Strong Little Firefighter and Best Friends Heart Journey

Chapter 5

Hot shot was sleeping still from the anesthesia from his heart transplant. Hot shot was laying in the CICU. The doctors were monitoring him closely. It had been several hours. Then Hot shot started to wake up slowly.

Hot shot opened his eyes and saw his parents. "Hot shot your transplant was a success," Heatwave told him.

"You have a new heart now," Quickshadow said. "You will have to rest for a while and be careful of what you do for a while," she said. "You will soon feel like playing in no time, but you have to rest for a while first," she said. "You will be tired and sore for a while like from your open heart surgeries but other than that you soon have energy you didn't know you had," she told him.

Hot shot was unable to talk at the moment due to the tube in his mouth. He felt sick, tired and sore. Dr. Dreyer came into the room to check on Hot shot. "Okay he's doing well so far," Dr. Dreyer said. "We need to keep an eye on him very closely for the first year, and then we will continue on with seeing if the clinical trial is working," he said.

Hot shot soon went back to sleep. Hot shot didn't feel like doing much like talkin or eating. He just felt sore, tired and sick. Over the next few days Hot shot began to feel better. The nurse removed the tube that was helping him breathe. Hot shot was able to breathe without the tube.

"Water," Hot shot said.

"Here go," the nurse said give him a cup with straw. "Go nice and slow," she told him.

Hot shot sipped at the water and felt the dryness in his throat go away. "Much better," Hot shot said. He was getting hungry. He ate some Jell-o feeling much better.

Hot shot was then moved to the cardiac step down unit. Hot shot was using his special heart pillow on his chest to help with the soreness of his surgery sight.

Heatwave and Quickshadow learned about the donor of Hot shot's heart. The heart belonged to a little boy named Tony who died from an abusive baby sitter's injuries the night before Hot shot's transplant.

"Who gave me their heart?" Hot shot asked.

"Hot shot the heart you got belonged to a little five year old named Tony, and Tony died from injuries caused by an abusive baby sitter," Heatwave said.

"That's sad," Hot shot said.

"It is, but his family chose to give you his heart and his other organs to other kids to help them," Heatwave said.

"I want to meet them and do something for them," Hot shot said.

"We will think about that later first you must recover," Quickshadow said. "You need to be stable from a transplant stand point before any of that can happen," she said.

Hot shot's friends also got their heart transplants in the coming days. Hot shot was still recovering from his. Hot shot was feeling his strength returning. He was feeling more energetic too. He didn't know what it was like to have so much energy.

But he was reminded until his surgery sight is healed he must take it easy. Hot shot was hoping it would be soon. Hot shot was still getting the IV of the special medicine of the clinical trial. Hot shot was also taking his anti-rejection medication to help. Hot shot was hoping it was going to work out.

After a few more weeks Dr. Dreyer came into the room. "Hot shot you can leave the hospital now," Dr. Dreyer said.

Hot shot was super excited to be leaving the hospital. Hot shot was able to leave the next day. Hot shot and his parents were staying a hotel in order to be close to the hospital.

Hot shot had many check ups during that time to make sure he was doing well after transplant. It was soon June. It was a full three months after his transplant. He could go back to his house now. But he still needed his regular clinical trial infusions to help in the trial.