Aiden's Page

08/31/2026

First day of *5th Grade* and summer photo dump!!

This summer went by so fast! We busted out so many things on our summer bucket list! There were shipwrecks, boating, sailing camp, beaches, kayaking, water balloon fights, festivals, fairs, drive-in movies, family time and an epic end of summer slime battle!! Summer was an absolute blast and we are feeling extra lucky to live in such an amazing place!

School this year will look different as we made the move to Glen Lake! We are so excited to be Lakers!! The resources they offer are sure to make a difference with Aiden and the staff has been incredible! His first day went off without a hitch and he came home telling me all about his new friends! Sending him off to school is never easy, but he is in excellent hands! It all feels right as my Mom worked at Glen Lake for many years as their technology director and she always felt it was a special place!

Aiden has had a quiet summer medically speaking. He was able to skip his heart cath in June as they felt his heart was in good shape with no signs of rejection. He will be on track for his 16th heart cath in the late spring. Most of our energy is still devoted to stroke recovery. We continue to follow with oncology for his lingering PTLD risk. We will head down in November for transplant and specialist appointments. It’s been so great to have stability for a while now ! Carrie’s heart is sure taking care of our boy! We think of her so often. Everytime Aiden experiences a new first, or meets goal, or simply has the chance to soak in life, we feel such immense gratitude. Truly, the gift of life

Wish Aiden luck on this new adventure! His last year of elementary school!! How is that even possible!!

06/07/2026

Four years ago today we sent Aiden off to the operating room for what we hoped would be a life saving miracle. We had so many emotions running through us. It was hard to process any of them. Aiden’s heart transplant surgery was more than 12 hours long and lasted throughout the entire night. When they were done, Aiden was in critical condition, tenuously walking the line, his body relying on a room full of machines to keep him alive. From there he suffered complication after complication, ultimately staying in the hospital three months. BUT step by step he moved forward slowly and steadily making his way into his new life. Now, four years later, Aiden is beating all the odds and showing up for life in so many amazing ways. We are incredibly thankful for all those who have impacted our family: our medical teams, families, friends, therapists, teachers, coworkers, classmates and most of all Aiden’s beautiful donor, Carrie and her family. Transplant life is tough and it’s not a cure. But it has given us the most precious gift of all, time. Time to learn and explore, grow and make friends, live and make memories. Time for more I love yous. We don’t take a single moment for granted. All

04/30/2026

Carrie’s, and her family’s choice has given Aiden almost four years of life with many more to come. Years of adventures, years of learning, years of hugs and I love yous. We could not be more grateful to have been entrusted to care for such a beautiful heart ❤️

Today is Donor Remembrance Day. 💙💚 Today and every day, the donation and transplant community comes together to honor and celebrate the donor heroes who have given the gift of life through organ, eye and tissue donation. We are sharing forget-me-not flowers to symbolize that donors and their legacy of generosity will always be remembered.
also honors donor families and serves as a reminder that they are always a part of the Donate Life community. Association of Organ Procurement Organizations - AOPO

04/15/2026

⭐️🎉 Cheers to 11!!🎉⭐️
I can not believe another year is in the books! Aiden has grown so much in so many ways this past year.

Fourth grade is flying by and he has made a lot of progress with his academics. While he is still not able to tolerate a full 5 day schedule, he continues to make gains and his teachers have nothing but positive things to say. His teachers and therapists work so hard to make school meaningful, joyful and accessible. Aiden also does outside tutoring with a fantastic organization that is really helping him catch up.

Aiden is busy with all sorts of activities including outpatient therapies where he continues to work on stroke recovery. He is also in Scouts which has been a really positive and fun experience so far. Aiden continues to do Tae Kwon Do and will have another best test this weekend! This winter Aiden made big gains on the slopes and is now skiing the blue hills! Of course we did some sledding and snowmobiling too over the winter.

We were able to do some traveling this winter as well. We spent an incredible week with family on a boat exploring the British Virgin Islands! It’s every bit as amazing as it sounds! Aiden was absolutely living his best life and we are so thankful for that experience! Over spring break we took a trip to the east coast. Aiden has been obsessed with seeing the Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay so we finally made that happen. Aiden was over the moon with excitement! First we stopped in Ohio and visited the Air Force museum and Hocking Hills.We also checked out the naval base at Norfolk, toured the USS Wisconsin, visited Baltimore, and did the Smithsonian in DC. It was a whirlwind trip!

Aiden will head down to UofM next month to see his transplant team and check on his hero heart. We are hopeful that we will be able to skip his heart cath this year if everything looks good with his imaging, exercise test and labs. Aiden still follows with a lot of doctors, has a lot of appointments, and requires a lot of care. Transplant life isn’t easy but we are incredibly thankful for this chance to LIVE! Thanks to the tireless work of scientists and researchers, the skill and compassion of his medical team, and the precious gift of life from Carrie May and her family, Aiden is living a full and joyful life! Not a day goes by that we are not reminded of how lucky we are. Aiden is our miracle. He is kind and funny, sweet yet mischievous, and full of adventure and fight. We are so very proud of him. ❤️🔥🫀