Hello Sweet Darlings! I'm back and so excited to be blogging again on a daily basis! Can you believe I haven't missed a single day of blogging since I started my blog in October 2010?! Well my record has been crushed but for a great reason.
On March 8th I recieved a phone call at work that will forever change my life or I should say my Dad's life. My Dad was preparing to go into emergency kidney transplant surgery and I needed to be in Seattle within 24 hours. My Father has been in renal failure since 2007. He was put on the kidney transplant list in 2010. The Doctor predicted he would be on the list for 4 to 5 years. One of the reasons being my Dad's blood type made him a harder transplant candidate to match. There are over 75,000 people on the transplant list nation wide. The only way you're going to receive a new kidney is through a living donor or a deceased donor. I offered to donate my kidney to my Dad but he wouldn't take it. I'm not married and don't have any children yet. The Doctor suggested that it would not be the best idea for me to donate my kidney, since I still desire to have children one day. He explained all the medical risks of getting pregnant and carrying a child with only one kidney. Its not impossible but does pose a lot of stress on your body. It didn't matter, my Dad didn't want me to risk it. That's the kind of man my Father is. He's always thinking of others first even when his life is on the line (literally). My Dad received a kidney from a Man (organ donor) who had suddenly passed away. I kept thinking about his family. As I rejoiced over my Dad's life being preserved. The donor's family was grieving. I am still trying to come up with the right words to write to the family. Thank you just doesn't seem sufficient. How do you adequately show gratitude in a situation like this? Are there any words of comfort that can penetrate the amount of grief the donor family must be experiencing? I pray for the donor's family, that they are comforted and I hope that once I send them the letter they will have some slight comfort in knowing what their loved one did for my Dad. I couldn't have imagined losing my Dad at this time in my life and I'm sure the donor's family felt the same way about their loved one.
For the past 2 weeks my sister and I played Florence Nightingale. We were both his primary caregiveers and did everything from cooking, cleaning to running errands. Taking him to his doctors appointment every other day. Picking up his daily medication that changed every other day. It was a very intense and overwhelming 2 weeks but I was so happy to do it! I know people who's loved ones have died while waiting for a new kidney. So I was willing to do whatever was required to help my Father's recovery along. By the way..... I now hold a mini-pharmacy degree with all the medication names I had to learn for my Dad's anti-rejection meds.
For those of you who know me on a more intimate level know I can be a bit of a "secret squirrel"....I don't like to share my private life too much. However sharing this story was VERY important to me. I truly hope it will strength someone's faith in believing that miracles do happen. This situation was a great test of faith for me. Even though I hoped for the best I was also preparing for the worst. I didn't give up believing that a miracle could happen. I NEVER once stopped praying! I asked God to bless my Father with a kidney, without going on dialysis and that's exactly what happened. It is not the norm that a transplant patience would receive a kidney prior to be being on dialysis. Thank God He does nothing that is the norm! I can't begin to find the words that communicate the level of thankfulness and gratitude I am feeling right now! I love my Father immesley and want him with us for a long, long, long time!!!
A HUGE thank you to the beautiful transplant team that took such wonderful care of my Father. And his wonderful Church family that helped to take care of him while my sister and I did all his errands and medication runs. My Dad still has a long road of recovery ahead of him but I can say with confidence in God, his future looks mighty bright!
ps. When caring for a loved on in the hospital for 7 days straight. Be sure to rise early to brush your hair and put a bit of make-up on. Otherwise you run the risk of letting some young Surgeon see you at your worse. Hey, us single women must always stayed prepared. Yes!?