Our Hope Endures

As most of you already know, our transplant was unsuccessful. This was the second time in the history of the transplant program at UK that a renal transplant simply didn't work. Although results of testing are not complete at present, it appears that there were unforeseen and unexplainable issues with blood flow and clotting. So, it wasn't that Mark's body rejected my kidney or that a mistake was made in the process of transplantation. The kidney never started functioning appropriately and as a result was removed from Mark's body within five days of being transplanted.

I cannot begin to express all of the pain (physically and emotionally) that our family has experienced. I went from believing that my husband's health would be restored to seeing him on a ventilator to watching him being wheeled back into surgery to have my "gift of life" removed all in a matter of days. Although words can't express what has happened, I can tell you that we have not given up. We're not giving up on another transplant, on a healthy outcome for Mark, on a successful ending, and most importantly...we're not giving up on our Faith. Although it has taken me quite a while to reach this point, I believe that something good will result from this situation even if we never know what it may be. I remain grounded in my Faith and firmly believe that God had a purpose in mind for why things have happened the way they have. This has been the most difficult time in our lives, but our Hope endures.

Mark and I would like to thank all of you for the thoughts, prayers, cards, gifts, food, and other acts of love that have been showered upon our family. We feel blessed to have such a thoughtful church family and community. We have undoubtedly relied upon prayers and God's strength during these difficult days. We've also found encouragement in the following songs of praise: Mercy Me's "Bring the Rain" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8HgAVenbUU and Natalie Grant's "Our Hope Endures" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg6b5T7I6VE . We will post more information relative to results of testing and plans for the future as we learn more from the transplant team.

Request for Continued Prayer

Kellie has requested that I update the blog on her behalf and ask for your continued prayer. Initially, the outcome of the surgery seemed successful. Although Kellie and Mark were in a great deal of pain following the surgery, Mark's body was producing urine through Kellie's kidney, his hypertension was decreased without medicine, and he reported feeling much better. He even walked down to Kellie's room for a snuggle this morning. However, during a routine scan of the donated kidney function, results indicated an abnormality with blood flow in the new kidney. Thus he had to go back into surgery to allow the surgeons to view the transplanted kidney to determine the status of the kidney. The kidney appears healthy, but there continues to be concern with blood flow. He is presently in the recovery room. We are asking now more than ever for your prayer as we are fearful his body will reject Kellie's kidney.

Tish

And we're off!!!

It has been a somewhat rough start (i.e. no room available when we arrived, confusion on the time of surgery, confusion in whether or not Mark should be a participant in a research study of a new anti-rejection medication, etc). But, in a few hours this will all be behind us! I will report to the OR at 11:45. Mark will then go back about 45 minutes later. The surgery will officially take place around 1:15. The surgery will last several hours-we think up to 4 hours. At the present, Mark is in Room Number 837. We think he will stay in this room after the surgery. We don't know my room number, but will post it as soon as we know. We are both pretty nervous right now and anxious for the entire ordeal to be over. Please continue to lift us up in prayer as we are relying on the Lord to help us through this difficult time!

Orders from OR received!

Well I am not exactly excited about Harlan County Schools having yet another snow day today, but being home did allow me to receive all of the phone calls from UK today and to spend some extra time with Mark Thomas! We are scheduled to be at the hospital on Wednesday at 12:00. Mark will be admitted so that the Transplant Team can do some final testing to make sure all of his levels (i.e. potassium, blood pressure, etc.) are as low as possible. He may have to complete an EKG as well. I will not report to the hospital until Thursday morning. I have been given instructions of how to prepare for the big day. I can't eat at all on Wednesday and have to use a special kind of soap when showering on Wednesday and Thursday morning. If all goes well, I will be discharged on Saturday or Sunday. Mark will stay in the hospital for seven to ten days depending upon how his body responds to the new kidney. Much to my disappointment, the nurse from UK did not have the report about our final HLA crossmatch when she called this morning. However, she assured me that if we had received bad news (positive crossmatch), she would have already known and would have been calling frantically to let us know what had happened. I really wish I would have heard a definite answer, but I guess this will have to do for now! We will be leaving Harlan on Wednesday morning. We'll be checking our answering machine, but the best way to reach us after Tuesday night will be through our cell phone or email.

At this point, we are in "crunch" mode trying to pack all of our things and make arrangements for Mark Thomas. We have decided to take him with us on Wednesday. Initially, we were going to leave him with Rachel, our babysitter, and have my sister or brother spend nights/evenings with him until I was released from the hospital. Although this would have preserved his day time routine, his night time routine would be drastically different (he has only spent the night away from us on about five occasions and they were always with my mom or Mark's mom). Also, we are a little uneasy with him being so far away from us. So, Mark made the decision for him to come along. Of course, I didn't object. The difficult part now is planning who will take care of him and what they will do with him. At this point, my sister and brother-in-law will be caring for Mark Thomas on the day of the surgery. He is going to have a blast with them (they have plans to take him to Chuckie Cheese or Lexington Athletic Club's Kids Place)! After the surgery, my parents and Mark's parents will take turns caring for him. My brother and Mark's sister and her family will also be in Lexington until Sunday to help with Mark Thomas. I'm sure everyone will keep him occupied! I'm hesitant to let him visit the hospital-it is really germy and I'm afraid he may get upset when Mark and I can't leave with him. But, I can't promise that he won't make at least one trip to see his "DaDa" over the several days Mark will be recovering.

Please continue to pray for us and please forgive us if we haven't returned your call or email. It is a wonderful problem to have when so many people are calling that you can't return all the calls in a timely matter!

Final visit to Transplant Clinic before surgery

Mark and I visited the Transplant Clinic this week for a final appointment before surgery. I completed a split-function renal scan, blood work, and met the Urologist who will be removing my kidney. The split-function renal scan, an exam in which a small amount of radioactive material is injected through an IV and watched as it travels through the body, was completed to give the Transplant Team insight into which of my kidneys has the best filtration rate. This information is used to determine which kidney will be donated to Mark. While at the clinic, we also completed our final "HLA crossmatch test." This is the blood test we completed back in December that entails mixing our blood to make sure that Mark's body does not respond adversely to my blood. A "positive HLA crossmatch" indicates that Mark's body formed antibodies in response to my blood. Forming antibodies is a signal of an immune response and can indicate his body may reject my kidney. If you remember, back in December, our blood testing indicated a "negative crossmatch." The Transplant Team repeats the crossmatch within 7 days of the transplant as a precaution. As I mentioned above, we also met the Urologist who will be completing my surgery. Although we had to wait over 3 hours to see him, Dr. Strup was well worth the wait. He had a great bedside manner and really took the time to educate us both on exactly what would happen. He showed us where my incisions would be made and gave me a choice of two sites for the incisions (a vertical incision starting at the naval and going down about 3 inches or a horizontal incision lower than the "belt line" that is about 5 to 6 inches in length). After all of this, I signed the consent form for donation.

We spoke with the Transplant Team yesterday. The results of the Split-function scan were complete. My left kidney will be the kidney donated to Mark. The results of the crossmatch test was not ready. We should hear back from the Nurse on Monday with the results and should also receive our orders from the OR. We will post more information as soon as we know all of the exact details.

While it is really unlikely for a donor to pass the HLA crossmatch initially and then fail it just before the transplant, I am still really nervous about the test. I am trying to remind myself to trust in God as I know He is continuing to watch over us. Please continue to pray for us!

Two weeks and counting!!!

It is hard to believe that (if all goes well) our transplant will take place two weeks from tomorrow. As I reflect upon this entire situation, I continue to remain in awe of how God has worked in our lives. Looking back, I can see how He has guided us and provided for us in ways that we did not realize at the time. The way in which Mark discovered he had a kidney disease is a miracle in and of itself. The Lord was working on that day ten years ago when the nurse in charge of Mark's care during the removal of an ingrown toenail just happened to comment, "Your blood pressure sure is high." The Lord continued working as Mark mentioned the nurse's comment regarding his hypertension to the nurse at Dr. Weiler's clinic when delivering a package. This led to his visit with Dr. Weiler that resulted in a referral to a Nephrologist. And here we are today getting ready for the transplant and God hasn't stopped working! It still brings me to tears when I think of how God moved so many of you to offer your kidney to Mark. The nurse coordinator at UK mentioned to us several months ago that she had never received so many phone calls from individuals wishing to donate to a patient in such a short period of time. She had commented, "Mark must be a special person." Of course, I'll agree with her assertion! But I'd also add that our God is an amazing God who provides for His children. We have been able to lean on Him and trust in His plan for our lives. God knew what he was doing when he allowed me to meet an incredible woman who had given her kidney to her brother who has IGA Nephropathy about two years ago. I met this donor at UK, but not in the transplant clinic. She was actually the Radiologist Technician who conducted my CAT scan several weeks ago. God allowed our paths to cross and she provided me with a wealth of information. My conversation with her has made it even easier to stay calm and focus on the positives in the situation. In addition to these three things, God has done so much more! I may share others later. We have been blessed beyond measure. In my opinion, this entire situation serves as an undeniable testament to God's mercy, power, and love!

The transplant has been scheduled!!!!!!!!

I am at my state association's conference and received the phone call that is the answer to months and months of prayer! Mark's transplant has been tentatively scheduled for March 5th!!!!!!!!! Please understand that this is pending the completion of the one remaining test of kidney function and approval from the Rheumatologist. As we've mentioned in prior posts, I am scheduled to see the Rheumatologist a week from tomorrow-on 2/20/2009. I will then see the Urologist and complete the final test on the Wednesday- 2/25/2009. If all goes well, the transplant will then occur the following Thursday-3/5/2009. While this is unbelievably wonderful news, please continue praying for us. While I am celebrating the news, Mark is starting to feel very anxious. He is fearful of rejection and his response to the medications used after transplantation, while also being worried about any pain or discomfort I may experience from donating. So...this post is a prayer request, but is mainly a huge "praise" report as we have continued to see God work in this situation!!!!

"I will praise you O Lord with all my heart. I will tell of all Your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in You. I will sing praise to Your name O Most High."
Psalm 9:1-2

"I will lie down and sleep in peace for You alone O Lord make me dwell in safety."
Psalm 4:8