#TEAMRICOSUAVAY

#TEAMRICK
#TEAMGRANDPARICK
#LUMPYFRUMPYKIDNEYS

Rick definitely has a good team behind him.  He is loved by his family and friends.  Nerves are a little on the edge right now as we start a new chapter in our fight against PolyCystic Kidney disease. Tomorrow, Rick will have the line put in for dialysis.  Thursday, he will have both kidneys removed along with the gall bladder and appendix.  They will also lance large cysts in his liver. His surgery will take place at the University of Utah Hospital.  We feel confident in their expertise.  They have saved his life numerous times.  We are also very grateful for an amazing Nephrologist Josephine Abraham.  She has become more than a doctor to us.  She is also our friend. 

Besides the nervousness, there is a sense of peace surrounding us.  I know it is from the prayers and fasting of our friends and family.  Our Heavenly Father is right there for us. I am feeling so grateful.  Our lives are blessed over and over.  Even through challenges, we feel the love of our Savior Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father.   We are definitely not alone.

So I got the hard things out of the way first.  We are having a contest.  With PolyCystic Kidney disease the kidneys get very enlarged with cysts.  If you want to guess the dimensions of Rick's Kidneys and how much they weigh, you just might be the winner of some amazing prize like kidney beans or something. :) (Probably something better than kidney beans.)

But really...take a good guess...Here are some valuable statistics to consider: 

1.  Rick weighs approximately 177 pounds.

2.  Rick weighed approximately 145-150 when we got married.

3.  Some PKD kidneys are as large or larger than a football.

Watch for my post on Facebook and submit your guess.  We might as well make the most of our experience.

Thank you again for your kind thoughts, prayers, fasting, and words of encouragement.  How fortunate we are to have so many loving people in our lives.  We love you!