Today has been good.  It has been a long time coming and I think we already basically knew what Dr. Koenig was going to tell us, but it didn't necessarily make it any easier to hear.  Based on Cooper's muscle and nerve biopsies taken last year, Dr. Koenig is ready to make the diagnosis of Mitochondrial Disease.  However, we are not going to 100% make that call until after the results from the electron transport chain study that is being run on Cooper's muscle biopsy is back in the next few weeks.  We'll see Dr. Koenig again after those results are in and discuss several other appointments we will have had by then.   We learned a lot of interesting things today while speaking with Dr. Koenig.  She and her nurse were wonderful about taking lots of time to talk with us and answer all of our questions.  They were very ready for us when we got there and that helped a lot.  I think knowing what has probably caused all of this after all of this time is a relief, but it is also a little scary.  While we have read a lot about mito over the years and suspected that this was what had done all of this to Cooper, it is still hard to take it all in.  This could change everything for Cooper.  In fact, it could change the one thing that we have put all of our hopes in to save Cooper - the transplant.  Kim, our transplant coordinator, called this evening after we had gotten home.  She wanted to know if we had learned anything new since we talked last.  I told her about our appointment today and the tests we are waiting for.  She said that she has been wanting to bring us back up to Pittsburgh for a while now, but with the terrible winter weather they have had up there, she hasn't had any of the transplant patients on the waiting list come up for elective appointments.  But now, we will wait and get final confirmation of the diagnosis and then head to Pittsburgh to learn Cooper's fate.  Dr. Koenig says that she feels like the transplant is our best shot at keeping Cooper as healthy as possible and she would recommend going ahead with it.  We are praying and BELIEVING that Pittsburgh will agree and allow us to continue to place our hope in them to bring Cooper his MIRACLE.  It is going to be an even more nerve wrecking wait for these next appointments and results knowing what is at stake for Cooper.  For a long time, Kevin and I wanted to put off this appointment with Dr. Koenig until after Cooper had had his transplant so that there wouldn't be any chance of Pittsburgh deciding they couldn't do it.  But we ultimately decided that we will not do anything wreckless with Cooper's life and we need to know everything about him as soon as we can so that he can get all of the proper care.  God will take care of the rest.  We just pray that His plan will still provide us a way to get Cooper off of TPN, free of a central line, eating, and having as normal a life as possible.  His gut is too far gone to come back, according to all of his doctors.  So his only chance at being TPN and line free is with this transplant.  PLEASE pray and BELIEVE with us that we can carry on with Cooper's MIRACLE as planned and that this new diagnosis will bring a better understanding and better care for Cooper!  And please pray that the "right size and flavor" of organs become available VERY soon for Cooper (that is what his coordinator says when she talks about what is holding up transplant for Cooper - finding the right size and flavor.)!