Coming Home

We left on a three quarter moonlit night and returned to a spectacular full moon.  It was as if God was telling us He completed the missing quarter.  He took a soul to heaven and used her kidney to make another whole.  Just like the night we got the call, I sat on the same rooftop perch with Miss Stella Rose and reflected on how much changed in the month away.  Under that bright Southwest moon I realized God has forever changed our future - in a good way.  At the same time, there is another family somewhere still mourning the loss of their loved one who so generously decided her passing would generate new life through the gift of organ donation.


We are in awe of the miracle bestowed upon us.  This once lifeless kidney is now healthy and filled with life giving oxygenated blood.  It filters toxins, balances key electrolytes and provides hormones to trigger the rest of the body maintaining homeostasis. Going pee is now a celebration generally followed by a prayer of thanks.  Prayers for the new freedoms a transplanted kidney provides.  We also pray for the family of the donor.  We pray for peace and healing knowing that in some small way knowing her donation is giving life to at least three other people.

Now we must reorganize and focus on keeping this kidney healthy.  Three liters of water a day, lots of medications and weekly blood tests.  Our bladder is finally expanding so we can go out for an hour or so without needing a bathroom within 10 feet.  We still wear a mask in public places because our medications keep us immunosuppressed for the rest of our life.  We risk serious illness to protect the transplanted kidney from being attacked by our own body.  Face masks are all the rage now.  They are a sign of staying healthy and avoiding potentially deadly viruses.  They come in cute puppy paw prints, paisley and to the disdain of Miss Stella Rose and Lexi, we even have some with cute little kittens printed on them.   Maybe I will have some printed with our Great Danes on the front.

Although life will never be normal for us, we are thankful for what we have.  Undergoing a major surgery such as a kidney transplant is miraculous but it can also be overwhelming.

We will never look a full moon in the same way again.

Transplant Superbowl Celebration

Every other person in the photo underwent kidney transplant surgery between one and five weeks ago.  Recovery did not stop the Superbowl party.  Regardless of who each person picked as their team, they are all winners.   They have been given the miracle of new life.  Transplant was now the reason to celebrate, coincidently it was Superbowl Sunday.   It's time to move on - to seem normal for a change.

A month ago, every day started with a coin toss except the odds were much worse than 50/50.  Would this be my day to endure another dialysis treatment or to be selected for a kidney?  But then it happened.  They picked heads and won.  They got the call and were given the chance to kickoff a new life.  Much like those players on each Superbowl team, they waited for years to join the ranks of the elite who were blessed to be part of this day.  Today they were matched and blessed with a life giving organ from a generous and thoughtful donor.  The outcome of this competition is clear.  All three are winners and their struggle against kidney failure is mostly over.   Now starts the lifelong battle to fight against rejection. This is not a game, it is a challenge of life or death for transplant recipients.

The rules are clear.  Your medication play clock is exactly every twelve hours.  Delay of game earns a kidney rejection penalty flag and could put you in the hospital.  Take care of your health, drink at least three liters of water daily and measure your vitals every morning.   Infractions are unforgiving. Food safety is your defensive strategy.  No undercooked meats or fish - Sushi is banned.  No unattended self-serve food like buffets where an uninformed patron might have used a hand to reach in and taste the sauce thereby contaminating the line with a potentially deadly virus.  Leftovers must be labeled and tossed after two days.  Your own offenses against illness have been compromised by life-sustaining anti-rejection medications.  Much like your linemen defend you from getting sacked by charging viruses emitted during a sneeze, your facemask is your first line of offense.  It should be worn in crowded places where unrelenting illness lurks.  Illegal touching is not permitted.  If you touch a person's hand, this must be followed-up by a dose of germ killing sanitizer before you return your hand to scratch your nose or rub your eyes.  This is how disease transmits and a fumble in this area could cause you to lose the competition.  This is not a game, it is life or death.

Players in this competition give a prayer of thanks every day.  They ask for wisdom to keep up their offense, the strength to put-up a good defense and the blessing of another disease-free day.  Because this is not a game - it is life or death.