Kidney Transplant...What Can I Do To Help?

                                                   

When I found out (without warning) that I was at  

Stage 5 Kidney Failure in Jan. 2013 (even though I

was feeling fine but tired) I went from a person

who loved doing a lot of things, to a person

living in a recliner. I had an online business

that I loved, had many hobbies such as making

jams, woodworking, Family History, serving

at church and just loving my life in general. 

So going from doing a lot, to doing nothing 

was quite a shock.

I have found (especially as I have gotten older) 

if I ask the Lord what he wants me to learn 

from this, instead of "why me," it helps me a lot 

more to get though the trial faster and I 

always learn a lot.

Going through a kidney transplant and having 

to take 31 pills a day has been the hardest 

thing I ever have had to do, but I would do 

it again in a heartbeat because of all I have

learned from it and the people I have met 

and even helped  (they tell me). 

My kidney doctor has asked me to be an 

ambassador for kidney donation and go and

talk to groups of people because of the 

passion I have for people to be educated 

(thus lessening any fear they might have 

for donating) and people who might be in 

need of a kidney transplant.

For example most people have no idea

we need just one kidney to live a perfectly 

normal  life, or that there are over 124,000

Men, Women, and Children waiting on

a National Organ Donor List to see if they

will receive an organ. 

I  was so blessed to have 7 living donors 

come forward and wanted to donate one 

of their kidneys to me. I sent out an email

to family members and talked about it at

church, and 7 people (including a friend 

of my daughters and a church friend of 

mine) wanted to give a kidney to me. 

What a truly humbling experience.

With a living donor, it speeds the process

up so much faster and the timing improves

along with it to help you get one sooner.

The average waiting time on the National 

Donor List is 7-8 yrs and a lot of these

people die before ever getting an organ

because there are just not enough of them...

either by families donating them, deceased

persons leaving organs to be donated, or

because they don't have a living donor.

So, you might be asking what can I do to 

help? There are a number of things you 

can do to help. (See Below)

1) Help you and your family get educated

about organ donation. 

2) Sign up at the DMV or put on the back 

of your Drivers License that you wish to 

donate  your organs if you are in a fatal

car accident. 

3) Make a donation of cash to the National

Kidney Foundation or the Univ. of Utah

Donate Life Foundation. 

4) Look into donating a kidney to someone 

on the Waiting List and saving a persons life!

There is no better feeling on the earth than

that of saving another persons life! 

Have a great day! If you have your organs

you should already be having a great day,

and know what a blessing that is in your

life. Please do not take them for granted. 

They keep you living the life you want.

For information about the Kidney Donation

Program in Utah (they are the fastest in my 

opinion)

Go to this LINK: 

http://healthcare.utah.edu/transplant/living-donor/

If  I can be of any help to anyone about this 

subject, Please let me know. Leave your email 

address in the comment section of this post. 

I will get back to you asap.

Thanks

 

Kidney Transplant..An Attitude of Gratitude is the Key

This past year has been incredible to say the least. The

kidney transplant, the Good Samaritan donor, staying in
Utah, my daughter giving a person on the waiting list her
kidney with all the emotion of learning and growing has
been a roller coaster ride. However, through it all there has
been so much hope, love, and charity from many different
sources. It has really helped to even things out.


This has been the most humbling time of my life.
There is so much gratitude in my heart for many people. It
is difficult to find the words to express the love that has
been shown to my family as well as myself. Many prayers
have been offered on my behalf (even from strangers) that
have truly strengthened me emotionally and physically...
thank you all!


To anyone out there who is struggling with a difficult
illness, my heart goes out to you. May I share a suggestion
that has helped me? Through this experience people told me
that I had an amazing attitude about my trials. Although, it
was (and is) very difficult at times to have a positive attitude,
I found that you just have to dig deep and focus on the blessings
you do have. When you do, it will help you to recognize hope
even in the midst of your trial. Gratitude in your attitude will
come as well, and you will soon find the strength to get through
whatever it is that you are going through.

I also have found that when I see anyone who has it worse than
I do (and they are all around us) I get perspective. When I saw
this TV commercial (link below) with this amazing young woman
(with one leg) with the best attitude ever, I realized my problems
were very small. It gave me a better perspective, to see the big
picture and improve my attitude into gratitude for how good
I really do have it and my many blessings in my life.

A St. Jude Research Hospital commercial comes to mind
about attitude. A young girl, Kate Foster (#87 on her shirt) talks
about attitude and is a wonderful example to all of us about
dealing with life's adversities. She has a perspective and attitude
from which we can all learn. Click (Below) to see the commercial:

http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7bmQ/st-jude-childrens-research- hospital-fighting-cancer


Most importantly...Don't give up! Be strong! There
are so many daily blessings for which to be grateful. They
really are all around us. I have learned so many wonderful
things from this experience as you have read in my previous
blog posts that I would not have learned any other way.

*****From time to time, I will continue to update my blog
about my kidney transplant journey. My daughter that
donated her kidney on my behalf will be guest-blogging
for the next few posts.

Then, I will start posting recipes, helpful household hints, 
and Santa's Gift Shoppe Etsy's store items again  available
to purchase. 

Please keep coming back. We love having you visit!

Kidney Transplant...Transplant Day Finally Arrives

         

    The   twenty-four hours before my transplant

were more than a roller coaster ride. My daughter's paired-exchange kidney donation was yesterday March 11^th (a day before my kidney transplant). My husband and I waited in the waiting room to hear news of how she was doing. She went in the morning to have a benign  tumor and kidney removed (the kidney was going to be given to a person who had been waiting on the National Kidney Waiting List).



A doctor came out and told us that everything

had gone very well, and she was doing fine. We were
very relieved to hear that. He did say, however, that
they had taken her appendix as well. It was actually
a blessing because evidently, it could have burst at
any time. He also said that he wanted permission to
take her gall bladder out because they found small
gall stones that would eventually give her trouble in
the future. What started out to be a wonderful gesture
of giving someone a kidney (so that I would be able to
receive one) turned into the doctors taking four major
things being removed. She is one strong young woman.

      After waiting fifteen months March 12^th came, and

it was my day to receive a kidney transplant early in

the morning. The surgery went very well, and the

kidney functions worked immediately (a great blessing)

The transplant team from the University of Utah

was wonderful. They are so thorough with everything

they do. I have always felt that I have been in good hands

with my transplant team.

      As the days went on, I had no idea of the pain that

would commence. It was pretty tough physically.

I was very blessed that my daughter was in the room next

door. She gave me wonderful support and encouragement.

We walked around the hospital floor everyday for our

exercise and to accelerate recovery, but it was very painful.

It made it easier having my daughter to walk by my side.

      We did so well that we only stayed in the hospital for

four days. We had been ready to go home for a few hours

when they told me I needed an infusion that would take

an additional two hours before leaving the hospital. The

rollercoaster ride continued. I had the infusion, and finally

went home an hour later.

     Speaking of home, my daughter at the end of 2011

told me she had a very strong feeling she needed to buy

a house during the year. She had no idea why, but knew

she needed to follow through with the feeling that wouldn't

go away. A month later, I found out that I had 11%

kidney function and would need a kidney transplant.

I am so grateful that my daughter listened to the

impression because I have had such a wonderful

and relaxed time staying in her comfortable home

for all of these months. She has been such an angel.