Hello everyone!

I hope you all had a great holiday and new year! I sure did! Thingsare going very well for me. I have started my college spring semester. I am taking 9 hours. My courses are Ethics, Federal Government, and Advancing Reading Skills. Advancing reading skills teaches you to read faster while still understanding and remembering what you have read. I love to read but I'd like tobe able to read faster.

So I am now 21 years old! My 21st birthday was awesome! I have had a few alcoholic drinks too. My favorite so far are wine coolers and coffee alcohol drinks. I like fruity type drinks the most, I don't care for beer or straight alcohol though. But Coke and Cherry Dr. Pepper are stillmy favorite drinks.

Yesterday I went to my weekly Dr. appointment and I found that I have gained 8.5 lbs! I now weigh 58.5 lbs. I'm averaging about 1 pound a week. Soon I'll be looking into Weight Watchers! Haha! And I am still continuing PT 3 times a week. And I am also taking my PT trainer's spin class too! He has a bike spin class every Monday and Thursday night and I go to it now. I like it a lot, it is a great workout in addition to my PT.

I'll be back later!

Kyle Hicks

Hello everybody,

Well my 6 month appointment went great! Dr. Wagner and Dr. Tolar were very happy and impressed with my progress and my skin! I told them that I was feeling great and that I'm not in as much pain as I was before the transplant and that my itching has gone down a lot too. They were also happy that I have not gotten sick or had any complications at all while being home. They said that my immune system is doing a lot better too. I can now go out more and be around people more but I should still stay away from people who are sick to be careful. Everyone at the hospital were thrilled to see me. It felt like I had never left! My doctors are now starting on an 8 month old patient and doing the same protocol I had. The protocol I recieved will now be the protocol they will do on patients now since I responded and did so well with it. The trip was awesome and went great! It's like my second home away from home. I hope everyone has a great holiday and Merry Christmas! Really soon I'll be turning 21 years old on January 8th! And my doctor said that I am allowed to drink alcohol too!

Have a great and safe holiday season!

Kyle Hicks

Hello everyone!

Well my mom and I are off to Minnesota today. I'm going to Minnesota for my 6 month check-up! I can't believe it has already been 6 months. I am really excited to see my doctors again and to show them my progress. I'm not completely better yet but I am getting A LOT better and feeling better too! And I'm not in nearly as much pain as I was before the transplant. So, already I'm seeing a lot of changes in my skin and how I feel. I think by my 1 year anniversary check-up I will be completely better! It takes time for the new skin to develop and for my existing sores to heal up but I'm patient (sometimes). I've been noticing changes in my skin and we are also able to leave some parts of my body unwrapped and that's amazing for everyone, especially me. I will be sure to let you all know how my 6 month check-up goes when I get back. Wish me luck for a good report and that there is no bad weather up there! It will be very cold up in Minnesota. Thank you everyone!

Hey everyone,

I am still around and I'm doing great! My skin is getting so much better! We have noticed a huge difference in my skin. We are leaving parts of my skin unwrapped too which is so awesome! So far I have left my right thigh, part of my right arm, my right shoulder, and a bit of my left thigh as well. And my right foot is almost completely healed. That is amazing and so is everything else. Now I wear pant, long-sleeve shirts, and hoodies to keep warm, especially if I go outside because my skin can finally feel the cold air. It feels so funny and cold to me because I'm not used to it because I've always been wrapped everywhere. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I sure did. And my Dallas Cowboys won against Miami. I hope they make it all the way.

Hello everyone,

Today I had a great day. I went out to lunch and a movie with my best friend Lindsay. We've been friends since elementary school. We saw 50/50 which is a really good movie! This last weekend I went to a corn maze. It was a lot of fun and so cool. I couldn't believe how huge the corn fields were! But what wasn't fun was watching the Dallas Cowboys lose once again. Thankfully they are playing the Rams this weekend. Ha-Ha!

I have been working on college work and doing PT and OT. All this keeps me pretty busy but that's okay with me. The weather is getting cooler and I've been wearing sweaters and hoodies! It is freezing to feel the air on the skin that is left out. I'm going have to get used to this.

Kyle Hicks

Hello everyone,

I apologize for not posting for a long time. I'm going to do better.

Lately, I've been doing my college work, OT, and PT. They are really nice and come to our house for appoinments. I do PT at least 3 times a week and OT 2 times a week. So between that and school work I am busy! Plus I've been riding my bike a lot! It's nice that the weather has been cooperating (most days).

I have been having new experieces with some of my skin being left out. The other day I was outside and it started pouring. The coldness of the rain shocked me when it hit my right thigh! I never felt rain on my skin before, it was awesome! But really cold. And speaking of cold, ever since more of my skin is being left out I have been more cold. So, I got some new long-sleeved shirts, hoodies, and sweaters!

I'll be back again soon, I promise.

Kyle Hicks

Hello everyone,

Today I am Day +100! I can't believe how much time has passed. I was really excited today. I am so happy to be home and in my own bed. I missed Sharon a lot! She's happy I'm back too. We will see my home doctor once every week now to take blood and do tests that my doctors need them to do. I've been working hard on my online courses at Butler. I can conentrate better in my own house and environment.

It's been great being back and seeing Wichita again. It was really cool today. I'm glad I missed the terrible heat wave. Thank you everybody for a warm welcome back home. "There's no place like home!"

Tomorrow-Day +101!

Kyle Hicks

Hello everyone!

I am finally going home today, back to Wichita, KS! But before I leave I have a clinic appointment this morning and then we get on our private flight out. I am excited to see Dr. Wagner before we go home too! If it wasn't for Dr. Wagner and Dr. Tolar this wouldn't have happened and I am forever grateful of them both and they will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you Dr. Wagner and Dr. Tolar!

I'm heading to my appointment now and then home!

Kyle Hicks

Hello Everyone!

I had a short surgery this morning.  The doctors took biopsies, removed my G-tube, and my Central line.  They also looked inside my stomach to see how everything was going in there and it was great!  It was quick and all the doctors were happy with how my body is doing.  Overall it was a great day!!

Home is getting very close!

Kyle Hicks

Hello everyone!

I hope everyone is having a great long weekend. We have 9 mores days here in Minnesota! We leave Monday, September 12. It's been a real relaxing weekend but slow moving. On Tuesday I have my G-tube and Central Line taken out! It will be a small operation. While doing that they will also do biospies and photos. This should make the week go by faster.

I hope everyone has a good weekend!

Kyle Hicks