I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES !!!

Yes Indeed!  Miracles happen every day.  Today it is because I have finally had a moment to update the blog!  Wow!  What a wild ride it has been.  I can't believe it has been over six months.  A lot has happened on our kidney journey/roller coaster!

Rick has had a few ups and downs over the past several months.  I think they twisted him in knots during the surgery because he has had endless hip/sciatic pain ever since the surgery.  It got so bad that he could n't move for several days and we had to call an ambulance to come help us get him up.  He was sent back down to the University hospital and finally after about a week, he was able to move.

Ricks kidneys ended up being around 12"X6"X6".  A normal kidney is about the size of a fist.  A normal kidney weighs about 130 grams.  Ricks weighed 1,750 grams. He pretty much gave birth to twins. :) The summer months were very hard on him.  He had no appetite and was losing weight very rapidly.  It took quite a while to get his dialysis figured out to where he wasn't vomiting every day.  His blood pressure would drop drastically and he would faint and fall frequently.  That got a little frightening.  He scared the ladies at the bank pretty good one day.  Some days his spark disappeared.  He was one sick man. I was pretty worried about him. 





We had to go to dialysis school to learn how to do dialysis at home.
We gained a family member.  I call her Gertie.  Well, Gertie gets a little
grouchy sometimes.  Her alarms go off pretty frequently.  If I didn't appreciate her life saving measures, I might would kick her out. The nurses at the Kolff Home Dialysis Center are amazing and we have really grown to love and appreciate them.  Dialysis has been interesting, challenging, but doable.  Not anything you want to do, but it is lifesaving.  It is amazing to me that someone could be so brilliant to figure it all out.

The masking up, the three minute hand washes, the seclusion from family and pets, the stacks of supplies, and all the bells and whistles going off are worth it as Rick has become a pro.  He did have a case of peritonitis.  Just FYI...if you ever have to do Peritoneal Dialysis....Ban scissors like they banned spinning wheels for Sleeping Beauty.
 A cut catheter is a problem.

I see a little silhouetto of a Man

 every night.  

He doesn't complain much.  He just takes the task and carries on.  

So now that you have had a small glimpse into the changes that have occurred in Rick's life. I can now tell you we are way more sympathetic to those who have kidney failure and have to do dialysis.  We feel for those in pain and suffering from kidney disease or any other disease for that matter.  I can't tell you it hasn't been a challenge, but I can tell you, we would do it over again.  The blessings we have received and the love we have felt from everyone around us and our Heavenly Father has made this difficult journey a beautiful experience. People have prayed for us, fasted for us, and served us.  We have felt those prayers and had immediate blessings after the fasting.  Thank you.

AND NOW FOR THE MOST BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCE EVER!

Excerpt from Rick's Journal Entry

October 26, 2017

"A stranger came to my door tonight.  He was looking for Marla, but she was gone.  He asked if I knew who he was, and I said his face looked familiar, but I had no clue, he'd have to tell me his name.  I immediately recognized the name.  He was a friend of Marla's and knew of my situation.  He said he was a match and had a kidney for me.  I felt like I was looking at the Savior standing in my doorway."

YES!!!!! WE ARE GETTING A KIDNEY!

We have an amazing gift being given to us right before Christmas.  Two days to be exact.  December 21, 2017.  Our hearts are so full.  There are no words to describe the love and gratitude we have for our donor.  The experience is overwhelming and very surreal.  I kinda get weepy a lot. I can not describe the special feeling our family has had throughout the hard times and now during this miraculous time.  You hear of things like this happening to other people.  How fortunate we are to be so blessed. My love for my Heavenly Father has grown so much this year.  My love for my spouse has grown immensely as I have seen him struggle and pick himself up and carry on. I am truly grateful to my dear friend who is so graciously willing to help us. When he asked me several moths ago for the information to be tested he told me "It's just what we are supposed to do!"  If more people could be like him, our world would be a more beautiful place.  It makes me want to be more kind, more giving, more gracious, more loving, and more forgiving. Truly I hope we can all try to be more generous and kind.  It may not require you to give up your spare parts.  It may be that little smile or hello to someone who is having a bad day.  It may be letting hard feelings leave your heart and visiting someone who has wronged you.  It may be sharing joy with those who are less fortunate. Just Love One Another.  Let us change the world one random act of kindness at a time.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS!