Two nights to go. Noch zweimal schlafen.

After that, almost 19 months of a hospital stay will become a thing of the past.

With a lot of help and support, with nursing care, helpers, and therapists, we will learn how to live outside a hospital. Pádraig will be able to go out when the weather is fine. Out on a roof terrace and out onto the street. There will be no more mouth covers, no more protective gowns, and gloves just when they are really needed.

He will have a “standing bed” (though it’ll take a while to get that built and delivered), an exercise bike, a physio table. For the next months we’ll pretend that we’re in a training camp. I will go back running (well, jogging), Pádraig will go back exercising.

From time to time we measure Pádraig’s oxygen level and could observe how it was getting better every day after the operation, especially at times when we were doing exercises with him. So exercise is not only good to keep his arms, legs, and the rest of his body in shape but also good for breathing (as all of us who ‘run’ regularly know:).

It’ll be kind of like getting back your freedom.