took her back around 8 and then she was put under and the surgery was underway by 9:30 this morning. So far, no news besides the eariler start time but there is a computer right upstairs that I will be able to make frequent posts to as we hear more information. More to come!

Mandy

Update June 11, 11:13 p.m.

So, the surgery will occur tomorrow morning. We were told it would transpire in the a.m. and that she would go into pre op around 8:30 with surgery between 10 and 11 a.m. There is a chance it would occur earlier depending on the availability of an operating room. While nervous, Linda is comforted by the sense that this is a chance for her not to live as an invalid and to enjoy life as much as possible. She is aware of the risks and hopeful that benefits will accrue from this surgery. She told me to communicate her deepest thanks to all of you who have been so supportive. I will do my best to keep you informed tomorrow via this blog. Good night. John

update 6/11/09 6:20 pm

Hey All!

Finally some news...So Linda is for sure having the heart valve surgery as planned tomorrow morning somewhere around 11am (will post for sure time tonight). The surgery should take somewhere between 5 to 6 hours depending on the amount of scar tissue Linda has. If any of you are having trouble posting comments to the blog, just send us an email at lhill1950@gmail.com and we will be checking that frquently. Thanks again for all your care and concern. We'll keep you updated.

Mandy