UW Testing Day

Mike and I got out of bed at 4 a.m. this morning to get down to UW Hospital in Madison by 7 a.m.  Last night it snowed and we had some freezing rain so the backroads were a little slippery, but once we got to the highway it was smooth sailing.  The day began with registration and signing up for UW's new "palm scan program".  From now on whenever I go to UW for any visit to the Clinic or Hospital they can simply scan my palm and all of my medical records will come up!  I thought we were advanced at Marshfield Clinic with our electronic medical records, but we don't have palm screening!  After Mike asked if they could also read my future, the registration attendant told us that when they first adopted the system they handed out fortune cookies to everyone who registered.  Cute idea!

The next stop was checking in to the transplant clinic.  My coordinator Chris was on vacation this week, so another great gal Jan met us at the door and got us started.  She laid out the very busy plan for the day and gave me information on all of the specialists I would be seeing.  Then it was up to the lab for insertion of my IV line and the first blood draws.  After taking 8 tubes of blood the phlebotomist then took out the largest syringe I have ever seen.  It was 60 mL in size.  To put it in perspective, a typical bottle of eyedrops that you buy in the store is 10 mL.  She filled that entire syringe up with my blood!  That particular blood will be used for tissue typing.  After that I got to drink a sickly sweet bottle of Glucola, which tastes similar to a flat version of McDonalds fruit drink.  I headed into X-ray and had a chest x-ray done and then off to Cardio for my EKG.  Then it was back to the transplant clinic to meet with the social worker.  Rebecca was an energetic woman who spent quite a bit of time talking to Mike and I about transplants in general and how I came to the decision to donate a kidney.  We also spent some time talking about the new swap/paired exchange program that we are hoping to be enrolled in.  After we were done with Rebecca we stopped in the central area of the hospital/clinic that is called Main Street.  There we picked up a snack and a diet Coke that I was able to drink after I headed back to the lab for my 2 hour glucose blood draw.  I was hungry from fasting all night so that snack tasted good! 

Jan met us at the lab after my blood draw and took us over to meet Dr. Connelly, the health psychologist who works with the transplant teams.  She spent quite a bit of time analyzing me and then moved on to Mike.  Okay, she didn't really move on to MIKE, but rather moved on to talk to Mike about ME!  We certainly didn't have enough time to psychologically analzye Mike :-)  After she took copious notes on my mental state she turned us back over to the transplant clinic.  There we met Karen Kritsch, the nutritionist for the clinic.  This was the 2nd time I actually met Karen as she was also the nutritionist who talked to us when we were at UW with Lonnie in August.  She gave me my cholesterol and blood sugar numbers, along with my BMI.  I am proud to say that they were all excellent -- even though I certainly can't say that there is anything I do to make them look so good!  Just blessed I guess!  (By the way, if you would like your own autographed copy of these numbers, be sure to let me know before I get them mounted and framed for my living room wall.  HA!)  After that we were introduced to Dr. Vijay Vidyaspazar.  (Nope, can't pronounce it!)  He is a medical nephrologist.  He reviewed my medical history and did a brief physical on me, although he didn't look in my ears since he couldn't get the otoscope to work.  I promised him that I can hear perfectly fine!  After that we were told to wait for Dr. Janet Bellingham, one of the transplant surgeons.  We were excited because things were clipping along quite quickly at this point and we both had visions of sitting down to a decent dinner before heading home to the boys.  After we had been waiting an hour Jan stopped back in to let us know that Dr. Bellingham was running behind, and it was another 45 minutes until she finally made it in to see us!  But that was okay -- we both had books to read and the downtime was nice.  Dr. Bellingham reviewed the surgical procedures with us and showed me my CT scan that I had done at Froedtert Hospital back in May.  It was cool to see my kidneys and have her show me exactly where they will be performing the surgery.  Dr. Bellingham also did a short physical.  She was very nice and certainly seemed to be quite competent and knowledgeable.  Following Dr. Bellingham I had a brief visit with Franny, the donor advocate.  Her job is to simply look out for me.  She does not ever have any contact with the recipients themselves.  I made it to my 3:00 CT scan with 5 minutes to spare.  After drinking 2 large glasses of water and waiting 30 minutes, I underwent an uneventful contrast dye CT.  Then we made a quick pitstop to the Culvers drive-thru and headed for home, arriving back here right at 6:00.  It was good to be home!

Probably the most interesting part of my day was taking the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory.  This is a 567 true/false question inventory that is designed to detect personality abnormalities, depressive disorders, social and behavioral defects, psychopathic deviations, and other mental illnesses.  They gave me the test in the morning and had me work on it during any spare time I had.  Some of the questions made me laugh right out loud!  For instance, "I do not have a great fear of spiders", "I often feel good down inside when people who make me mad get what is coming to them", "I worry about earthquakes".....I guess if the questions are funny then maybe it means I am normal??

Now we just wait for test results.  Chris should be calling me next week.  The transplant team meets the first Thursday in January and they will have to clear me as a donor.  After that I believe they will need to clear Lonnie again since it was August when he was last there.  Hopefully they will be able to do that without him making another trip to UW.  If all goes well we will hope to be placed into the paired donation database soon!  Then....more waiting and certainly more praying!

Happy Birthday Lonnie!!

Today is Lonnie's birthday!  He and Ginger stopped in to see me at my office after he got some blood drawn today.  I gave him a 5x7 framed photo of the picture we had taken together that you can see at the top of this blog.  I was sure to tell him that I just knew he wanted a framed photo of me displayed in his house :-)  It continues to amaze me how well he is doing overall.  He just hangs in there -- even though I know the dialysis and all of the doctor's visits can be incredibly overwhelming!  So Lonnie -- hold tight and keep the faith.  Your real birthday present is yet to come!!

Next Wednesday, December 22nd, Mike and I are scheduled to spend the entire day at UW Hospital.  Starting at 7:00 a.m. I will be poked and prodded, scanned and surveyed, and hopefully given the A-OK to enter the paired donation database.  Chris called me Friday and explained to me that because this program is a whole new venture for UW(and all of the other transplant centers), they are planning to start by placing one donor/recipient pair into the system.  They are just days away from doing that.  As soon as they know that they understand the system and all the kinks are ironed out, they will "dump" all of the other pairs they have ready into the system.  She told me that they want to get Lonnie and I in as soon as possible.  Once we are in the system we just wait and see what happens.  Once every 4 weeks the computer runs the program nationwide and searches for possible matches.  If we get a match they will let us know and we can complete the steps necessary to make the transplants happen!  It is so exciting to be a part of this brand new program.  The estimate is for an additional 2,000 to 3,000 kidney transplants to be completed nationwide EVERY year once this is up and running!  That is just incredible!!

So, stay tuned.  It is our hope that the best is truly yet to come!!

Another Chance

At 5:30 tonight I received a call from Chris, our transplant coordinator at UW Hospital.  I was so surprised to get the call -- especially at 5:30 on a Friday evening!  I had not talked with her since the day in August when she called to let me know that Lonnie and I could not do our surgery.  Tonight she told me that she was calling with the news that UW was planning to "go live" on a national kidney swap program in December.  She was calling to see if Lonnie and I were interested in being listed in the database.  Well...OF COURSE!!

For those of you unfamiliar with a swap(or paired) donation, let me take a minute to explain it to you.  When a donor and a recipient find out they are not a match for each other they can choose to be paired up with another "non-matched" donor and recipient pair.  In this case Donor A would donate a kidney to Recipient B and in exchange Donor B would donate a kidney to Recipient A.  Although this sounds like a great idea, up until now they have only been able to compare donor/recipient pairs within centers -- not between centers.  And even then they have had to try to make the connections all by hand.  It could take a transplant coordinator weeks to match up one pair with another so the chances are finding another pair were very slim.  The great news from Chris today was that now there is a computer program that has been designed to do the work much more efficiently.  It also allows centers to share information on their donors and recipients, thus greatly widening the pool of available pairs. 

Once Chris found out that I was definitely still on board she needed to call Lonnie and make sure he was okay with the plan as well.  Of course he said YES!  So, the next step is to get all of my physical testing done at UW Hospital.  I had all of these tests done at Froedtert Hospital back in May, but never had them done at UW.  Due to the 6 month time lapse and the fact that UW never did the testing themselves, they will need to be repeated.  Then Lonnie will be re-assessed to make sure he is still healthy enough for transplant.  If all works out we will get listed in the national database.  Then....we wait.  Chris says that Lonnie and I would definitely still have surgery at UW and the organs would be flown wherever they needed to go. 

So...we possibly have another chance at this kidney thing!  We are cautiously optimistic tonight!  Of course we know that it is possible that we will not find another pair, but we indeed have renewed hope.  Prayers are certainly appreciated!

Update....Still Waiting

Tonight I decided it was time to finally update my blog.  Believe it or not, after months of writing whenever I felt the urge(which was quite often), I just could not bring myself to sit down and write.  It still seems so unreal to me that we travelled this incredible journey that seemed to come to such an abrupt end.  Lonnie still waits for a kidney and I still struggle to understand the reasons that all of this happened.  I have had so many people ask me how things are going, whether or not I still have two kidneys, and if the surgery was a success.  My heart breaks every time I have to tell someone that the surgery never happened.  But then I think back to the day that we found out Froedtert Hospital cancelled our surgery.  We were devastated.  We couldn't understand the reason why we would get so close and then be rejected.  It was only after the genetic testing was done at UW Hospital that we realized if Froedtert had done the surgery it surely would have been a disaster.  The rejection rate would likely have been almost 100%.  What we had considered to once be a huge disappointment turned out to be a blessing.  A blessing in an incredible disguise!  So that is what helps me understand why this has happened.  We cannot begin to know the future.  We don't know what will happen with Lonnie and the search for a kidney.  But we know that whatever is in the future, God is already there.  He has already laid out the plans for all of us.  And THAT is what allows me to trust that His plans are so much bigger than we can even imagine. 

Since my last posting three people have agreed to be tested for Lonnie.  The first person was not the correct blood type, so he was ruled out right away.  The second person was tested and found to not be a match.  And we await blood results from the third person to see if perhaps she will be a match.  Thanks go out to all three of these people who were brave enough to step forward and say, "I'll do it".  They are all heroes in my book.  And Lonnie also continues to wait on the deceased donor list.  We hope he moves up that list quickly of course, but it is always sad to know that someone has to die in order for a kidney to become available.

As far as the bracelets go...WOW!  What a fantastic response!  People are so incredibly generous.  I have watched as my sons put their bracelets on every day and ask if they have to remove them to go play in their football games.  I have watched our varsity football coach wear his on the football field(and they are moving on to playoff game #3 this Saturday!).  I have seen the generosity of my hairdresser and Swiftwater Ice Cream shop in Nekoosa as they have both sold bracelets at their businesses.  I have had people just walk up and hand me money and tell me to keep the bracelets to sell to someone else.  And I received a check from someone who paid $100 for one bracelet.  So I thank all of you who have bought and worn your bracelets.  I will wear mine every day until Lonnie gets the kidney he so deserves.  All of the money is safely tucked away in an account.  As soon as Lonnie goes for surgery the money will be given to them to spend for expenses.  What an huge relief it has been for them to know that they will not need to worry about money when the time comes. 

Please continue to pray for Lonnie and his whole family.  They need strength and hope now more than ever.  The wait can be so hard.

Praying for Another Donor

It has been over a week and a half since I found out I could not be a donor for Lonnie.  Although I am still incredibly disappointed, I continue to have a tremendous amount of faith that a donor will be found.  There has been some talk of some of Ginger's relatives getting tested and I am just praying that will happen.  The more testing that is done, the more likely the chances of getting a living donor.  In the meantime he will wait on the list.  The list is such a bittersweet one -- knowing that someone had to die to give life is always a sad thought.  But I am so incredibly proud of every person who makes the decision to be a donor before death and of every family who carries out the deceased person's wishes after they die.  Earlier this year my friends Chris and Carol lost their dear son Brent.  Brent was a 10 year old who was a polite and friendly kid and it tore us all apart to think that Brent was gone forever.  But even amongst their grief Chris and Carol made the painful decision to donate Brent's organs.  Brent died, but in return others could live.  I think that is pretty incredible.

As far as the "Hope For Lonnie" bracelets, the response has been overwhelming!  Thank you to everyone who has bought one from Kellie, Janel, or I -- or from anyone else who has so graciously offered to sell them for us.  Thanks to all of your support, Lonnie and Ginger will not have to worry about their expenses around the time of the transplant.  Kellie has started an account at Bullseye Credit Union where she works and it already has a very nice nest egg!  I need to take the time to publicly thank my dear friend Jolene who was my "business partner" in the bracelet endeavor.  I couldn't have done it without you Jolene!  And to anyone who still would like a bracelet, please let one of us know.

Several people have asked me if I would consider being a donor for someone else now that I cannot do it for Lonnie.  I have to admit that it would be very difficult to say no now that I see the incredible need for donors out there.  But I do want to be sure Lonnie gets taken care of as well.  So I will just wait and see if anything comes my way for now.  All I can do is pray about it, right??

God's Plans Are Not Always Our Own

Chris called today at 5:00.  The committee that reviews the genetic markers and blood testing met at 3:00 today to discuss our case.  The lab has been spending time doing extensive testing on the DQ7 genetic marker of mine which seemed to be incompatible with Lonnie's antibodies.  After reviewing all of the results, along with our case, UW has decided that it would just be too risky to transplant my kidney into Lonnie.  The risk of rejection is too high and Chris says that rejection in Lonnie, due to his age and vascular issues, could be a disaster.  They have also decided that the desensitization process in him would also be just too dangerous.  That was devastating news for me to hear, but I am so thankful that UW does this extensive testing.  As I said before, other hospitals do not test for this and rejection would be almost certain if they moved forward. 

So...what does this mean for Lonnie?  Well, all it truly means is that he cannot have MY kidney.  It does NOT, however, preclude him from receiving any other kidney that might be available.  There is still the option of another living donor and he will also stay on the list to receive a kidney from a deceased donor.  And the good news is that he has already built up quite a bit of time on that list as UW never dropped him when he originally was transferred to Froedtert.  In fact, he has almost 2 years of time built up.  That is good news as the average wait time is between 2 and 3 years on the list.  The other option is a process that is called paired donation.  This means that if another donor/recipient pair were to be rejected they can compare our bloodwork with theirs.  If a match was found, I could then donate to that recipient and their donor could give to Lonnie!  Amazing, isn't it?  I had to decide whether to consent to this today, which I certainly did.  Chris told me that finding those people is sort of like finding a needle in a haystack, but it certainly does happen.

On a happier note, the bracelets we have for sale are flying out of our hands.  We have raised quite a bit of money so far and will continue to do so.  Lonnie will still need a transplant and the expenses will still add up.  Now more than ever the phrase on the bracelet, "Hope For Lonnie", is certainly true.

A sad time indeed, but it still is not the end of the road!  Lonnie and his family will never leave my life and I will never leave theirs.  We have a bond that cannot be broken.   And if a paired donor situation should arise that UW determines will be good for us -- I will be there!  And if Lonnie ends up with a transplant from a deceased donor -- I will be there cheering him on!  I just ask you to pray for Lonnie and Ginger tonight and for their whole family.  He is the one who is sick -- not me -- and our goal is get him well soon so he can enjoy life the way it is meant to be enjoyed!

And to Lonnie and Ginger -- "Never stop believing, hoping, and praying.  That is what has brought us this far.  I love ya!!" 

The Waiting Continues...

Chris called me from UW this afternoon around 5:00.  She explained that the lab has to do further testing on my blood to determine whether or not this DQ gene is going to be an issue.  Apparently the lab is taking me out of the freezer(or at least my blood!) and running more tests in the next couple of days.  There are two different variants of the gene that I could potentially have -- if I have the first variant, it is not a problem and we could proceed with the transplant process as planned.  The second variant however could pose a problem.  Chris explained that this genetic testing is really quite recent.  Just a few years ago it was not even known that this gene could cause problems.  But now through the miracles of modern medicine, not only have they identified the gene, but they have found a way to help decrease the odds of rejection due to the mismatch.  So, if this second variant does indeed exist we will have to consider the desensitization process.  Desensitization will make it less likely that Lonnie will reject my kidney, however the rate would still be 25-35% higher than if this genetic variant did not exist(that rate is for UW, the national rate is more like 40-60%).  However, without desensitization the rejection rate would most likely be 100%!  Just think, before they knew about this gene there were rejections that occurred that possibly could have been avoided.  The desensitization process would consist of Lonnie visiting UW 3 times per week for a week or two prior to surgery to have plasmapheresis -- a blood filtering process that would remove the antibodies from his system that would likely attack the foreign kidney.  So it would add trips to Madison, along with the knowledge that rejection would be more likely than it would be without the variant.  So Chris told me I need to consider that as well.  But as I have told Lonnie and Ginger before, I am here for the long haul!  And as Chris said tonight -- there are just no guarantees in transplant surgery!  Even a "perfect transplant" can be rejected.  So now we wait...again!  Chris hoped to maybe have answers from the lab by Friday. 

Tonight Lonnie and Ginger's daughters Kellie and Janel met me at their house around 5:30 p.m.  Lonnie and Ginger thought we just all "happened" to stop by to visit.  But in reality we were there to tell them about the bracelets.  After giving them each one I broke the news to them that we were selling the bracelets and all of the money would go towards their expenses for the transplant.  They got emotional, as I think we all did!  They are extremely grateful to everyone for purchasing and wearing the bracelets.  Kellie's son Riley immediately took several and went around the neighborhood selling them.  Within about 1/2 hour he had sold a dozen!  I think he might be in the running for "Salesman of the Month"!

You may have noticed my updated picture.  My friend Jolene mentioned to me that she thought everyone needed to see a picture of Lonnie -- so here it is!  The picture is from tonight at their house.  I had just arrived home from Packer training camp, where I treated my kidneys to a day of family fun.  Lonnie changed into his Packer shirt so we would match for the photo!  For those of you who don't know Lonnie, I hope you are glad to finally put a face to the name. 

A Major Hurdle Cleared...and the Bracelet Story

Today Chris called Lonnie and Ginger around 4:30 to tell them that the surgeons have cleared Lonnie for surgery!  He is cleared for our live donor surgery, and will also be placed on the waiting list for a deceased donor.  That is just done for precautionary purposes.  Tomorrow morning Chris hopes to have the final results from our blood work.  Tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. the committee will convene to discuss the bloodwork and any barriers the DQ gene could possibly be causing.  There is a possibility that it will not be a problem at all -- and that is what I am choosing to believe!  If all goes well, we can then set up my donor evaluation, which will hopefully just be a formality.  But today's victory was a big one.  In order to clear Lonnie for surgery two things needed to happen.  First, his cardiologist, Dr. Rezkalla(Marshfield Clinic), needed to send a letter stating that he feels his heart is healthy enough for surgery.  He did that on Friday.  Second, Dr. Mezrich(UW Hospital transplant surgeon) needed to get his colleagues to agree that our case is a manageable case.  He did that today!  What a relief it is to know we have gotten past that point. 

The second thing to happen today was the arrival of the bracelets!  A few weeks ago, my dear friend Jolene and I were discussing what we could do to help Lonnie and Ginger with the expenses that they will incur during their time at UW.  Jolene and I have been friends since Kindergarten, so we have been through a lot together!  She has been such a huge support during this journey.  We came up with the idea of ordering bracelets, similar to the Lance Armstrong Livestrong bracelets, and selling them to people.  Not only would this raise money, but it would also serve as a visual reminder for people to think of Lonnie and hopefully pray for the whole situation.  We scoured the internet to find a place to order the bracelets from.  We finally settled on a place in Texas after they cut us a deal.  We decided to get them in green, which symbolizes organ donation.  Then we thought hard about what to have written on them.  We settled on "Hope For Lonnie", which was simple and said it all!  I placed the order and they told me the bracelets would arrive this Tuesday.  Today Jolene was here visiting from Green Bay for a few hours.  She had been at her mom's birthday party yesterday and came by to see me before heading back home.  I had been tracking our order and saw that the bracelets were in Milwaukee this morning.  Wouldn't you know it -- while Jolene and I sat visiting on my back deck the DHL delivery guy showed up on our front steps with the bags of bracelets!  What great timing!  So, now we have 1000 bracelets to sell -- 700 adult sizes and 300 youth sizes.  We are asking for a donation of $1.00 per bracelet.  ALL money raised will be given to Lonnie and Ginger.  If you would like one, please get in touch with me and I will be sure you get one!

On a final note, you may remember from an earlier post that I mentioned a patient of mine who is expecting a granddaughter soon who will be born with only one kidney.  This patient was in my office telling me about this while I was waiting on the results from Lonnie's cancer tests.  As she was talking to me I could hear my office phone ringing.  That turned out to be the call with the great news of "no cancer"!  Well, she was back in about a month ago and I was filling her in on our cancelled surgery at Froedtert.  At that time she said, "Well, maybe you will find something out from UW on or around the time my granddaughter is due."  At the time I thought that seemed so far away.  However, when Chris called today she said we will have our answer on the bloodwork no later than Wednesday morning.  And yes, you guessed it...the granddaughter is due to arrive on Wednesday!  Isn't God great?  I love His perfect timing.  The bracelets arriving in the three hour span Jolene was here...the baby being due the same day we should have answers....He never fails to amaze me!

The Dairy Queen Gene

It has been over a week since we visited UW for Lonnie's evaluation.  Today I sent an e-mail to Chris to see if they had heard anything back on our bloodwork, even though I thought it might be a bit premature.  She said it was funny I e-mailed because the lab had just called her regarding us.  She relayed that the antigen match was fine -- we matched 1 out of 6 antigens and that is not a problem.  (On a side note, Froedtert tested for 8 antigens and we matched 2 -- Dr. Mezrich explained to me that some places test more antigens, but only 6 are truly important).  The only concern on our bloodwork was that Lonnie's blood did not seem to like one of my genetic markers, specifically DQ7.  I can only assume this is the Dairy Queen marker, although I cannot for the life of me figure out why he would not like that!  So anyway, the lab now needs to place a "value" on the dislike.  If he only dislikes my DQ by a little, then it will not be a problem.  But if he dislikes my DQ by a lot then we will need to sit down and talk with UW on how to proceed.  There is a procedure which can be done called plasmapheresis.  In this procedure a machine filters blood and removes the antibodies that react against genetic markers.  At the precise time they feel the antibodies are adequately removed, the transplant can be performed.  The entire process is called desensitization.  Desensitizing Lonnie's blood would make it much less likely that his body would reject my kidney.  Interestingly enough, this process can only be done on recipients with a living donor as the timing has to be precise -- something that would be nearly impossible with a wait-list donor.  Chris did say though that we will not even know if this is a concern until we get the final lab report.  Hopefully that will be by early next week.  On Monday the surgeons are slated to meet to approve Lonnie as a recipient.  They will need cardiac clearance from his cardiologist first though, which still has not come through.  Assuming they approve him they will then need to meet on Tuesday to discuss our antibodies -- and see if Lonnie decides to like DQ! 

It seems like we spend a LOT of time WAITING!  But Chris from UW has been just incredibly great at keeping us up to date on what is happening, so at least we know where we stand.  That makes the waiting much more bearable.

On a wonderful side note, Zeke was released from Mayo today -- three weeks after receiving "Chloe", his new kidney from Sarah.  He is doing great and the surgeon says he could not have hand-picked a better kidney for him!  Sarah returned to work this week as well and continues to recover nicely!

Stay tuned....I have an exciting opportunity for you all to help out in a small, but significant way in the near future....I will post more in the next couple of days!

The Surgeon's Name is What??

At 6:23 a.m. this morning Lonnie, Ginger, and their daughter Janel arrived at my house for our trip to UW Hospital in Madison.  As many of you know, I am not a morning person!  But this trip had me excited, so I had no problem leaving so early.  We arrived at UW Hospital at about 8:30 a.m. and checked in for our 8:45 a.m. appointment.  The first step was to complete admissions information, which Lonnie and Ginger took care of while Janel and I sat and chit-chatted in the waiting area.  Then the admissions gal took us down one floor to the Transplant Clinic.  We sat there for quite awhile until they took us back into the room that we would stay in for the next three hours while several folks from different specialties came in to see us.  The first couple of people got Lonnie updated in the system and took his vitals.  Next we were visited by a nutritionist who discussed the type of diet that Lonnie should be following now.  Because his dietitians in Marshfield have been doing a stellar job, she did not have much new to tell him!  After that the social worker came in and spent about 1/2 hour talking with us about financial, social, and emotional issues that Lonnie and his family have faced up to this point and will likely face in the future.  The next person on the agenda was Lynn, one of the transplant coordinators at UW.  She was filling in today for our usual coordinator, Chris, who has been so spectacular in helping us out with getting established at UW(actually in getting Lonnie re-established since he was originally at UW before his insurance company balked and sent him to Froedtert!).  Although Lynn was a great person to talk to, she didn't have much for new information since Chris has kept us up-to-date on the happenings so far.  She did, however, give both Lonnie and I our lab orders that we would need later in the day.  At this point I glanced at the surgeon's name that would be seeing us today -- his name??  JOSHUA!  Same as my oldest son!  I told them it MUST be another sign!  Dr. Joshua Mezrich is his full name.

Shortly after Lynn left the room, Dr. Mezrich(or Josh, as I like to call him) entered the room.  I could tell right away that I liked him.  He was a younger guy and had a smile on his face.  And of course the fact that his name was Josh was a bonus!  Dr. Mezrich reviewed Lonnie's case and asked him a few questions.  Then we girls left the room while he gave Lonnie a very brief physical.  Then it was time to review the dreaded CT scan -- the scan that made Froedtert scream and run the other way!  Dr. Mezrich brought it up on his computer and took the time to explain exactly what we were looking at.  He then showed us the areas where there is some plaque build-up on the vessels around the kidneys.  He explained that this can be a problem because placing the clamps during surgery can dislodge the plaque and cause blood clots in the legs.  He also said that of course the blood flow could be a little more difficult to the new kidney.  But then he said the words we were waiting to hear...."This will be a bit challenging and a little higher risk, but I am confident I can do it."  HALLELUJAH!!!  We all smiled when he said that....and so did he.  He told Lonnie that the fact that he has a living donor is especially important in this type of case because the excellent health of the kidney will lower the risk of problems long-term.  He answered so many questions from us and was so very patient.  We then asked if he would be Lonnie's surgeon.  He said it would depend on the scheduling, but we could request him.  We said we would definitely do that! 

In the end we both got blood drawn -- Lonnie won the "tube battle".  He had 7 tubes drawn and I only had 3.  Next week we will find out the results of our compatibility testing -- it should match Froedtert's results, but they wanted to be sure.  We finished up with Lonnie's chest x-ray.  Dr. Mezrich will need to present our case to his colleagues and be sure they all agree that it can be done, but he says they have definitely seen worse cases so he is pretty confident they will agree.  He did mention that they may take Lonnie back first during surgery instead of the tradition of taking the donor back first.  He wanted to do this just to ensure that they didn't have any surprises once they opened him up.  If all the blood work comes back okay and his colleagues approve Lonnie, then they will set up my evaluation. 

At UW Hospital as you enter their transplant clinic they have a darkened area with a wall full of names.  On this wall they have the name of every living donor who has donated a kidney at their hospital -- all lit up in different color lights.  How cool is that??  I am of course excited to have my name on that wall -- and Lonnie of course is jealous that he does not get his name on that wall!  Poor guy.

We finished up the day with a late lunch at Chili's.  What a great experience and a message of hope today was!!  We did indeed feel like we were celebrating!  Thank you all who are praying for us and following our story.  You are an inspiration and a wonderful support to us all!

The Pulse

Yesterday Sarah and I had an article published in our Marshfield Clinic's internal newsletter, The Pulse.  I will include the link at the bottom of this posting in case you would like to read it.  I once again have to thank Steve Thayer of our Corporate Communications department for getting our stories out there.  Sarah and I are so grateful to have our stories told in the hopes it will bring the subject of organ donation to light.  Steve also included a link to my blog in the article, so to anyone who is a new reader of my blog, WELCOME! 

Speaking of Sarah, she is doing well, but having some problems staying hydrated.  It sounds as though this is a pretty common issue after donation.  Prayers are appreciated for her!  We are getting together for lunch on Wednesday again.  I cannot wait! As for Zeke, he is doing great!  His doctors continue to be amazed at how wonderful he is doing.  He is meeting all sorts of people at the Gift of Life Transplant House where he and his wife are staying and hearing so many incredible transplant stories.

As for Lonnie and I...well, we are truly looking forward to our trip to UW on Tuesday.  And we both found out we don't have to fast before coming down, so we can eat as much as we want!  That is a bonus!  It sounds like it will be Lonnie, Ginger, and I...and possibly their daughter Janel...making the trip.  I told Mike he might as well stay home with the boys this time since this visit will mostly concentrate on Lonnie.  Our appointment is for 8:45 a.m. that day.  Again, prayers are always appreciated!!

Here is the link to the article....http://www.e-pulse.info. 

And We Have A(nother) Date

Lonnie and I are going on another date -- to UW Hospital this time.  Next Tuesday, August 10th, we will visit UW to have Lonnie's evaluation and my bloodwork.  We will likely spend the entire day at UW as Lonnie will have to have most of his original testing redone.  As much as this might sound like a pain, we are willing to go through anything if it means we are one step closer to transplant!  After that day they will run my bloodwork and review all of Lonnie's tests.  As long as everything looks okay, we will proceed with my evaluation.  Of course we could face more bumps in the road, but we will take those as they come.  We are optimistic that we are on the right path, and we are so grateful to UW for giving us a second chance!

Today is my husband Mike's birthday.  I want to take a minute in my very public blog to thank him for walking this journey with me.  He has laughed with me, cried with me, listened to hours of my "kidney talk", and he rallied behind us when we decided to get another opinion.  So Mike -- I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a wonderful husband and dad to our kids.  I couldn't do life without you.  I wouldn't even want to try.  I love you and wish you a very happy birthday.

And The Answer Is.....

I was on the golf course today participating in the YMCA golf outing with three of my fellow co-workers from Marshfield Clinic.  (Notice I say participating and not golfing because my game today was almost not worthy of being called golfing!)  Anyway, about 3:00 p.m. my phone rang and I saw that it was Lonnie and Ginger's number.  I answered and Ginger started making small talk with me.  Then she said..."hang on a minute".  I had a feeling she was getting Lonnie.  Sure enough...Lonnie came on the phone.  He said, "Jill??  Madison said they don't see a reason why we can't move forward!"  Or at least that is what I THINK he said!  We were both laughing and overwhelmed by emotion!  Chris had called from UW just a few minutes earlier and said that the committee had reviewed our case and they don't see any problem with scheduling an evaluation.  Apparently they are not as concerned about the medical issues that had shot down the deal with Froedtert.  It was so exciting and thrilling!  When I got home tonight I had an e-mail from Chris telling me basically the same thing that she told Lonnie.  After I calmed down my golf game even started improving!

So what happens next?  Well, UW would like to repeat the evaluations that Froedtert did.  Sure it will be a lot of the same testing, but we don't care.  As long as they are willing to do it, we are willing to go through it!  We should know in the next few days when the evaluations will be scheduled.  If they cannot get them on the same day, I will likely still go down with Lonnie and Ginger so we all hear the same information.  Plus I want to share in the excitement of the day!

I want to say a big thank you to each and every one of you who have been praying for us and thinking of us through this whole process.  You will probably never know just how much it means to us.  We all feel so loved!!

Prayers Always Welcome!

Today Sarah and Zeke underwent a very successful kidney transplant at Rochester Methodist Mayo.  Zeke's daughter Amy kept me updated all day with texts and e-mails.  I am so appreciative to her for that!  As of 6 p.m. tonight Sarah was moved into her room.  Zeke was going to be ready for visitors around 8 p.m.  What a miraculous day this was for them!  I am so thrilled that all went well and they are on the road to recovery. 

I also received an e-mail today from Chris, the coordinator at UW in Madison.  She informed me that our case would be going before committee on Monday.  They will look at all of our records and decide whether they are willing to further evaluate us for transplant.  This is the moment we have been waiting for over the past several weeks!

So now I ask once again for prayers...prayers for Sarah and Zeke to have smooth recoveries -- and that Chloe decides she likes her new home(Chloe is the name Sarah gave her kidney).  And I humbly ask for prayers for Lonnie and I.  Prayers that the right decision will be made by the UW team...and that we will accept that decision, whatever it may be.  Of course I would love to tell you to pray that they will accept us for transplant evaluation!  But maybe that isn't God's plan -- so I just ask you to pray whatever is in your heart.

To Whom Much Is Given...

Today I was listening to CNN Headline News on my satellite radio when the news anchor started talking about Tony Hayward, the CEO of BP.  Hayward is stepping down from his post as the head of the company who was responsible for the Gulf oil spill.  He will take with him a severance package worth $1.6 million and a pension of $17 million.  Immediately I thought of Luke 12:48, which basically says "to whom much is given, much will be expected"(and on a side note, I did not know where in the Bible that was located -- I had to look it up!).  There are many different versions of this verse -- but that is the basic premise.  I must admit that I have always thought of this verse as applying to finances, and I certainly did in the Tony Hayward situation.  Mike and I have been very financially blessed in our lives and we try to share that with others less fortunate whenever we can.  However, I know there is so much more we could do -- and imagine what we could do with Tony Hayward's sort of money!  Last September Mike lost his job. The economy has been tough and jobs are not plentiful in our area. But God has shown over and over again this past year that He will indeed continue to bless our lives. For example, Mike's unemployment was set to run out this week. Then late last week Congress voted to extend unemployment. So yes, I think God even speaks to us through Congress!
But right after I thought of that verse in regards to money, Tony Hayward, and unemployment, I realized that it certainly should apply to all areas of our lives.  For instance, as I have said before, I have been blessed with great health so I feel like I should share that.  But then I realized that God actually EXPECTS me to share it!  Not just that he thinks I should...or would be happy if I would...but actually EXPECTS it!  Then I started thinking about all the other areas of my life.  And yes, I think God does indeed expect that we will share what he has given us.  Time, money, friendship, skills, talents, love...and even kidneys. 
 
"To whom much is given, much will be EXPECTED."

15 Minutes of Fame

This week I got to enjoy my lifetime-allotted 15 minutes of fame.  Sarah and Zeke and Lonnie and I had our stories featured in the Marshfield News-Herald and the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune.  Both papers had different pictures, but unfortunately the Daily Tribune picture did not show up online -- and that was the better picture of us because the Marshfield paper does not really show Sarah's face.  We did, however, make the front page of both papers.  Not sure if they were hard up for news or if we are really that important :-)  Also this next week our Clinic plans to feature our stories in our weekly internal newspaper, the Pulse.

I joke about the fame, but in reality I am so happy that the stories are getting out there so that we can spread the word about organ donation.  As of the minute that I am writing this, 85,562 people are waiting for a kidney in the United States.  The average waiting time for a kidney is anywhere from 3 to 5 years.  Donors are needed -- both living and deceased.  Now I completely understand that living donation doesn't fit into everyone's idea of a perfect way to spend a month off of work!  But if you haven't done so, please even consider signing your driver's license to be a donor after you are gone.  I have heard people tell me they don't think they are healthy enough to be a donor.  You might be surprised as to what they can do with organ and tissue donation!  And if you want more information on living donation, please feel free to let me know.  I don't have all the answers, but I can help you find them.  I can't stress to you enough that I am an ordinary person who happens to be blessed with great health. 

Still in the waiting period with UW.  We are hoping this next week will bring some answers...

Here are the links to the newspaper stories..and also a link to a website you might find interesting or helpful:

http://www.wisconsinrapidstribune.com/article/20100724/WRT0101/7240621/Kidney-donation-makes-Marshfield-Clinic-employees-friends

http://www.marshfieldnewsherald.com/article/20100723/MNH0101/7230411/-1/archive

http://www.unos.org/

Meeting Sarah

At noon today Sarah and I met at Anchor Bay in Biron for lunch.  As I was pulling up to the restaurant I saw her walking in.  I knew right away it was her because I had seen her picture on her Caring Bridge page.  On the way over there I wondered what we would do when we saw each other -- handshake, hug, polite nod??  I felt like I already knew her because of our e-mails and the very similar feelings that we shared with each other.  When I walked in Sarah was talking with the photographer who had been sent by the Marshfield News-Herald to photograph our meeting.  She turned around and we instantly hugged.  The photographer was quick enough to snap a photo of this.  After that he took a few posed pictures of us and some of us sitting at the lunch table talking.  As soon as he left we started chatting -- and didn't stop until it was past time for me to get back to work.  Now as any of you who know me well could attest, I never really have any problems talking!  But this was different.  Sarah and I talked about the feelings we have had throughout our experiences so far.  We also talked about the reactions of people we have encountered -- from our recipients, families, friends, co-workers, acquaintances, etc.  It was simply amazing to me how alike we really are!  We have had so many of the same feelings and reactions.  I found myself wondering if other donors feel the same way -- or if we just shared a very common bond.  Sarah is having surgery next week and she talked about how emotional she is getting now that the surgery is just one week away.  She also talked about her excitement.  We laughed at how other people just don't seem to understand how we can be so excited about having surgery!!  The lunch hour was over way too quickly and we know for sure we will get together again.

Tomorrow should be the day that the Marshfield News-Herald will run the story of Sarah and Zeke and Lonnie and I.  They are hoping that the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune will pick up the story as well.  Either way, I will post a link to the story here when it is run.  I also received another e-mail from Steve Thayer in our corporate communications department today.  They are going to run a story about both Sarah and I in our internal Clinic newspaper.  We are so excited about the publicity we are getting -- not for our sake, but for the sake of getting the word out about organ donation.  If we can let people know that this is not scary and ordinary people like us can do it, then maybe somebody will decide to donate.  Even one person would make it all worth it.

As far as our case goes, UW does have all of Lonnie's records except for his CT scan from Riverview Hospital.  Riverview was going to send that out today.  The plan at UW is for them to take the CT to their committee and see how they feel about the blood vessels.  This is the area that Froedtert was concerned about.  After UW reviews the CT they will let us know what they think and we will take it from there.

So...prayers please for the review of records at UW and for the surgeries of Sarah and Zeke next Thursday!

Interview

Today I gave an interview to Molly Newman from the Marshfield News-Herald.  Amazingly, Molly found out about our story through a Google alert that led her to my blog.  Steve Thayer from Corporate Communications at Marshfield Clinic then set up the interview between us.  Molly is also planning to interview Lonnie and Sarah for the story.  And I am excited to say that this Thursday I am going to have the distinct pleasure of meeting Sarah!  I can't wait to talk to another donor and hear her entire story.  We have exchanged many e-mails and so many of the thoughts and experiences we have had so far are very similar.    Molly is also going to send a photographer to snap some photos of Sarah and I having lunch to include with the News-Herald story.  Sarah and I are hopeful that our stories will help people understand that this process is not scary.  We also hope it will encourage even one person out there to consider whether they might be an organ donor.  We have really become donor advocates as we have each walked our journey.

At this point we have no updates from UW.  Hopefully we will know more this week.  PATIENCE has certainly become my new motto....but HOPE still reigns!

It's Not About Me...

I wanted to update you all on the case of Sarah and Zeke.  Sarah is my fellow Marshfield Clinic employee who is donating her kidney to her friend Amy's dad Zeke.  As you may have read in a previous post, Amy's husband Tim and I also went to optometry school together in Chicago.  We thought that was an incredible connection, but I think we had a connection much deeper than we even realized.  As I said before, July 13th seemed like such an important date to Lonnie and I.  It was the date our surgery was scheduled...and it was the date that my calendar page talked about kidney transplants.  At the time I thought that was my reassurance that our kidney transplant was definitely going to take place.  When we got cancelled I just could not figure out why July 13th would have seemed so significant.  Then when we connected with UW I thought perhaps July 13th would be the day UW would want to evaluate one of us.  As the date got closer and I knew things were moving slowly with UW I knew that could not be it either.  As it turned out my thinking was entirely too self-centered.  I never imagined that the date could be in reference to someone else's case.  Then along came Sarah and Zeke.  Since Zeke had some recent medical problems, he needed to again be cleared for their transplant.  His date to see the transplant surgeon was indeed July 13th.  And yesterday, July 13th, Zeke was cleared for his transplant. 

How often do we look at the things God is doing around us and assume that they must be related to our lives in some way?  How often do we ask God to do something for us without regard for what someone else may be experiencing?  How often do we look at our own struggles and fail to look at the world around us?  If we choose to look around us, how often would God use the events in our lives to enrich others?  I am sure finding that out.  And I think it is pretty darn cool.

Bittersweet

Today was supposed to be the day.  Transplant day.  July 13th was the day I thought it was all going to happen.  And then it didn't.  I have wondered so many times in the last couple of weeks why all of the signs pointed to today being the day...and then it wasn't.  I cannot begin to answer that at this point, but I bet someday I will understand the true reason.  The day was bittersweet.  I found myself looking at the clock all day thinking things like, "right now we would've been driving to Milwaukee"..."right now I would be checking in to the hospital"..."right now would have been surgery time"..."right now I would be in recovery".  But I cannot choose to dwell on those thoughts.  Tomorrow is a new day.  This morning I faxed in consents for both mine and Lonnie's records to be faxed to Chris at UW.  Things are happening.  Over and over hope springs eternal.

Today was the day that Zeke, the kidney recipient I told you about in my last post, was to find out if his surgery will still go on as scheduled.  I have not heard from his daughter Amy or his donor Sarah yet, but I pray that all went well.

Today I had lunch with two great friends, Lisa and Sheryl, to celebrate Lisa's birthday.  They don't even know how much I needed a good lunch with the girls.

Today was a good day.  Life is good...God is good...all the time.

Amazing!

Friday morning at work one of my technicians Terri came to me and told me she had to tell me something.  She said that she never watches television in the mornings while she is getting ready for work.  But Friday morning for reasons she isn't even sure of she turned on her t.v.  Channel 9 news was on and they were in the middle of a story about a Marshfield Clinic employee who was donating her kidney to a friend's father!  I immediately went on Channel 9's website(http://www.waow.com/) and looked up the story.  Sure enough, Sarah Gregory, who is a Physician's Assistant, is donating her kidney to her friend Amy's dad.  I e-mailed Sarah right away through our Clinic e-mail system.  She e-mailed me right back telling me that she already knew of my story through Steve Thayer, our media relations specialist at the Clinic.  She was planning to e-mail me after she read my blog.  Then Sarah told me that her friend Amy's husband is actually an optometrist in Minnesota!  Last night when I got home I had an even more amazing revelation waiting for me.  In my Facebook message box I had a message from Amy Bergmann Hurley.  She asked if I remembered her husband Tim from ICO where I went to optometry school.  Of course I remembered Tim as he is a good friend of Troy Moats, who was a good friend of my roommate Trish!  And yes, his wife Amy's dad will be receiving a kidney from Sarah.  Wow!!  What an unbelievable day!  I couldn't even fathom the relationships which we already had within this circle -- Tim and I went to school together, Sarah and I both work for Marshfield Clinic, Amy and Tim had lived in Marshfield at one time, Tim and Troy are friends and Troy was friends with my roommate Trish -- in fact, Troy and I are also Facebook friends.  Since I do not believe in coincidences, I knew this was from God!  Sarah and I are hoping to get together and meet in the near future.  I cannot wait to hear her story from beginning up until now!

Sarah and Amy's dad Zeke have their surgery scheduled for July 29th at Rochester Methodist Hospital(Mayo Clinic).  Unfortunately Zeke had to have a hernia operation and developed an infection.  On Tuesday he will have fluid drained from the site of the infection.  If there is still infection there they may have to delay their surgery.  I would ask that you keep them in your prayers.  Not coincidentally, Tuesday was the day that Lonnie and I were originally scheduled to have our surgery -- and the day you may remember from my calendar page. 

As far as we are concerned, UW called Lonnie on Friday and they are updating all of his information.  I need to get my records transferred over to them and then we will start the entire process over again it sounds like.  I am just happy they are willing to give our case a chance. 

If you would like to read either Sarah or Zeke's CaringBridge pages, they are as follows:
www.caringbridge.org/visit/sarahgregory
www.caringbridge.org/visit/zekebergmann

You will likely not be surprised to see that the word boldly emblazoned across the top of Zeke's page is....HOPE!!

The Joy of Giving

A couple of people have asked me lately if I have thought about the fact that even if UW approves the surgery it is certainly going to be a more risky surgery than originally thought.  This theoretically would lower the odds that the surgery would be successful.  I have even been asked if I would reconsider donating knowing this new information.  I know for sure that I would not reconsider, but wasn't really sure how to explain that to people.  Tonight I thought of it this way:

Let's say I have two beautiful vases full of flowers in my house.  They are both providing me a great amount of joy, but there is really no reason why I need two of them.  A friend of mine does not have any flowers in their house and their life would surely be enriched by them.  So I tell them I will gladly bring over one set of the flowers for them to enjoy in their home.  Now let's say I find out that I will need to transport the flowers over a bumpy road to get to my friend's house and the vase may break on the way.  And even if I do succeed in getting the vase over there in one piece there is a chance my friend may not have enough sunlight in their house.  And there is the possibility that the flowers might not get watered as much as they would at my house.  There is even a chance the flowers may fail to bloom at all over there.  So...what should I do?  If I keep the flowers I will continue to enjoy them, but my friend will still be without the joy that flowers can bring.  If I give the flowers there is a chance that my friend will be able to enjoy them as much as I do and I will still have my own flowers to enjoy.  And if I give the flowers, but they do not flourish -- at least my friend will always remember that I cared enough to try to enrich their life.  And if I give, isn't it truly me who will benefit the most?  There really is no such thing as a selfless act.  The joy of receiving will never hold a candle to the joy of giving.

Having said that... I am not crazy, I do realize that giving a kidney and giving flowers are certainly not the same.  But that is the best way I can explain it.  To me it is worth the possible bumps in the road to try to allow my friend to live the best possible life he can.  I cannot give with restrictions.  A gift is a gift.  I will joyfully share what I have if it is possible that his life can be enriched.  I will never regret that I did everything I could possibly do. 

Hopefully we will hear from UW in the next couple of days.  Until then, thank you again for your prayers and thoughts.  Your words truly mean the world to both my family and Lonnie's family.

There's That Word Again...

Today my co-worker Jean was handing out Dove Chocolate Promises to each of us.  She opened hers up and inside it read, "Here's to something more powerful than chocolate.  Hope."  Of course I asked if I could take the wrapper home since that is my word of the week!  Then today I got in my car and turned on my XM Radio to the comedy channel.  I pressed the button that tells me the name of the current comedian who is performing.  Her first name was....you guessed it....Hope.  Next week we will hear from UW as to whether our hope of a transplant can come true.  But I realized today that even if the transplant never happens, we can always have hope.  Hope for a longer life, hope for a new cure for kidney disease, hope for an everlasting friendship, hope for no pain, and hope for the future...whatever it may hold. 

Wednesday afternoon and again this afternoon I stopped over at Lonnie and Ginger's after work.  We spent time sitting outside in lawn chairs talking.  Lonnie was telling me all sorts of stories about his younger days and their early years of marriage...including a story about the teenagers who broke into the reception hall before their wedding and got into the beer!  How precious it is to spend time getting to know Lonnie and Ginger better.  How blessed I am.

Connecting With UW

Today I was on UW's website again and saw there was a place where you could send an inquiry about their kidney transplant program.  So I wrote a short comment telling them what our situation was and how to contact me.  Within an hour I received an e-mail from Chris, the coordinator that Lonnie had originally been set up with at UW before he was switched to Froedtert.  Ginger had tried to call Chris yesterday, but she was on vacation until Tuesday.  Well, it turns out Chris was e-mailing me from her vacation!  She asked me if I could give her details as to why Froedtert had decided the surgery was too risky.  She probably didn't want the long answer to her short question, but I gave it to her!  Within another hour she e-mailed me back to say how sorry she was that this had happened to us.  Then she promised to look into it as soon as she gets back next week.  She will then let Lonnie know what she thinks we can do from here.  I couldn't believe that she was contacting me during her vacation!  I told her I liked her already! :-)  It is just so nice to know that someone is going to at least try to do something for us.  Hope.  That's what we have.  And it feels good.

Tonight I took my kidneys to the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters game and the Rafters won!  What a great night at the ballpark!  Hopefully the kidneys won't be going there as a pair for too much longer! 

Hope Springs Eternal

Last night I was looking for answers -- any answers.  I started researching UW Health(UW Madison's healthcare system) online.  I found the page on kidney transplants.  Once again, as has happened so often throughout this journey, I couldn't believe my eyes.  There is a section on their website entitled "Why Choose UW Health For Your Kidney Transplant?"  About halfway down the page, here is what I read:

"UW Health Transplant consistently leads the nation in patient outcomes, despite taking patients whose conditions are so complex that other centers may not consider them for transplant."

Sound familiar?  WE have a case that another center will not consider for transplant!  Could this be another sign?  Not sure.  But for some reason I discover all of my signs after 11 p.m. -- much too late to call Ginger!  So I called her at 8:00 a.m. today to tell her what I had read.  Little did I know that she was ready to tell me that they wanted to seek another opinion as well.  It turned out that their coordinator at Froedtert had left a message for them late yesterday afternoon saying that the doctor said that if we wanted to go to another transplant center they would be happy to transfer our records.  So today Ginger called UW.  The coordinator she needs to talk to is out of the office until Tuesday, however she decided that she will call back tomorrow and see if someone else can help us.  The funny thing is that Lonnie was originally at UW, but due to insurance reasons he had to change to Froedtert.  Since then his insurance has changed and he can now go back to UW. 

What would we have if we didn't have hope?  God gives us hope when we choose to believe in Him and put our faith in Him.  It is a new day.  We have a renewed sense of hope.  God is good.

Defeated, But Not Broken

I sit here and write this with tears in my eyes.  I waited until the end of the day to write so I could gather my thoughts.  Today Lonnie was told that the surgeons at Froedtert have reviewed his CT scan and he has a vessel disease that they feel would cause a transplant to be too risky.  They have cancelled the surgery with no plans to reschedule.  Of course their family is devastated and I am distraught for them.  We were so close and now it will not be the case. 

So now we are left with wondering why this has happened.  Why did we have to get to this point before this happened?  What is God's true plan?  Are we missing something?  I can not say that I know any of these answers.  I am as confused as anyone else at this point.  All I can do is pray, be patient, and ask God to show us what the meaning behind all of this is.  I can not honestly believe that all of the signs, all of the reassurance, all of the emotions have meant nothing at all.   I did mention to Ginger that perhaps they should consider seeking a second opinion at UW Hospital.  If they choose to do this I will be right there by their side.  And if by some miracle he could have a transplant, I will be right there to donate my kidney!

Lonnie this is for you -- The bond we have formed is so very precious.  We have built a bridge between us that nobody can tear down.  You and I will always be true friends because of the joy you have brought to my life.  You have given me the opportunity to really get to know myself.  You think I was giving you a gift, but you have given me so much more.  You allowed me to come into your life and give you hope -- but you gave me hope too.  In the words of one of my favorite singers of all time, Garth Brooks, "I could've missed the pain...but I'd have had to miss the dance".  Thanks for dancing with me Lonnie.  This isn't the end.  I promise you that.

Waiting Once Again...

This afternoon about 3:30 I spoke with Elise, my donor coordinator.  She said the entire transplant team was going into a meeting at 4:00 today to discuss our case.  She said she isn't 100% sure what is happening, but she thinks it is just a precautionary measure on the part of the surgeons and everyone involved.  Lonnie just found out on Friday that his tests all came out fine, but Froedtert likely didn't get the official results until today.  Elise says they are super cautious and didn't want to do the pre-op until they are sure they can give us the go-ahead on surgery.  She said that so many different people have been communicating down there, but until now they have not sat down in a room together and truly all discussed the case.  They need to be sure everyone in on the same page and can express their opinion.  She said nothing could be worse than getting to surgery and finding out that one of the surgeons didn't know something about the case or feels uncomfortable.  I can completely understand their need to be absolutely sure everything is in order, however I will not hide the fact that this is very frustrating for both Lonnie's family and my family.  When I talked to Elise today I expressed some of those frustrations,  She is so very empathetic and has been a great coordinator for me.  I truly appreciate her! 

So, at this point I am hoping to hear something tomorrow morning.  Elise promised to call to tell me the outcome of today's meeting.  I am once again struggling with the reasons behind all of this uncertainty.  But I do know that God has a plan that will all make sense in the end.  And I STILL believe that this surgery will indeed happen....I will even go so far as to say the 13th is still the date I believe in.  Prayer is so powerful and I know it has brought us this far.  Please continue to pray if we come to mind. 

Unlimited Faith

This will just be a short post.  Tomorrow we were scheduled to head to Milwaukee for our pre-op admissions testing.  Today at 11:30 both Lonnie and I got calls from our coordinators telling us that they are cancelling tomorrow and deferring the surgery.  The surgeons are concerned about being sure everything is just right before they do the surgery.  Since Dr. Unwala saw a spot on the bladder when he saw Lonnie the surgeons are concerned.  Dr. Unwala told Lonnie on Friday however that the spot was fine and not cancer.  SO, we are hoping this is just a precautionary measure on the part of Froedtert.  They were going to call Dr. Unwala to talk with him about it.  We are both waiting on further calls from Froedtert at this point.

I was starting to think I had used up every ounce of faith I had on this rollercoaster of emotions -- but I know that I have an unlimited amount!  I truly still feel this surgery will take place as planned.  Please keep this in your prayers -- I will update as soon as I know more.

The Power of Prayer

Today I was at work and seeing a patient a little after 10:00 a.m.  She was telling me that she was going to be a grandma soon and that they had discovered through a routine ultrsound that the baby girl only has one kidney.  I proceeded to tell her my story and how I was waiting on news.  She said, "Maybe I am your sign that it will all be okay".  From inside my exam rooms I can hear my phone ring in my office.  While she and I were talking I heard my phone.  It rang two short rings each time, which told me it was a call coming from outside the clinic.  When I got done with her I walked back into my office.  Ginger had left a message at 10:05 a.m. asking me to please call her back.  She sounded very sober and not necessarily like a person with good news.  With my heart beating quickly I called their house.  Ginger answered and immediately put Lonnie on the phone.  He said, "Jill?"  I said, "yes"  He said, "IT'S NOT CANCER!!!!"  Then he started crying -- and so did I!!  It turns out he just has a cyst on his kidney.  Wow.  What a tremendous feeling.  Lonnie said he wanted to be the one to tell me so Ginger did a great job of not giving it away on the message!  Praise the Lord!!  He is good -- all the time!!

Tuesday we go for pre-op testing at Froedtert.  For now, we celebrate the power of the prayers of people that we know -- and many who we don't know!  Thank you all.  Your prayers mean the world to all of us.

Just over two weeks until my left kidney is no longer mine -- and I couldn't be happier to give it away.

Shifting Momentum

You know that moment in a baseball or football game when you can literally feel the momentum shifting and the team that was losing starts to gain ground and come from behind?  That is how I felt today.  After a ton of despair and heartache yesterday, my discovery of the calendar page last night started the shift of momentum.  I can literally feel God working now.  I can see that His plan is not always my plan -- and I need to let Him take over the controls.  I am reminded of a phrase I saw not long ago that says, "If you want to hear God laugh, just tell him your plans!"  How true is that??

Lonnie saw his dialysis doctor(Dr. Campbell) today.  Although Dr. Campbell doesn't know for sure what the plan is, he did say that they are not sure how to proceed with the testing.  Lonnie cannot have contrast dye as it will destroy any kidney function he has left.  A PET scan that would normally be used to look for cancer requires contrast.  There is talk of doing an MRI, but Dr. Campbell, Dr. Unwala, and Dr. Ewert(nephrologist) need to get together and decide what the best route of testing will be.  Once they decide it will hopefully be just a day or two until he can get in.  Dr. Campbell did say he feels that if this is cancer they caught it in time.  So IF it is cancer Dr. Unwala will likely remove the kidney and then we would have to wait 6 months to be sure the cancer has not spread.  If it has not, then we could hopefully proceed with the transplant.  If it is NOT cancer(which I still believe is the case), then we can proceed as scheduled.  At least that is the word from Dr. Campbell today!  So hopefully answers are on their way!  I just thank God for the skilled doctors and staff who have the training and expertise to know how to handle this situation.  I think this is a very unique situation that they don't come upon every day, so they are really putting their knowledge to the test!

Tomorrow morning I have a very important meeting with the Personnel Review Committee at Marshfield Clinic.  They are going to review my proposal that the Clinic adopt an Organ Donor Leave policy.  I am hopeful they will see this as a worthwhile policy and strongly consider it.  As a leader in the healthcare field I feel adamant that we should be making it as easy as possible for our staff and doctors to take the time off to donate an organ or bone marrow.

Today my kidneys just went to work with me.  Tonight they enjoyed pizza and the movie "The Proposal" with my wonderful husband.  It was good to laugh! 

The Ultimate Test of Faith

This morning I walked out into my waiting room to see Lonnie and Ginger sitting there waiting for his labs to be done.  I went over and talked with them and found out he needed to go to Marshfield today to get a stomach x-ray due to problems with his dialysis catheter.  I mentioned that maybe Dr. Unwala could see him today instead of Wednesday to save them a trip.  Of course we wanted to hear what Dr. Unwala had to say about the mass on the kidney, but then again did we really want to hear?  One of my technicians, Jean, graciously offered to call Dr. Unwala's office(bless her heart) and see if they would move Lonnie's appointment to today.  Dr. Unwala agreed to see him at 2:30 p.m.  A little bit after 5:00 I called Ginger to see what they found out.  She said it was not good.  Dr. Unwala is pretty sure the mass is cancerous.  I was crushed.  My first thoughts were of Lonnie and his health, which I so desperately want to be good.  My second thoughts were that of anger and a bit of distrust of God.  I'll be honest -- I was mad at Him!  How could He bring us this far only to crush our hopes?  What about all the signs?  Did I imagine them all?  I felt like I was led astray -- like nothing made sense anymore.  I also felt like I had gotten Lonnie's hopes up -- only to have them crushed.  And then I hung onto the hope that Dr. Unwala did say he COULD be wrong.  So he could be, right??  I mean doctors are wrong all the time.  But I must admit that I was heartbroken and my faith was in danger of heading downhill quickly.  Ginger said Dr. Unwala was setting up more tests -- hopefully for later this week.

I made it through the night at Josh's ball game and tried to keep a smile on.  After we got home and got everyone settled I was talking to my sisters on Facebook and I simply lost it.  I crawled into bed with Mike and sobbed in his arms for a good 20 minutes.  How could this be happening I wondered?  Had I done Lonnie a huge disservice by offering him hope where there might not be any?  Would it have been better if I had never offered to be tested? 

A few minutes ago I got up out of bed and went into our bathroom.  We have a perpetual calendar in there that has a fact, story, or joke for each day.  Generally they will be related to that particular date.  I suddenly had the urge to look at July 13th, our scheduled surgery date.  I could not believe my eyes.  Here is what JULY 13th says, "Random Fact of Origin...On June 17th, 1950 an Illinois surgeon named Richard Lawler removed a kidney from a donor who'd been declared brain dead moments earlier and transplanted it into a 44-year-old woman named Ruth Tucker....."  It goes on to talk about the transplant and rejection, etc.  It didn't matter to me what the rest of it said however.  My faith is restored.  Just that one simple sentence and it was restored.  God DOES have a plan!!  Why would there be a random fact on July 13th about something that happened on June 17th?(Which is Josh's birthday, as you might recall from an earlier post)  I often read ahead on the calendar when I am bored, but I had never even glanced at July 13th before.  As always, God's timing was perfect.  My faith is indeed restored -- and I needed to share that with you all tonight.

Kidneys went to Chicago over the weekend.  Hopefully that is the last time my left kidney will go there without Lonnie.  Please pray...please keep the faith.

Another Bump in the Road

I really struggled with whether or not to write this posting.  I was hoping we would simply get this problem resolved and I could skip this part of the story and nobody would be the wiser.  But tonight I knew I had to write it.

Wednesday afternoon Ginger called me.  I could tell right away that something was wrong by the tone in her voice.  She said that Lonnie had a CT scan done that day and they found a mass on his left kidney.  They said it could be a fatty tumor, but it could also be cancer.  She was told the transplant would have to be cancelled.  I was simply in shock.  How could we come this far only to have it all fall apart?  Was that even possible?  After several minutes of frantic conversation and a little silence between us we hung up and promised to call each other on Thursday when we each hoped we would know more.  Thursday morning I called Elise right away at Froedtert.  She had heard what was going on and reassured me that they would not cancel the transplant, but simply put it on hold until they had the results of any testing that would be done.  The date of both the pre-op(June 29th) and the surgery(July 13th) would stay the same as of now.  I felt better talking with her, as she is a rock and a voice of reason.  I spoke to Ginger that morning, but she had not heard any more.  Friday I talked with Ginger again and the news sounded a bit more positive.  She was now told that the transplant was not cancelled(but put on hold) and that if they found a tumor that was enclosed in a sac, they could remove the kidney and still do the transplant. 

Wednesday Lonnie is scheduled to see Dr. Unwala -- ironically, you have already met Dr. Unwala in this blog -- he is the "HAPPY BANANAS" doctor that I saw when they were ruling out any bladder problems with me!  He is a great doctor and so very thorough.  I feel better knowing Lonnie is in his hands. 

So, the reason I was not sure if I should post this is because I feel like I walk a very fine line between telling my story and invading Lonnie's privacy.  But tonight as I was getting ready for bed, at midnight -- late as usual, I just knew in my heart that I needed to write.  If there was ever a time for prayer, it is NOW!  Please pray for Lonnie.  I am simply positive that this transplant WILL take place.  God has reassured me of that.  But Lonnie can sure use your prayers.  And Ginger too.  They need peace and reassurance more than anything.  And of course we all need good news!  This journey has been about faith from day one.  And I sure do have it -- but it has been tested over and over and your prayers will keep it intact.

I will keep you posted.  In the meantime, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

What a Nice Surprise!!

Today I was done with patients around 4:30 and was just finishing up some charts for the day when my front desk called back to tell me that Virginia Jelinski(aka Ginger) was there to see me.  I started to walk up front and Lonnie came walking out of the lab and headed to the waiting room -- he didn't see me.  When I got out there Ginger gave me a big hug and got tears in her eyes.  THEN the hug came from Lonnie -- we embraced and didn't let go for quite awhile.  We both had tears!  Then my appointment coordinator Sherri called out, "hey, you are all going to make me cry!".  You see even though Lonnie and I live in the same town I had not seen him since before I was tested for compatibility.  All of our talking had been done over the phone.  This was the first face-to-face meeting since we knew the surgery would definitely be taking place, and it was an emotional one!!  Lonnie has lost quite a bit of weight and is tired -- especially in the afternoons.  Every night while he sleeps he is hooked up to a dialysis machine.  Just 29 short days from now he will be able to get rid of that machine and hopefully start returning to his normal life...and put some weight back on!!  Right now his diet is very restricted so it will be good to get him back to eating again.

As far as me, I have been eating just fine! :-)  I think my kidneys appreciate it.  Today we went to Isaiah's ballgame.  Tomorrow night I am taking my kidneys to Bunco night!  There is so much laughing and talking that goes on there that my left kidney will probably be happy this is the last Bunco night it will ever have to attend -- well unless Lonnie takes up Bunco!

Feeling good tonight!!

The Case for Organ Donor Leave

I was so excited in my last post about actually getting my surgery scheduled that I neglected to mention what happened on Wednesday afternoon.  As you may have read in an earlier post I have asked the Marshfield Clinic to consider adopting an Organ Donor Leave policy that would make it easier for potential donors to take time off work without lost wages.  The Personnel Review Committee(PRC) had graciously agreed that they would place the item on a meeting agenda for June or July.  Wednesday afternoon Human Resources called me to tell me that the next PRC meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 23rd at 7:30 a.m.  They have invited me to be there(by phone actually since we work in different buildings) to speak about the merits of such a policy!  I am so proud of them for even considering the implementation of this!  At Marshfield Clinic we have over 800 doctors and over 6,000 staff members.  We are a nationally and internationally recognized clinic and this policy goes along with our mission of excellence in healthcare to all.  So, if you get a minute on the morning of June 23rd, and it happens to come to mind, please say a little prayer that the committee will consider recommending this policy to our board of directors.  It is a fact that many people considering donation see finances as a barrier to going through with the donation.  Anything we can do to remove that barrier should be considered.

I also failed to give an update as to where my kidneys have been travelling the last couple of days.  On Wednesday I took them to El Mezcal.  I believe I may have heard my right kidney mocking my left kidney as to how it may not get to have as much Mexican food once it is in Lonnie's body.  We also have been watching a LOT of baseball, although kidneys tend to hide at baseball games because there is always a chance of getting hit by a stray ball.  And to celebrate our scheduled surgery I did buy them one of my very favorite candies -- Milk Duds! 

Feeling blessed!!

It's a Date!!

At 2:15 today I got a call from Elise telling me that our surgery could be Tuesday, July 13th.  I didn't hesitate at all to say that sounded great!  So, the plan is to do the surgery on that afternoon.  My time in the hospital will probably be a few days.  I will then be off work for approximately five weeks.  Lonnie will have to stay in the hospital longer -- how long exactly will depend on how his recovery is going.  Hopefully he will have a relatively short stay as well.  I called Ginger this afternoon to let her know.  She told Lonnie that I wanted a date with him on July 13th and that I wanted him to wear a suit and tie.  He immediately said, "I suppose she wants flowers too!"  Well...of course :-) 

Once again things worked out great as my staff all has vacations planned starting that week and ending approximately 4 weeks later.  Now we won't have to worry about getting fill-in help from other areas of the clinic.  Also, the Nekoosa baseball tournament is scheduled for the weekend before my surgery, so I will get to go to that and help out with the weekend.  And I would be neglectful if I didn't mention that July 13th also happens to be my dear friend Lisa Lancour's birthday!

It is so great to finally have a date set in stone.  Now we can work on logistics.  Lonnie and I need to go together to Froedtert one or two weeks before the surgery for our pre-admission testing and to meet our surgeons.  I suppose that technically means the surgery will be our SECOND date! 

Thank you to all of my friends and family for your support, kind words, and love!  I couldn't do it without you!!

Still Waiting On A Date...

Elise had hoped to call me today to set up a date for surgery.  I did not hear from her by 1:00 and I know the transplant team meets all afternoon on Mondays-- so, hopefully tomorrow we will connect and get the date set in stone. 

Today I took my kidneys to Mt. Olympus in Wisconsin Dells with Josh's class for a school field trip.  I didn't want to exercise them too much, so my girlfriends and I just spent the day lounging by the wave pool.  I thought every day I post from now until the surgery I can tell you the fun times I have been treating my left kidney to before I say goodbye...and also the extra treats I have been sharing with my right kidney before I make it work overtime.

Stay tuned...the best is yet to come!

Stamp of Approval!!

This is the most exciting post I have done to date on this blog.  Today at 5:00 p.m. Elise called me from Froedtert Hospital to tell me that the transplant team met today and approved our case.  The transplant date can now be set!!  What a call to receive!  Wow -- I can't even begin to put it into words.  Relief, joy, excitement, accomplishment....all the feelings came over me at once.  I was at Isaiah's baseball game at the time of the call.  The teams were just warming up so Mike was on the field helping coach -- I had to wait a bit to tell him.  So I called my parents first.  Then I called Lonnie and Ginger.  Ginger answered and I told her I was calling to ask her husband out on a date -- I told her I thought maybe we could go to the hospital for our date.  She said, "did you get approved?"  I replied "yes I did!"  She told Lonnie and he yelled, "Really??"  We talked a bit longer and then I said, "so is Lonnie happy?"  Ginger said, "well he has tears in his eyes!"  I didn't know whether to cry or laugh at that thought :-)

As you have probably gathered from the above paragraph the cystoscopy testing I had done this morning turned out just fine.  In fact, the urologist says my bladder is "shockingly normal"!  Imagine that.  He was quite an entertaining doctor and was a real treat to see.  He is from the Bahamas and at one point during the exam he was happy to hear something his assistant told him -- so he said, "well, HAPPY BANANAS!!"  I may adopt that phrase.  I have never heard that one before -- maybe that is a Bahamian saying?

So come Monday Elise will call me back and we can talk about dates for the surgery.  She said the biggest challenge is being sure both transplant surgeons are available at the same time.  Lonnie and I will each have our own surgeon since they will have to do both surgeries simultaneously.  It will likely be on a Tuesday or Wednesday in early to mid-July.  We have a trip planned to see my dear friend Amiee and her kids Abby and Blake, Amiee's sister Kelly and family, and their parents in southern Illinois for the Fourth of July and I do not want to miss that!  It will be our last hurrah for awhile!

I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughts, prayers, and kind words.  They are very humbling and inspiring to me.  I never dreamt that I would have the opportunity in my life to give such a gift.  I am in awe of modern medicine and what we can give to others.  I am also so very aware of the hand of God in every step of this process.  His plan is so much greater than any of us can ever comprehend.

Just One More Test...

Let me start out this post by saying that sometimes in hindsight you see that events that disappointed you turn out to be a blessing in disguise....

Tomorrow I planned to take the day off of work to go to Mt. Olympus in Wisconsin Dells with Josh's class.  They have been predicting rain for Friday all week.  This morning his teachers made the decision to postpone the field trip to Monday.  Josh and I were very disappointed because I have patients on Monday and I now wouldn't be able to go.  But, as it turns out we were having staffing shortages for Monday afternoon and it actually worked out better for me to change patients from Monday to tomorrow and then I could once again go along for the trip!  This seemed like a great thing...but then it got better. 

As I said in the last post, Elise is planning to present our case to the transplant team tomorrow.  Today at 4:15 she called and said that the nephrologist was still a little concerned about the slightly abnormal urine test I had and he would like me to have a cystoscopy done at Marshfield.  She said the team could still approve our case, but it would be pending the results of the cystoscopy.  After I talked with her I went up front to my nurse's station.  At that point one of our incredibly wonderful appointment coordinators, Laura, came by on her way home.  I told her what I needed to have done and she offered to call Marshfield to arrange it for me.  After a little bit of begging on her/my part we were able to schedule the testing for 10 a.m. tomorrow.  Due to the fact that I had just signed back in to work tomorrow I had a light schedule and am able to go.  The urologist will give me the results immediately and they will be able to fax that to Froedtert in time for the transplant team meeting at 1 p.m.  Elise was thrilled when I called her back since she will now have a complete case to present.  SO...assuming all is okay with those results we should have an answer tomorrow as planned. So the field trip being cancelled was a blessing in disguise...now I can get my testing done in time for the team meeting AND I still get to go on the field trip!

On a side note, Elise told me that there is a situation in New York right now where the kidney donor was not fully evaluated.  It turned out the donor had cancer and now the recipient has cancer.  In Elise's words, "people are getting sued all over the place!"  So they are being extra cautious at Froedtert right now.  And who can blame them??

Taking it to the "Team"

Today I received an e-mail from Elise telling me that she will be presenting our case to the transplant team this Friday afternoon.  Everything looks to be in order and she feels it is ready to go.  Then it is up to them to decide whether they will approve the surgery.  From what I understand the team is made up of doctors, nurses, social workers, coordinators, and other medical personnel.  It is their job to make the final decision as to whether they feel the transplant can take place.  If they approve it -- then we can schedule it!  Elise is hoping she can get back to me on Friday, but if not she will for sure call me on Monday.  I am hoping it is Friday so I don't have to wait through the weekend!

I spoke with Ginger tonight.  Lonnie started dialysis this week and he is very tired.  The kidneys failing and the long days of dialysis are definitely taking their toll on him.  Please pray for him if you would.  I hope I can make this time of dialysis and weakness as short as possible for him.  If we can set a date then maybe he can see the light at the end of the tunnel! 

Another living donor advocate called me tonight to talk with me.  I was not able to get to his call so I will talk with him tomorrow.  It continues to amaze me how the hospital double and triple checks everything from the physical tests to the mental assessments to the social interviews.

Hopefully the next update will have the FINAL ANSWER!!

Signs

So, I have written a lot about signs -- especially in my first post.  I truly believe that God puts things in front of us to reassure us, tell us we are doing the right thing, keep us on the right path, help us know which way to go, etc.  I have always felt that way and have seen it happen many times throughout my life.  But sometimes you see, hear, or read things that you aren't sure is a sign -- maybe it is just something cool.  So I wondered how you know the difference?  Is it the timing that matters?  Or is it what you learn from the information that makes the difference?  And is there really such a thing as a coincidence? 

Yesterday my oldest son Josh got his book order at school.  He ordered the Guiness Book of World Records.  He loves that book and orders the updated version every year.  Tonight he was in the other room paging through the book when he came out and said, "Mom, you have to see this!"  On the bottom of every page is listed something that has happened throughout history on each day of the year.  June 17th is Josh's birthday so I imagine he naturally turned to his date to see what it said.  Here is what it said:  "The first successful human kidney transplant was performed by R.H. Lawler(U.S.A.) at Little Company of Mary Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. on June 17, 1950."  (Josh was born just outside of Chicago in Naperville, IL by the way)

Was this a sign?  Is it just a coincidence?  Is it just something cool?  I don't know.  But I know it was cool enough to make Josh excited -- and that's good enough for me!

No News is Good News

The last couple of days have been relatively quiet on the information front.  On Wednesday our nephrologist was able to repeat the test I needed done.  The results are still "abnormally normal".  What I mean by that is this -- if I was just having a routine physical they would tell me the results are fine, but since I am donating a kidney they like results to be perfect, as opposed to just "fine".  So, the nephrologist at Froedtert needs to review the results and see if he feels we need to do any more testing.  I was hoping to hear about that yet this week, but that did not happen.  I guess I need to just be patient!  I just cannot wait to have this thing scheduled.  But these things take time...and good things come to those who wait...and patience is a virtue...and all that other junk they say to make people like me more patient!

I did receive a phone call today from my donor advocate.  She is a chaplain at Froedtert Hospital.  Her name is Sue.  Sue is there to be my guide, answer my questions, and make me feel at ease throughout the entire process from now until well after the donation is complete.  Today she just wanted to introduce herself, get some background information on me, and probably make sure I am not crazy.  They seem to spend a lot of time making sure I am not crazy.  I guess that is good....right?? 

I never thought I would be so happy to be starting a long weekend and be so ready to be ending my long weekend at the same time.  Next week I will maybe have more answers!  Until then, please take a minute to say a prayer for Lonnie as he will start dialysis next week.  I am praying his dialysis days will be very short-lived!