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!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
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!
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!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Bump in the Road
Today I was hoping to get the call telling me that the transplant team had approved our case. Instead I got a phone call saying that I have one more hurdle to get over. I have one slightly abnormal lab test that we need to be normal before we can proceed. Fortunately because I work at Marshfield Clinic we have a nephrologist that should be able to perform the test. So, hopefully we can get over that hurdle relatively soon and move on! The nephrologist at Froedtert just wants everything to be perfect -- and I certainly understand that! Our coordinator Elise says there is a chance that our case can then be presented next week. The team normally meets on Mondays, but with Memorial Day this coming Monday they will be looking to reschedule their meeting for later in the week. That might give us a little wiggle room to get this test done. I am still very convinced that this transplant WILL happen!
Up until this point I have not referred to my friends by name. I did this to protect their privacy. With their blessing I am going to refer to them by name from now on. Lonnie is my very kidney-deserving friend and Ginger is his beautiful wife who keeps him in line. He can't even get mad at me for saying that -- because after all, he needs my kidney :-) And yes, they are a lot of fun -- and even seem to appreciate my jokes occasionally!
Prayers for normality are appreciated! (For the lab test of course!)
Up until this point I have not referred to my friends by name. I did this to protect their privacy. With their blessing I am going to refer to them by name from now on. Lonnie is my very kidney-deserving friend and Ginger is his beautiful wife who keeps him in line. He can't even get mad at me for saying that -- because after all, he needs my kidney :-) And yes, they are a lot of fun -- and even seem to appreciate my jokes occasionally!
Prayers for normality are appreciated! (For the lab test of course!)
Friday, May 21, 2010
The Phone Call
Yesterday morning I received the phone call. Elise, the living donor coordinator from Froedtert Hospital, called to tell me that the compatibility testing results were in. I had no doubt what she was about to say. She told me right away that she had some good news! The crossmatching test was negative -- in this situation negative is a GOOD thing. It means that my blood and my friend's blood waltzed, boogied, two-stepped, and danced the conga in a test tube -- and then decided they wanted a second date! In other words, we are a MATCH!!! Not only that, but we have 2 of 8 antigens in common -- quite remarkable considering we are not even related. The only concern was a low glucose tolerance test that showed up on my bloodwork -- my number was 56 and it needs to be at least 70.. Elise told me this was likely a fluke since my A1C(3 month glucose average) and fasting blood sugar were fine. Also, the night before my day of testing I was not feeling real great, so likely that affected my blood sugar. We agreed to have me repeat the testing today at my clinic. Fortunately I work about 10 steps from our lab!
Last night I was told not to eat after midnight, but I could have anything I wanted before then. I was determined to get my glucose UP! We stopped for ice cream on our way home from Isaiah's baseball game. Then about 11:15 I ate a bowl of Frosted Flakes, followed by a brownie!! Today our wonderful lab director went out of her way to be sure I was able to get my glucose tolerance test done. And apparently the increased sugar intake last night worked. My glucose ranged today between 79 and 94 -- perfect!
Monday afternoon Elise will present our case to the organ transplant team at Froedtert. If they think everything is in order they will approve our case. And then...we will schedule the transplant!
Today happens to be my birthday. This might be the very best birthday gift I have ever received.
Last night I was told not to eat after midnight, but I could have anything I wanted before then. I was determined to get my glucose UP! We stopped for ice cream on our way home from Isaiah's baseball game. Then about 11:15 I ate a bowl of Frosted Flakes, followed by a brownie!! Today our wonderful lab director went out of her way to be sure I was able to get my glucose tolerance test done. And apparently the increased sugar intake last night worked. My glucose ranged today between 79 and 94 -- perfect!
Monday afternoon Elise will present our case to the organ transplant team at Froedtert. If they think everything is in order they will approve our case. And then...we will schedule the transplant!
Today happens to be my birthday. This might be the very best birthday gift I have ever received.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Patiently Waiting...
It's been a week and a half since we traveled to Froedtert for all of my testing. I am patiently waiting for the outcome of the testing. They said one to two weeks, however I am guessing it will be more like two as I know these things certainly take time. I have talked to many people as they are starting to find out that I am considering being a donor. I have to laugh every time someone says I am such an angel or hero for considering the donation, because in my eyes it is just something that God has called me to do. He has blessed me with so much that I cannot imagine telling Him I will not give some of it back. But I understand that people think of surgical risks, time off work, and let's be honest...the PAIN...and think I might have gone off the deep end. Trust me when I say that there are times that I have thought maybe I am crazy too, but then something will happen to remind me that this is the right thing. For instance, today I was walking at the dog park with Jack and thinking about all of this. I had the fleeting thought that maybe I was taking too big of a risk. When I got home I got on my Facebook for a little while. About halfway down the first page I looked at I saw that a friend of mine had posted a story about a campground owner who had a kidney transplant from his niece. He is now designating a weekend at his campground to bring donors and recipients together to celebrate life! And that confirmed it for me once again...celebrating life...that is why we do the things we do for other people. To celebrate both their life and ours!
These past couple of weeks I have been reading about the policy of Organ Donor Leave. Several large hospitals, universities, the federal government, the state of Wisconsin, and some companies have instituted an Organ Donor Leave policy. The policy usually states that any organ donor will be paid 100% of their salary and benefits for up to 30 days and any bone marrow donor will be paid 100% of their salary and benefits for up to 7 days. This got me thinking. I work for the Marshfield Clinic. Although we have a very generous medical leave policy for both doctors and staff, we do not have a specific organ donor policy in place. Since we are a nationally recognized clinic and a leader in the healthcare industry, I feel we should have a policy in place. So I wrote a proposal and submitted it this past week to the president of the Clinic, the COO, and the HR director. A day later the HR director e-mailed me back and told me he had discussed this with the VP of our clinic(who also happens to be an oncologist who visits our center) and the COO. He then promised to include this discussion on the June or July Personnel Review Committee meeting agenda! He also promised to notify me of the date of the meeting well in advance so I could attend if I wanted to. I am so proud of them for even considering this as a policy! Hopefully it will come to fruition. If I am a match I will donate no matter if this policy is in place or not, but if this would make it easier for even one person to take time off work to be a donor how great would that be? We need to do everything possible to break down barriers that stand in the way of donation. There are so many people waiting on the list and it grows each and every day.
Until later...thanks for reading!
These past couple of weeks I have been reading about the policy of Organ Donor Leave. Several large hospitals, universities, the federal government, the state of Wisconsin, and some companies have instituted an Organ Donor Leave policy. The policy usually states that any organ donor will be paid 100% of their salary and benefits for up to 30 days and any bone marrow donor will be paid 100% of their salary and benefits for up to 7 days. This got me thinking. I work for the Marshfield Clinic. Although we have a very generous medical leave policy for both doctors and staff, we do not have a specific organ donor policy in place. Since we are a nationally recognized clinic and a leader in the healthcare industry, I feel we should have a policy in place. So I wrote a proposal and submitted it this past week to the president of the Clinic, the COO, and the HR director. A day later the HR director e-mailed me back and told me he had discussed this with the VP of our clinic(who also happens to be an oncologist who visits our center) and the COO. He then promised to include this discussion on the June or July Personnel Review Committee meeting agenda! He also promised to notify me of the date of the meeting well in advance so I could attend if I wanted to. I am so proud of them for even considering this as a policy! Hopefully it will come to fruition. If I am a match I will donate no matter if this policy is in place or not, but if this would make it easier for even one person to take time off work to be a donor how great would that be? We need to do everything possible to break down barriers that stand in the way of donation. There are so many people waiting on the list and it grows each and every day.
Until later...thanks for reading!
Friday, May 7, 2010
When They Say "Head to Toe", They Mean It!
On Wednesday, May 5th Mike and I traveled to Milwaukee for the day of testing that would determine if indeed I could donate my kidney(the "extra piece of my puzzle" I have decided to call it). The Froedtert medical complex is ENORMOUS -- they even have their own water tower! In the end they told me I am "fit as a fiddle"! Whatever that means! I have definitely never seen a fiddle exercising -- but whatever! When we got there we met the Assistant Donor Coordinator(Dina). She was this awesome African-American woman with a HUGE amount of energy. She took us into an exam room and told us we would be in there all morning and everyone we needed to see would come to us. She took some info from me and then explained how the day would go -- told us who all would come to see us. Then she took some initial blood from me -- the first of 18 tubes they took from me throughout the day! I then had to drink a really sugary orange drink for my glucose tolerance test. Next we met Elise -- the Living Donor Coordinator. Between Dina and Elise they explained the whole donor procedure to us and gave us TONS of information. They were so incredibly nice to us. Then a nephrology fellow(doctor in her fellowship) came in and did a physical on me. She was really funny and a nice girl. At one point she couldn't get the footrest on the exam table to go back in. I jokingly said, "Oh look -- we broke the table". She replied, "YOU broke the table! Not me!" I suppose she figured they would be less likely to get upset with me -- plus her pay as a fellow is probably not enough to cover that table! Then a nephrologist came in and did ANOTHER physical! Two women doctors in a row -- I loved this place!! :-) Next an EKG technician came in and did an EKG on me to be sure my heart was functioning properly(it was). Then they had us watch a video that followed a case of a man who was donating to his brother. It was a little cheesy, so Mike and I got a good laugh out of it! At one point the cameraman actually dropped the camera and we got a good view of his suit pocket, along with a shot of the wall. When Dina came back in we assured her that we would be happy to star in a video for them if Froedtert wanted to produce their own. She said they have considered that and now I believe Mike and I may just be on our way to stardom! Then the social worker came in to talk to us and make sure I am not crazy -- Mike said they should have done that first -- would've saved us all a lot of time. Funny guy! She talked to both of us for awhile and then asked Mike to leave the room and just talked to me. She wanted to be sure Mike and the rest of my family was on board with all of this. Then she talked to me about a bunch of other things about donation, feelings afterwards, etc. She determined I did not need to see a psychologist. Again, Mike begs to differ!! We did have some concerns about the social worker herself however as she has a phobia about sitting on warm seats -- she fears butt heat!! What a strange phobia that is. Never heard of that before. She refused to sit in the chair Dina had just occupied until it was completely cooled down. It was really an odd thing! Everyone that came in to see us though was so nice. Lots of times they repeated what the others had said, but I think they just wanted to be sure we understood it all. Then Dina took MORE blood from me. She poked me a total of three times to fill 18 tubes of blood! By this time it was 1:15 p.m. and I had not eaten since the night before at 6:30. So they sent us to the deli, but told me I could only have a cup of soup! They did let me have a diet Coke though(bless their hearts!) and they paid for our lunch with "Froedtert bucks", which is a very valuable currency within the Froedtert walls. We were scheduled to report to radiology at 3:45 for a chest x-ray and a CT scan. We had some time to kill so we walked around for awhile and then sat in the lobby and people-watched for a bit.A lady fell down outside while we were there so we watched security respond to that. I suppose we should've gone out to offer assistance, but since they had thousands of medical personnel on the campus I figured they probably didn't really need us. I finally told Mike we should go over to radiology and see if they could get us in early. It was only 2:45 when we checked in -- an hour early. They said they would do what they could and had me change into a gown and a lovely robe. A nice guy with a WWJD lanyard around his neck brought me a Froedtert Hospital water bottle and had me drink a large amount of water(I got to keep the water bottle as a souvenir of my day!). Then he informed me that I needed to have yet another needle stuck in me to run the contrast dye into my arm. He was so apologetic for that, but I didn't really care about the needles -- a small price! Then a soft-spoken pretty little Indian gal came and got me for my chest x-ray. When she got me in the room she exclaimed, "You are a beautiful girl!" (Did I mention that I LOVE this place?) Apparently she didn't notice the fact that my gown, robe, black socks, and black loafers were not exactly a fashion statement. She had the x-rays done in just minutes and I headed back to the waiting area. While I was there this poor woman came out of the dressing room with her gown on backwards andwithout one very important robe! Luckily they came to get her quickly and the gal who came said, "Oh sweetheart let me get you a robe! You have your gown on backwards!" Fortunately Mike was reading and missed this whole event. At 3:45 the CT tech came and got me for my CT scan. An hour early! The scan took about 45 minutes during which time they shot me up with contrast dye that gives you the warm fuzzies -- but makes you feel like you are about to pee your pants. Then we were finally free to go! It was a long day, but the warmth and welcoming of everyone there was just incredible! By the time we left I had eaten exactly one cup of soup and one diet Coke in a 23 hour period. I was starving! So we headed to Madison and stopped at the Texas Roadhouse(my very favorite restaurant) as our celebration of the day.
What happens now? Well, all of the tests they did up until the chest x-ray and CT came back great. They will need to have the radiologist read the x-ray and CT but it didn't sound like there were any concerns. Oh, and it sounds like I do indeed have two kidneys -- apparently they occasionally scan a potential donor only to find out that they only had one kidney in the first place! Guess you would never know that without being tested. So, twelve of the 18 tubes of blood they sucked out of me are on their way to a lab where they will have a "midnight rendevous" with my friend's blood to see if our blood samples get along with each other. That will be the true test. The interesting thing is that we do not have to be an exact match -- they can give him medications after the transplant that can combat some of the troubles he might have if we are not an exact match. But they do need us to be close. Those results will be back in 1-2 weeks. When they get those back the organ transplant team will review the results and decide if we are compatible. If we hold up to the committee's standards then it will be a "go".
Some interesting things they told us when we were at Froedtert:
-- Studies have shown that kidney donors are healthier than the general population after kidney donation. They believe this is because once people donate they have a renewed incentive to take extra good care of themselves. Of course they also start out with a very healthy population to begin with.
-- If you join Wisconsin's online donor registry it is more legally binding than just signing the back of your driver's license. That means that if you wish to donate your organs after you die and you just sign your license your family can technically override your decision. If you join the online registry they cannot -- at least not without a legal fight. This weekend Froedtert had their very first organ come from a man who signed up on the online registry when it started in March. They were pretty excited about it! Please go to http://www.donatelifewisconsin.com/ to learn more about how you can sign up to be a donor.
--If you donate a kidney and then something happens to your remaining kidney, you will immediately go to the top of the kidney transplant list because you were a donor. Sort of like a Disney FastPass -- right to the front of the line! Isaiah asked us what would happen if two donors were at the top of the list waiting to get a kidney of their own. Josh assured him that they would simply play Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who gets the kidney :-) It's good to learn from your older brother!
--All of my medical expenses are covered by the recipient's insurance. However, any expenses that we incur at any point in this process(including our mileage to and from Froedtert for the testing) are tax-deductible in the state of Wisconsin up to $10,000. Wisconsin is at the forefront of states providing this tax deduction!
So it was a day of learning and a day of testing -- but a great day indeed! I am so blessed to have such great health. I just hope I can share that health!
What happens now? Well, all of the tests they did up until the chest x-ray and CT came back great. They will need to have the radiologist read the x-ray and CT but it didn't sound like there were any concerns. Oh, and it sounds like I do indeed have two kidneys -- apparently they occasionally scan a potential donor only to find out that they only had one kidney in the first place! Guess you would never know that without being tested. So, twelve of the 18 tubes of blood they sucked out of me are on their way to a lab where they will have a "midnight rendevous" with my friend's blood to see if our blood samples get along with each other. That will be the true test. The interesting thing is that we do not have to be an exact match -- they can give him medications after the transplant that can combat some of the troubles he might have if we are not an exact match. But they do need us to be close. Those results will be back in 1-2 weeks. When they get those back the organ transplant team will review the results and decide if we are compatible. If we hold up to the committee's standards then it will be a "go".
Some interesting things they told us when we were at Froedtert:
-- Studies have shown that kidney donors are healthier than the general population after kidney donation. They believe this is because once people donate they have a renewed incentive to take extra good care of themselves. Of course they also start out with a very healthy population to begin with.
-- If you join Wisconsin's online donor registry it is more legally binding than just signing the back of your driver's license. That means that if you wish to donate your organs after you die and you just sign your license your family can technically override your decision. If you join the online registry they cannot -- at least not without a legal fight. This weekend Froedtert had their very first organ come from a man who signed up on the online registry when it started in March. They were pretty excited about it! Please go to http://www.donatelifewisconsin.com/ to learn more about how you can sign up to be a donor.
--If you donate a kidney and then something happens to your remaining kidney, you will immediately go to the top of the kidney transplant list because you were a donor. Sort of like a Disney FastPass -- right to the front of the line! Isaiah asked us what would happen if two donors were at the top of the list waiting to get a kidney of their own. Josh assured him that they would simply play Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who gets the kidney :-) It's good to learn from your older brother!
--All of my medical expenses are covered by the recipient's insurance. However, any expenses that we incur at any point in this process(including our mileage to and from Froedtert for the testing) are tax-deductible in the state of Wisconsin up to $10,000. Wisconsin is at the forefront of states providing this tax deduction!
So it was a day of learning and a day of testing -- but a great day indeed! I am so blessed to have such great health. I just hope I can share that health!
I Have a Story And It Goes Like This...
I have been wanting to start a blog for quite some time now. Mike always tells me I have too much to say...but of course I don't think that is true. So he suggested perhaps I should just write it all down. I think maybe he is just glad I will have someone else who might listen to me. So, welcome to my blog. I hope you enjoy it....or at the very least I hope you don't fall asleep while reading it.
Why did I choose now to start a blog? Well, I am right now going through the most incredibly interesting experience. I have chosen to be tested to donate a kidney to a friend whose kidneys are failing him. Mike and I have known him and his wife since we moved to our town almost 10 years ago as we bowled with them and their daughters. The story is incredibly long, but I am going to touch on it briefly here for you. Bear with me!!
My friend mentioned to me about nine months ago that he was going to likely need a kidney transplant. I immediately heard a voice in my head say, "tell him you will give him one of yours"(that voice was my first sign that this was the right thing to do). So I said it! He of course laughed and said he could never ask me to do that. A few months ago he told me that his kidneys were getting bad and he had been evaluated at the Froedtert Hospital Transplant Center in Milwaukee. His daughters cannot donate to him for varying reasons. Other people had offered to be tested, but had not followed through. He and his wife did not know how to ask someone to be a donor. They are humble people and felt it would be such an imposition. Again, I told him that I would give him a kidney. I just felt such peace in saying that to him. He then told me that he could not ask that of me. I told him that I didn't recall him asking me -- I only recalled me offering! He got tears in his eyes and told me it would of course mean the world to him, but he could never pay me back. I told him that if I was going to do this, he could never worry about paying me back. I asked him how to go about being tested. He told me to ask his wife because he wasn't sure! Typical man, right? :-) She told me she would bring me the information. On Easter Sunday I decided to tell my sister Wendy about it. Later that day after we had left her house, Wendy happened to be reading their city newspaper online and she came upon a story about a girl who was donating her kidney! That seemed to be my second sign. Later that week I saw his wife in Wal-Mart and reminded her to bring me the paperwork. Well, she came in to my office, but did not have the packet of info with her. I asked her why not and she got a bit teary. She said they just didn't want to push me to get tested by bringing in the info. They were afraid I wasn't really serious and that I might feel pressured by them. So I told her to give me the coordinator's phone number and I would call myself so that they would not feel like they pressured me. I called Froedtert and they sent me a health history to fill out. I filled it out and sent it right back. Then I didn't hear anything right away. The next week on Wednesday my friend's wife called me to say that he was just at Marshfield Clinic and they told him if he had a potential donor that person better hurry up and get tested because his kidneys were failing quickly and he would have to go on dialysis. I called Froedtert and it turned out Marshfield Clinic had also called them and they were about to call me. The coordinator(Elise) who I needed to talk to was on vacation, but her assistant Dina told me she was gathering all of the info together and Elise would call me the next week after the nephrologist(kidney doctor) had a chance to review my history. That weekend Mike and I and the boys ran to Marshfield where I had an afternoon meeting for some optometry business. Our plans were to go to Hudson's for lunch and then they were going to drop me off at the Clinic for my meeting. As we were coming into town Josh asked if we could go to Culvers instead. We agreed since we were a little pressed for time. On the way to Marshfield Mike and I were quietly discussing my desire to donate my kidney(which he is completely supportive of by the way!!). When we got to Culver's the very first thing I saw when I walked in was a brochure that said, "BE A DONOR FOR LIFE....DONATE A KIDNEY!!" As we looked around every single table had a sign on it that said the same thing. I could not believe it. (Turns out an employee at Culvers also needs a kidney.) I took that as my third sign -- and a big, bold one that was hard to miss! I briefly told the boys about the plan as I felt this was the perfect opportunity to do so. The next week Elise called and explained to me what I would need to come to Froedtert to do -- basically a complete day of testing, physical, EKG, chest X-ray, psychological exam, bloodwork, etc. She told me that they only do these tests on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. She then told me her assistant Dina would call me back in a little while to schedule the appointment, so I should take a look at my calendar. Well, this is a busy time of year for us at the Clinic and my Tuesdays and Wednesdays looked crazy, but I did see that strangely I had very light days on May 4th and May 5th. A short time later Dina called me and we were talking and then she said..."well, my first openings are TUESDAY, MAY 4th and WEDNESDAY, MAY 5th"!! Yep, my fourth sign!! She also said that normally they do these tests at 8:30 a.m.(which probably would have made us have to stay overnight), but on May 5th they could do it at 9:30 a.m. -- that would give us enough time to drive down that morning. I then decided I better tell the rest of my family. I also wanted to discuss it with my sister Jennifer since her son Logan has a congenital liver disease for which a transplant may someday be needed. Of course I wanted to be available to help him if needed. Jennifer assured me that Logan is doing well now and may never need a transplant. Also with the liver the first choice for a donor is usually a deceased person. She reminded me that this guy needs a kidney now, so I should go ahead and get tested. My parents were also very supportive. I was very nervous to tell them because I thought they would think I was crazy. But they did not and promised to help out with the boys as much as we needed. Then, a week ago Thursday my parents had Jennifer's youngest son Kirby at their house. I was planning to go to lunch with Mike that day, but at 11:30 that morning I called my dad to tell him I had his glasses in at my office. My mom asked if maybe I would like to have lunch with her and Kirby. I called Mike back and he told me to go ahead and he would just stay home for lunch. When I called back to say I would go, I talked to my dad and told him that Mom should pick a place. She picked the Olympic Restaurant in Wisconsin Rapids. I then asked my dad what he was doing for lunch and told him he should come along. So he did. We were 1/2 way through our meal at Olympic when my kidney-deserving friend and his wife walked in the door! I introduced them to my parents. If my parents and I hadn't been there they would not have had a chance to meet before I got tested. My fifth sign???? It sure seemed that way. Of course my friend made a joke that if he got my kidney he was afraid he would take on my personality and never quit talking! Pretty bold for a guy who needs my kidney -- ha!
I have felt from the very first day that this is absolutely right. I am going to be surprised if I am not a match because of the signs I have had, but I know God has a plan! I truly believe He has orchestrated this every step of the way. I don't want it to become about me being the "hero". I just want to do whatever is needed to share what God has blessed me with -- good health...and an extra kidney!! What else would we have an extra one for if it wasn't to share??
Why did I choose now to start a blog? Well, I am right now going through the most incredibly interesting experience. I have chosen to be tested to donate a kidney to a friend whose kidneys are failing him. Mike and I have known him and his wife since we moved to our town almost 10 years ago as we bowled with them and their daughters. The story is incredibly long, but I am going to touch on it briefly here for you. Bear with me!!
My friend mentioned to me about nine months ago that he was going to likely need a kidney transplant. I immediately heard a voice in my head say, "tell him you will give him one of yours"(that voice was my first sign that this was the right thing to do). So I said it! He of course laughed and said he could never ask me to do that. A few months ago he told me that his kidneys were getting bad and he had been evaluated at the Froedtert Hospital Transplant Center in Milwaukee. His daughters cannot donate to him for varying reasons. Other people had offered to be tested, but had not followed through. He and his wife did not know how to ask someone to be a donor. They are humble people and felt it would be such an imposition. Again, I told him that I would give him a kidney. I just felt such peace in saying that to him. He then told me that he could not ask that of me. I told him that I didn't recall him asking me -- I only recalled me offering! He got tears in his eyes and told me it would of course mean the world to him, but he could never pay me back. I told him that if I was going to do this, he could never worry about paying me back. I asked him how to go about being tested. He told me to ask his wife because he wasn't sure! Typical man, right? :-) She told me she would bring me the information. On Easter Sunday I decided to tell my sister Wendy about it. Later that day after we had left her house, Wendy happened to be reading their city newspaper online and she came upon a story about a girl who was donating her kidney! That seemed to be my second sign. Later that week I saw his wife in Wal-Mart and reminded her to bring me the paperwork. Well, she came in to my office, but did not have the packet of info with her. I asked her why not and she got a bit teary. She said they just didn't want to push me to get tested by bringing in the info. They were afraid I wasn't really serious and that I might feel pressured by them. So I told her to give me the coordinator's phone number and I would call myself so that they would not feel like they pressured me. I called Froedtert and they sent me a health history to fill out. I filled it out and sent it right back. Then I didn't hear anything right away. The next week on Wednesday my friend's wife called me to say that he was just at Marshfield Clinic and they told him if he had a potential donor that person better hurry up and get tested because his kidneys were failing quickly and he would have to go on dialysis. I called Froedtert and it turned out Marshfield Clinic had also called them and they were about to call me. The coordinator(Elise) who I needed to talk to was on vacation, but her assistant Dina told me she was gathering all of the info together and Elise would call me the next week after the nephrologist(kidney doctor) had a chance to review my history. That weekend Mike and I and the boys ran to Marshfield where I had an afternoon meeting for some optometry business. Our plans were to go to Hudson's for lunch and then they were going to drop me off at the Clinic for my meeting. As we were coming into town Josh asked if we could go to Culvers instead. We agreed since we were a little pressed for time. On the way to Marshfield Mike and I were quietly discussing my desire to donate my kidney(which he is completely supportive of by the way!!). When we got to Culver's the very first thing I saw when I walked in was a brochure that said, "BE A DONOR FOR LIFE....DONATE A KIDNEY!!" As we looked around every single table had a sign on it that said the same thing. I could not believe it. (Turns out an employee at Culvers also needs a kidney.) I took that as my third sign -- and a big, bold one that was hard to miss! I briefly told the boys about the plan as I felt this was the perfect opportunity to do so. The next week Elise called and explained to me what I would need to come to Froedtert to do -- basically a complete day of testing, physical, EKG, chest X-ray, psychological exam, bloodwork, etc. She told me that they only do these tests on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. She then told me her assistant Dina would call me back in a little while to schedule the appointment, so I should take a look at my calendar. Well, this is a busy time of year for us at the Clinic and my Tuesdays and Wednesdays looked crazy, but I did see that strangely I had very light days on May 4th and May 5th. A short time later Dina called me and we were talking and then she said..."well, my first openings are TUESDAY, MAY 4th and WEDNESDAY, MAY 5th"!! Yep, my fourth sign!! She also said that normally they do these tests at 8:30 a.m.(which probably would have made us have to stay overnight), but on May 5th they could do it at 9:30 a.m. -- that would give us enough time to drive down that morning. I then decided I better tell the rest of my family. I also wanted to discuss it with my sister Jennifer since her son Logan has a congenital liver disease for which a transplant may someday be needed. Of course I wanted to be available to help him if needed. Jennifer assured me that Logan is doing well now and may never need a transplant. Also with the liver the first choice for a donor is usually a deceased person. She reminded me that this guy needs a kidney now, so I should go ahead and get tested. My parents were also very supportive. I was very nervous to tell them because I thought they would think I was crazy. But they did not and promised to help out with the boys as much as we needed. Then, a week ago Thursday my parents had Jennifer's youngest son Kirby at their house. I was planning to go to lunch with Mike that day, but at 11:30 that morning I called my dad to tell him I had his glasses in at my office. My mom asked if maybe I would like to have lunch with her and Kirby. I called Mike back and he told me to go ahead and he would just stay home for lunch. When I called back to say I would go, I talked to my dad and told him that Mom should pick a place. She picked the Olympic Restaurant in Wisconsin Rapids. I then asked my dad what he was doing for lunch and told him he should come along. So he did. We were 1/2 way through our meal at Olympic when my kidney-deserving friend and his wife walked in the door! I introduced them to my parents. If my parents and I hadn't been there they would not have had a chance to meet before I got tested. My fifth sign???? It sure seemed that way. Of course my friend made a joke that if he got my kidney he was afraid he would take on my personality and never quit talking! Pretty bold for a guy who needs my kidney -- ha!
I have felt from the very first day that this is absolutely right. I am going to be surprised if I am not a match because of the signs I have had, but I know God has a plan! I truly believe He has orchestrated this every step of the way. I don't want it to become about me being the "hero". I just want to do whatever is needed to share what God has blessed me with -- good health...and an extra kidney!! What else would we have an extra one for if it wasn't to share??
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