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| Give the Gift of Life |
"My family and many of my friends in the greater St. Louis area are aware of the story but for those elsewhere I received a phone call on Saturday morning that has changed my life forever.
If you don't know, I've been battling chronic kidney disease for the last 10 years. Over a year ago I was placed on the UNOS kidney transplant list and told to expect a three to five year wait unless a donor came forward. In the past year I had become fatigued, rundown and slept a lot. I was not in very good humor much of the time and was not having much fun.
Saturday morning at 2:45 a.m. I received a call from the kidney transplant team at Barnes-Jewish Hospital / The Doctors at Washington University, telling me they might have a kidney match for me but that I was the backup candidate. I was at the hospital a little after 3:30 a.m. and told I was still the backup, but the nursing staff immediately started testing me to make sure that I was in shape to receive the kidney and that the kidney was the great match they thought it was. And then I waited expecting to be sent home.
At 9:15 a.m. I was told I would receive the kidney and prepped for the procedure. It suddenly hit me, this is really going to happen. My mind was flooded with thoughts and emotions and by 9:50 a.m. I was on the operating table and a team of eight doctors, anesthetists and nurses were preparing for their work. Ten minutes later I was asleep.
I woke up a little after 2:00 p.m. in the recovery room and was told surgery was successful and the kidney had started producing before the team had even closed me up. I was sleepy and sore but very happy I had a new lease on life.
Since then I have met literally two dozen nurses, residents, therapists and aides who are looking out for me and taking care of me. To an individual they have all been kind and compassionate and caring people. I am grateful for what they are doing for me.
But, I am so much more thankful to God Almighty for giving me this wonderful gift. I have been so richly blessed more than I have ever deserved. I rejoice and give thanks to Him!
This is a great gift and I am thankful to the family of the individual who donated the kidney. I asked my doctors where the organ came from and was told that information is sealed for 6 months. At that time, I will attempt to reach out and let this family know how appreciative I am. While my family and I rejoice at this time, I know there is a family out there that is grieving a loss of its member. I don't know who they are but I pray for them.
I have a long way to go but with the supportof family and friends I know I have help and it encourages me to get better as quick as I can. I have been given a second chance at life. To paraphrase Lou Gehrig "I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth!"
I was released from the hospital five days after I received the new organ. I will blog in a few days about the hospital stay, coming home and what is being done by the transplant team to support me and the kidney.
