Catherine Herridge Is on the Road to Recovery

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Update on Peter and Catherine:

2:30 p.m. ET: I just received this e-mail from FOX News producer Jeff Miller who is at the Pittsburgh Hospital. We will have a more in-depth update tonight at 10 p.m. ET:

Peter had an operation this morning because there was bleeding where the incision took place. This procedure is typical. Peter's doctors said his liver is great: all levels normal. This operation had nothing to do with the liver.

Tonight, we'll update you on Catherine Herridge and her son Peter. Catherine is now out of the ICU... and on schedule. She is in pain but she told me it is manageable pain.

Now that Catherine is out of the ICU, I can speak to her often and keep you up to date. We are sending a producer and video crew to her today to get her on camera so that you can also hear and see her. Her voice is very strong and her spirit likewise very strong. As you might imagine, we are all inspired by this story so it is with great pleasure that we report this story to you tonight.

If we were to air an update at the moment I am writing this, it would be great news. But, as you might guess, circumstances could change quickly... Peter is not yet "out of the woods." Peter is still in his ICU and likely to be there for a few more days. He is still on a ventilator, but this is not out of the ordinary.

Catherine has now seen Peter a few times (and held his tiny hand.) She told me that he is now almost pink (he was yellow due to the bad, very bad liver.) Needless to say, she is thrilled that she could save her sick (now well?) son with a portion of her liver. It has been so difficult the last five months watching her son — he was sure to die in a very short time, but now there is lots of hope and good reason to hope. The signs are good: we all have reason to be optimistic, but cautiously so.

Catherine's husband JD and 19-month-old son Jaime are also with Catherine and Peter in Pittsburgh. From what I can piece together, Jaime has been a good sport, but this has not been easy on him. He is only 19 months old and is not in his home, but a strange environment with a sick little baby brother and a mother who is likewise hospitalized. JD, Catherine's husband, is doing a great job of juggling it all: He is taking care of 19-month-old Jaime and running between two hospitals — one with Catherine and one with Peter.

We have received many, many e-mails about transplants... it is such an exciting part of medicine. Each e-mail about transplants is more exciting than the next. Transplant surgery is giving someone a new life and it hard to get more exciting than that. As I have noted before, the staff (from top to bottom) at the University of Pittsburgh Hospital has been terrific. On Friday, I posted how you could donate money if you wanted to do so. The money does not go to Catherine — she and her family are lucky in that they have insurance, etc., but rather to help others who are going through what Catherine and her family are. Families need financial help since they need to camp out in the area of Pittsburgh for many weeks — pre and post-op — while a child goes through the transplant and post-op care. Incidentally, there is a Ronald McDonald Home there to help, but more help is always needed and welcome.

Thursday night's show aired from a rooftop overlooking the White House — perhaps the best view in all of Washington, D.C.! Most if not all networks use this rooftop because of the view. I have posted pictures today that give you a better idea of the rooftop set and the view. You can also see the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial and Reagan Airport from this rooftop location. Click here to check out the pictures!

Tonight we are on the road. The plan on Friday was that we would do our show from New York City headquarters and all my travel plans were made for a flight to NYC on Monday. But late last night that got changed. I am now headed south — that is the nature of the business: always a surprise, even to us. I hope you watch — it will explain the trip.

Now for some e-mails:

E-mail No. 1

Greta,
I'm so glad Catherine and the baby are doing well. When I saw the clips of his spontaneous smile at his mother as she rubbed his head, my eyes filled with tears. He is a beautiful, happy little boy, and you can see the love between them. What a blessing children are! Please give them our love and let them know they are still in our prayers! And thank you for keeping us updated. I pray for a speedy recovery for Peter and his mom!
Diane Eaton
TX

E-mail No. 2

Hi Greta,
I don't understand why everyone is making such a big deal out of what Catherine Herridge is doing for her baby son. Don't get me wrong — what they are both going through IS a huge deal, but isn't she only doing what ANY mother would do? And if the mother couldn't, the father would. I mean, what parent would decline the opportunity to save their own child? A parent would do ANYTHING for their child. That's how I see it. And of course, my heart goes out to them. I lost three babies myself, and I didn't even get the chance to save them.
Sharon
Madison, OH

ANSWER: I am not quite sure how to answer your e-mail. Are you being critical of our network for putting the spotlight on a news story because it is a good news story? Or don't you like that we spotlight a hospital and medical team that is top notch? Or that we are telling others out there that there are sometimes medical options?

E-mail No. 3

Hi Greta,
How are Catherine and little Peter doing? Reading this story in your blog made me cry, but it is a much happier and nicer story because another baby didn't have to die in order for little Peter to live. Please keep us posted, and let her know that people are praying for them, and people do care.
Thank you!
Idelia M. Roark
Fanwood, NJ

ANSWER: We are going to do an update tonight at 10 p.m. ET.

E-mail No. 4

Greta,
I believe it would be totally appropriate for the news media to tell the American people the "full names" of the personnel at the "Department of Children and Families of Florida" who were responsible for the release from prison of Jerry Buck Inman. They share a lot of responsibility for the crime he committed.
Regards,
John Hawkins
Niceville, FL

E-mail No. 5

Hi,
I can't believe that you would waste my time and airtime on the rescue of two kittens — that is just plain stupid. I would expect CNN or ABC to do something like this but not FOX.
Baylor L Jewell MD
Tupelo, MS

ANSWER: Your e-mail talks about the last 15 seconds of our show on a Friday night. Your e-mail makes me want to replay it. Frankly, with all the death and destruction in our world, I am happy to play the last 15 seconds of our show a tape that makes most people happy.

E-mail No. 6

Greta, love the show. I was not a fan when you first came over to FOX... still held it against you that you were at CNN, I guess, but now I'm hooked. At least you aren't shouting down your guests like one of the other shows. When we're out at night, I have to be home by 9:00 CDT to see "On the Record," but about this health care thing, how dare Congress penalized me for not signing up for prescription drug coverage when I take absolutely no prescription drugs and don't plan on it. I am 70 years old and take some vitamins instead. All they want is to blackmail us into signing up so they can get more (TAX) money out of us. Well, it looks like the threat has worked on most older Americans. Keep up the good work!
Ann McNabb
Certified Clinical Nutritionist
Rockwall, TX

Finally, here's an article that I thought you might find interesting:

• Transplant Surgeon's Daughter Gets Liver

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