Rest in Peace ! Requiescet in pace!

As I get older, the more I think of the people I met on my life journey. As we approach All Saints Day, I recall those who have recently died: Charles Jackson, Rev. Dr. Timothy Waltonen, and as of this evening Rev. Dr. Cheryl Stewart-Pero.

+ Rest in Peace! Requiescet in pace!

Trying to Catch Up

Time goes quickly. I did not realize that I had not posted anything since the spring (2019). The winter has been mild. I had no difficulties traveling during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. I was able to attend the exhibitions at the Brooklyn Museum. The exhibitions were good but just being in the museum where I ventured as a child brought good memories.

Last spring I was notified that I was part of a list of kidney patients who might be able to have a kidney transplant in 6 months to a year. I attended the meeting at the end of March. In June I received a call. There was a kidney that was available and it looked like a good match. I was not able to use it because I had a tooth infection which was part of the pre-operative work. No transplant operation when one has an infection. Another call came a few months later. The nurse said it looked good on paper but they wouldn't be able to tell until they examined it in the lab. That call came through on a Monday afternoon. The next morning (Tuesday) I received a call. The kidney was not a good match as they had hoped. A third call came at about 2:45 in the morning. I was on the PD machine. A kidney looked good. I would have to disconnect from the machine and call my support person (Eric Crump) and come to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC). I hung up the phone and was getting ready to disconnect from the PD machine when I received a follow-up call from UMMC. The time-frame would not work. The nurse said that one day the call will be for me.

On February 10, 2020, I was in the lounge area of my primary physician (Dr. Miller) awaiting to see him for my regular visit. My cell phone rang and it was from the UMMC. The nurse said that there was a kidney available and looked like at a good match for me. I asked whether I could call her back as I was about to see my primary physician. She said yes. I then called Eric, who was in the seminary library. I told him what had transpired. he said he would be able to drive me to Baltimore but had to return immediately to Gettysburg for a meeting. I said that would work for me. When I saw Dr. Miller, I told him what had transpired. He said, "This is what we have been waiting for." He looked at my latest tests and said, it looked good from what he could see. I left the office and when I arrived home I called the nurse at UMMC. I was still in shock but asked "What do I do now?" She asked, "When can you get here? I said I'd call my support person and get back to her. Eric said he could leave at 2:45 PM. I related that to the nurse who gave me instructions as to the check-in process. I called my sister and brother-in-law in New York and told them the news. Eric dropped my off at the hospital at about 4:30 PM. I wasn't doing a lot of talking but was still numb. Could this really be happening? I went to the admissions desk. The staff person could see I was nervous. She said, "You have done what you can do, now let us do our work." That was so true. Her words helped to calm me down. I was escorted to the elevator...The preparation began, the change into hospital garb, blood work, etc. After a couple of hours, I was prepped and the nurses were ready to take me down. One nurse asked if I wanted prayer, I said, "yes." She prayed. I was astonished that she asked me the question and really surprised when she prayed. The other nurse remained there. After the prayer was completed, I was prepared physically and spiritually for surgery. I was rolled to the surgery room at about 7:00 PM.

From what I could observe, I was the last person to leave the recovery room at about 2 PM (I has asked the staff person the time. If I remember correctly, it was about 2 AM when I returned to my room. There were lots of health persons who I saw in the post-op days. I have to admit, I had excellent care. From the non-professional to the professional staff. I was released on Saturday, 15 February. Jeanie and Robert were at my house when I received the word that I would be discharged. It just so happened that Bob Gahagen (the pastor at Epiphany Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, NY) and his wife Bertha were coming by to see me at the hospital. So, they came to visit and brought me home to Gettysburg on their way back to Brooklyn from spending time in Pittsburgh. It could not have worked out any better if we had planned it. Before being officially discharged, I had to demonstrate that I could count out and place the pills in the pill box....and there were LOTS of pills. I was given instructions for living at home. I could not be around large gatherings of people nor with people who had the flu/cold. Just a few weeks later, everyone in the U.S. had similar instructions due to the coronavirus. So, I was not alone.

My post-op routine has included: weekly blood work at Lab Corp in Taneytown, MD which is then sent to UMMC, periodic visits with my nephrologist, endocrinologist, pulmonary, my primary physician, etc. There are routine adjustments to my medications. I continue to isolate myself and certainly wear my mask when in public. 

In sum, I am so thankful for the transplant. I wrote a letter to the family of the person whose kidney I received. Although I was on the list for a transplant, I didn't think it would happen to me. God has been so gracious and continues to show power in our lives.