One Year Anniversary

Today marks one year since Samuel had his kidney transplant. Someday I should probably explain in more detail what took place, but really I would prefer to forget the whole thing. When it is all said and done, I just have to thank God that He spared Samuel’s life twice that day.

I have received many requests to keep the blog going and I will try to do that. I have to confess that it is hard for me to come back to the blog….so many bad memories.

To bring you quickly up-to-date…

Katie is doing well. She’s busy with school and running her grandmother’s book business. She struggles with some side effects from the medications that she has to take and has had some trouble with her potassium being too high and her white blood cell count being too low. She has been hospitalized for both issues over the last couple months. We continue to be grateful for Kelly's gift to Katie!

Samuel is still going to the hospital 3 days a week for dialysis. He recently had a blood infection and his dialysis catheter had to be removed. He was tubeless over the weekend and a new catheter was put in on Monday this week. They will continue to treat him with IV antibiotics for a month.

Overall, Samuel is doing very well. Dialysis is hard on him and he still has some physical challenges, but most days he is a happy, funny guy. He is enjoying his studies and is especially grateful to be able to participate in the homeschooling program that we do on Mondays. Samuel's new kidney (Tom’s old one) is not functioning and he needs another transplant. We are hoping it might happen shortly after the school year ends, but we still need to find a donor.

Esther is moving into a new stage in her personal kidney adventure. She has gone from 50% kidney function when first diagnosed in April 2007 to about 40% function in April 2008 to 28% function now in October 2008. She recently began preparing for her future transplant by having lots of blood drawn for tissue typing. The information from these tests will help the transplant team determine the right match for Esther when the time comes.

Esther is scheduled to have vein mapping done in a couple weeks in preparation for a surgical procedure which will create a fistula in her arm allowing vascular access for dialysis. Here is a brief explanation of what a fistula is: http://tinyurl.com/6b97ws.

Samuel has been (and continues to be) adamantly opposed to having a fistula. That is why he has the catheter in his chest and has to deal with the risks of infection. Unlike many doctors who would insist on a fistula, Dr. Guillot has graciously allowed Samuel to continue with a catheter. We are still hoping that Samuel might change his mind.

It can take about 3 months for a fistula to mature enough to be used for dialysis. Esther needs to have the procedure done in the near future so that it will be useable when she needs it. No one knows for sure exactly when Esther will need dialysis, but it seems to be coming up sooner than we'd all like. Typically, when a patient reaches 20% kidney function, they are in need of dialysis or a transplant. Our hope has always been for Esther to have a pre-emptive transplant, meaning she would skip dialysis altogether, but she may need to be on dialysis until a donor can be arranged.

Tom is doing very well with his one remaining kidney. He hasn't experienced any difference in his energy level, health, or life in general since his donation one year ago today.

Which leads me to this request.....

If you would consider donating a kidney to Samuel or Esther, please contact me at smiths@smithfamilyfarmvt.com and I will connect you with a transplant coordinator who can answer your questions. We would be forever grateful.

~ Nancy