The surgery is over and the transplant looks to be a success. The kidney is starting to work and they're going about the business of rehydrating little Joseph and watching his creatinine levels go slowly down (that's a good thing). He's of course in some pain, but they're managing it. He'll be in the hospital for a while for sure, but this is another step towards his living a more normal life.

Man, it sure is humbling to see such a tiny person go through all of this. My sister and bro-in-law have been awesome through the whole thing too. It's inspiring. There's just so much that I take for granted right now. I have good health and a healthy son. I curl up like a baby when I get a sinus cold and I freak out when my son gets a low fever. Looking at it universally, those are really small potatoes.

Their whole family (Joseph has an older brother) needs to get a free trip to Disneyworld or something after all of this!