Look y’all—no tank!

Oxygen tanks have been removed from Pop’s room! The training wheels are off and Sam & Dave are making it happen. That means walking practice is also now supplemental oxygen free. Yesterday Pop did almost a full mile on his own:

While walking, he has an oximeter to monitor his blood oxygen level as he moves and can focus on taking fuller, deeper breaths if the number starts dropping. “I’m learning again to trust that if I inhale strongly, the oxygen will be there,” Dad shared. It’s one of those things that is wild but true—we are in a corner of the universe where the oxygen is always just there when we need it!

And in case you were squinting to see, that is a dirty coast t-shirt he brought to the hospital:

The primary hurdle remaining before discharge is getting Pop’s last chest tube out. His left side is still draining a decent amount of fluid, so the medical team is working on adjusting medications to prevent any fluid retention and help everything dry up. Once that happens they can close his chest cavity up 100% and he will be tube-free. It’s now been 24 days since Pop has been outside, so in addition to oxygen, he is very much looking forward to enjoying real sunshine again!