From Pastor Steve:
Lord Jesus, you shall be my song as I journey; I’ll tell everyday about you wherever I go: you alone are our life and our peace and our love. Lord Jesus, you shall be my song as I journey.—ELW 808
Last October, I shared the following about my mom’s journey and her need for a kidney transplant. As you probably remember, her surgery was postponed at the last minute because the doctors had concerns with the donor. Over the past few months, John has had a lot of tests done and the doctors are now certain that he is able to be a donor. Here’s a reminder of what my mom has been through:
There is a part of my story that I have shared with some of you but not all of you. My mom has suffered from Lupus for the past 7 years or so. When her Lupus began, it attacked her kidneys and basically reduced their function to zero. She has been on dialysis for the last 6 1/2 years. First, she travelled to the dialysis center several days a week over 45 minutes of driving each way, sometimes on roads that were treacherous at best. But for most of the time, she has been able to do dialysis at home. She’s hooked up to a machine for around 9 hours each night and then has to do a final “manual” drain a couple hours after unhooking from the machine. Yes, she is asleep many of the hours that the dialysis machine is running but each bedtime is planned based on when the next day begins so that she can get unhooked and ready to go. Often, she will sit in the car wherever she might be to do that later manual drain. Throughout this time, she has been been on the transplant list but has not received “the call.” She also put out the word if any of the family would want to be tested to see if they might be a match. My cousin’s husband happens to be an excellent match.
After all the tests, the transplant has been scheduled for March 7th. As you can imagine, we are all excited once again but we are a little more guarded this time because we know that delays can happen. I ask that you pray for my mom, Donna, and my cousin’s husband, John, that they will stay healthy so the transplant can proceed, that the surgery and recovery will go smoothly for both of them, and that my mom’s body will fully accept the new kidney. Please pray for the surgeons and medical staff who will care for them before and after the surgery. And, please pray for all who are waiting on a transplant list that they might find a donor.
I will be traveling to spend some time with my parents and my sister before and after the transplant. Thank you for your prayers in the weeks to come.