(Jennie writing. These notes go backwards, from most recent update, up top, to earlier this morning, at the bottom.)

12:15pm Surgery is over! Dr. Pesce just came in to tell us, with a smile. She said she found everything she was looking for, placed a new drain…all good! We’ll see her in about an hour, after the recovery room.

12:04pm Fire alarm briefly goes off. Flashing lights and all. False alarm, one hopes. Faintly hear the words ‘code red’ over hallway intercom.

11:26am First call from OR. Surgery began and everything’s okay so far.

10:58am Here in the surgery waiting room (which is crowded and far less comfortable, in comparison to the previous hospital, with the open spaces and friendly aquarium). Grace’s surgery is scheduled to begin at 11:01.

Grace got a special surprise as she was being wheeled into surgery–her awesome plastic surgeon just happened to be here and came looking for her, to wish her well. Her breast surgeon told us she had an operation with him this morning and he said to her “you better not find any more trouble in Grace’s nodes!” It was the kind of threat we like very much.