Countdown to Transplant!

Sorry to leave you all hanging!! We arrived home from San Antonio on Tuesday night and it has been a whirlwind ever since. I am feeling like a cross between a travel agent and an event planner. There have been so many details to arrange since we got home.

Everything went well in Texas. The team there seems great. They are excited to be able to include Samuel in the chain and are happy with Hannah as a donor. Plans are moving forward. We are scheduled to fly back to Texas on Friday afternoon, November 5th. That is less than 5 days from now!! We'll have the weekend to do some sightseeing and then we'll be busy with dialysis and appointments until the big surgery day on Friday, November 12th.

The chain is still a work in progress and is likely to consist of 12 to 17 pairs. This particular chain is being started by an altruistic donor (can't wait to meet that person!!) and therefore can be linear rather than a closed circuit. The team is still working on the tail end of the chain, hoping to include as many people as possible. It will be the largest paired exchange ever to take place at a single institution. As of last week, Samuel will be the youngest "link" in the chain. We are so grateful that this appears to be the Lord's provision for Samuel to get a kidney. It is an honor to have been invited to participate in this historic event.

And if that weren't exciting enough and if I didn't already have enough to keep me busy......I flew to North Carolina today to attend an intensive training seminar entitled "Hospitals and Communities Moving Forward with Patient- and Family-Centered Care." I am here as part of my work with the newly-formed Patient and Family Advocacy Council for Baird 5 (the pediatric unit of Fletcher Allen). The seminar program is incredible - it reminds me of the analogy of trying to drink water from a fire hose. It is a privilege to be here!

I will return home late on Thursday night, Samuel has dialysis from 7:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. on Friday, and our flight to Texas leaves at 4:10 p.m.! I volunteered to attend the conference back in September, long before any hint of a transplant in Texas. Tom summed it up well when he said, "At the time, it seemed like a good idea." We're just taking it all as it comes!

Well, I need to get to bed so I can be well-rested for 4 full days of workshops. Please continue to pray for the details of the paired exchange. It is still very fragile. Everyone involved needs to stay healthy enough to safely undergo an operation. The surgeries are scheduled to take place over 3 days - November 11th through the 13th.

On this date exactly 3 years ago, Samuel had his tragic first transplant. That's behind us now and we're looking forward to a successful second attempt!

Let the countdown begin!