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.