Day +397

Over the weekend we have done something we have hoped for, wondered about, been anxious about for over a year: we met our donor and his wonderful family!

As I have mentioned before we made contact with Ryan on the anniversary of the transplant.  Shortly afterwords, in one of our phone conversations, Ryan and his mother Linda invited us over for Rosh Hashanah.  The next night we booked the tickets.  I wanted to text Ryan "Now you've done it: the Russians are coming, the Russians are coming!" but my wiser half vetoed that.  With much anticipation we boarded the flight to Austin on Saturday.

The only way I can describe meeting Ryan and his parents and grandmother is that it was like coming home to family.  We already had some indication of what a wonderful family the Zimmermans are - from Ryan's act, from meeting Eric a few weeks ago, from talking to Linda and Ryan.  Yet we did not dare to hope to encounter such genuine warmth as we did in their home.

9/12/15, at Austin airport

It did not take long for the wrestling to commence

Later the same day the boys (Ryan's dad Keith, Ryan, Zev and I) got to go to the UT Longhorns game (that's college football, if you did not know, and it is taken very seriously in Austin!)  The game was awesome, the Longhorns soundly beat Rice to the jubilation of the crowd.  Zev got into the spirit of things immediately.  On the way to the game he was asking whether we are going to be on the team. At the game all Zev wanted to do was get down to the field and kept asking whether he can score a goal.  I guess Eric was right and Zev's blood does run orange now.  At every interception and touchdown Zev gamely high-fived everyone and was delighted by cannons and fireworks.  Like I said, taken very seriously.

9/12/15, at the game, pre-cotton candy

At one point Keith decided to furnish Zev with a giant ball of blue cotton candy.  Zev dove straight in and came up for air a few minutes later with a blue beard and sticky fingers.  As we were getting ready to wash him up, I handed the candy to Ryan.  Zev turned to Ryan and said very seriously: "No eat!"  "Can I have just one bite?" Ryan asked.  "No eat!" replied Zev and wagged his finger.

I am pleased to share that eventually Zev shared the candy and then just about fell asleep shortly after half time.

Epic.  And that was just the first day.  Let me just leave you with a couple more pictures, taken during the weekend:

9/13/15 drinking some amazing wine with our new family

Keith, Linda, Zev, Daniel, Alla, Ryan.

Family