I was living my life on dialysis achieving my goals. I was referred by my Doc to get listed at a 2nd hospital, I got listed at Our Lady of Lourdes. Getting listed is an involved process, there has to be a referral from your doctor, a meeting with the surgeon, nephrologist, nurse coordinator, social worker, dietician, and financial coordinator, and the lab drawing of approximately 25 tubes of blood for matching.

https://www.kidney.org/transplantation/transaction/waitingresources

I instantly felt a good feeling with everyone I met, especially the surgeon. He had a glow and a great smile and stated that they could help me, even with a PRA level of 100%. The team confirmed what I suspected, I did not lose the kidney to rejection, and I cried. I knew in my heart what happened. The meeting was about 2 hours and it was to determine if I had adequate support, was psychologically stable, and where the kidney would be placed. After the interview, I was asked if I had any questions. I wanted to know if the search would be in the tri-state area and if could I be officially listed after finishing my Master’s Degree in Nursing Education. They stated that they would make me inactive until graduation and that I would be nationally listed by UNOS (The United Network for Organ Sharing). I had been on dialysis for 10 years and had a routine of dialyzing on off days from work. I hadn’t urinated and I made a perfect dinner date with my friends. I would sit against the wall because I didn’t have to go. I have a strong support system and great people in my life. 

My husband is God-sent. He went through everything and was willing to donate a kidney to me because he was a match but when I had my 1st  & 2nd kidney transplants, I had developed antibodies against him. Both of us ever thought about it, of course, it was a big disappointment but my husband went ballistic on the coordinator of the 1st transplant team. I also thought counseling could have been better, but I accepted it. I always wanted to move on to the next step in my life. The caregiver is often forgotten about, my Ty was always trying to make me better. He had a grueling schedule, he was up at 4:30 am, feed the cat/litter box, set the machine up, picked our granddaughter up took her to and from school, tutored her, and came home to help me get on the machine while completing his lesson plans, get food for us, take vital signs, and occasionally troubleshooting with me when there were problems. He was nodding out at 7:30 pm and sometimes we were up until 10-11:30. 

I finished my degree and started clinical studies at the place I worked. It was an awesome experience and I received a great evaluation from the students and my director from Drexel. I was actually full-time with all my commitments. I worked part-time in labor and delivery, participated in hospital committees, and education, and worked as an adjunct professor. I decided to take the winter semester off to relax. 

I was on a non-dialysis day and my husband and I were relaxing. I received a phone call around 4:00 pm from the transplant coordinator on February 20, 2019. “Hey Lisa, we may have a kidney, you are #2 it would be a backup call if the 1st person doesn’t meet the requirements. Stick close to your phone.” We looked at each other smiling, thinking what this could mean but still apprehensive. Then I received a 2nd call at 5:00 pm, “Lisa, we need you to do a dialysis treatment.” My heart was jumping out of my chest, could this be happening? I called my nephrologist to let him know what was happening. He said, “That’s great buddy, keep me in the loop.” We went to bed, and I thought it was not meant to be but I was still happy about receiving a call since I hadn’t received any notifications in years. My phone rang at 2:00 AM in the morning, “Lisa the kidney is yours, we need you at the hospital at 8:00 am.” We were so excited for the future but I thought about my previous transplant and how I woke up in the ICU losing the kidney from hemorrhage. We were not in a position to drive, so we took an Uber to Our Lady of Lourdes. From the moment we hit the door, it was a positive experience and it started with hospital registration. We were taken to the room and I was seen by everyone, there was an IV attempt, and they apologized and stated that it could be done in the operating room. I called my family and friends, it was a big deal, to say the least. The social worker showed up and said I already know your history and Tyrone can stay with you as long as he needs and the hospital will provide meals and parking for him. She took all the worrying away and was so personable with us. 

The anesthesiologist arrived, he told me how my pain would be managed and then I said my goodbyes with tears. I had been down this road before. As I was rolled into the operating room, tears started rolling down my face. My friends reassured me and Ty always did this thing with me to help me relax. He would let me feel a tensed hand and then he relaxed it and told me to go to the beach in my head and pray. As soon as I got in the room, my anxiety increased. There were 2 teams, 2 instrument tables, and a cooler labeled and I knew it was the kidney. The anesthesiologist told me that everything was going to be fine and that all the people in the room were for me. The surgeon came over, he looked like an angel; he smiled at me and told me that the kidney was perfect. He had a great spirit and glow about him and I knew God was there.

I woke up in the ICU with my husband at my side and Mark the nurse, he was constantly doing something with numbers and urine, yes URINE. I loved that his name was biblical. When I saw the urine and my numbers on the screen I relaxed and fell asleep. Little did I know a friend called the nurse to tell him what happened to me the last time and to take good care of me and he assured her that he would. My husband was so excited to see the urine and that everything was going as planned, it was his kidney too. I thank God and all the people in my life that supported me throughout this journey. I could imagine God saying, who is this Lisa she has so many people praying for her. Thank you God for giving me my life back and watching my husband sleep peacefully.

“Look for the helpers.” Mr. Rogers I love you Ty♥️

#blessed #blogger #shehad3 #nursetopatient #3rdtimesacharm #caregivers #love #marriage #dedicatedhusband #educator #goals #health #happiness #youarestrong #giftoflife #unos #dreamteam #newlife #kidneyevaluation # thecall #thematch