As you may (or may not) know, I have been battling chronic kidney disease for several years now. The story of how that came about, and my surgery in November, can be found in my prior post here. Starting on Friday, October 22nd, the purpose of that surgery was put in to practice. My kidneys are in a state of failure, and I have started on dialysis three days a week. The surgery was to provide an easy access point for dialysis. The picture above is of the very machine I was connected to on Friday.
Juggling work and trying to maintain a decent amount of hours along with regular dialysis treatments is, as you can imagine, rather challenging. I work for a consulting firm, so every hour I work is billed to a customer. It not only matters that I get my work done, but that I bill a sufficient number of hours each week. I am trying to arrive at work very early and work until it's time to leave for my treatment. I also plan to try to get some work done at home after I've had an hour or two to recover. I'm not sure how well that's going to go, though. Dialysis treatments literally take something out of you. You leave with low blood pressure, and the arm that was connected is very weak. You weigh before and after the treatment, and after only two hours for my first one, I had literally lost 1 pound.
I don't want to sound like I'm complaining -- I know in my heart that God has a plan for me, and that everything is in his hands. My human mind, however, still needs a bit of convincing that I'll be able to keep this up and maintain somewhat of a "normal" life.
I am currently on the kidney transplant waiting list at Emory Hospital. I am technically not "active" until I lose about 10 more pounds, but I am accumulating time on the list. Typically, people on the list who have A-positive blood like me tend to wait about 3 years for a "non living" donor. However, I would much prefer not to have to wait that long. Also, a kidney from a living donor is much more preferable. They tend to "take" better and last longer than a kidney from a "non living" donor.
Generally, I am not one to ask for favors of people. I like to DO favors. I believe God has granted me the resources I have so that I can help the people I care about. This time, though, I would like to ask anyone reading this to prayerfully consider donating a kidney to me. The entire process will be paid for my my insurance, and (bonus!) I would be eternally grateful.
If you feel led to submit yourself as a possible kidney donor for me, you can call the Emory Transplant Center for an initial interview. Here is their contact information:
Emory Transplant Center
Living Donor, Kidney Transplant Program
Clinic Building B, 6th Floor
1365 Clifton Road, NE
Atlanta, GA 30322
Initial Living Donor Interview: 404-712-4857
Toll Free Donor Line: 1-866-727-3250
Fax Number: 404-712-7311
Living Donor, Kidney Transplant Program
Clinic Building B, 6th Floor
1365 Clifton Road, NE
Atlanta, GA 30322
Initial Living Donor Interview: 404-712-4857
Toll Free Donor Line: 1-866-727-3250
Fax Number: 404-712-7311
I cannot thank you enough for your prayers and support.
Rich
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