Life is GOOD!!

Thanksgiving at Pa and La La's house

Thanksgiving had a different feel this year.  First of all, I finally got to cook our dinner using "normal recipes" and not ones that had to be changed to accommodate Ken's dialysis diet. So the food tasted extra GOOD!  We cherished the time we got to spend with our daughter, Stefanie, Danny and our three beautiful granddaughters.  It was a simple day, but those simple things felt so GOOD!  Time has become very important to Ken and me.  We try to enjoy the moments and not worry about the future.  We know God has the plan and we ask Him daily for the strength to follow His will. 

SLUMBER PARTY!!!!!!

Friday night we had another first - slumber party at Pa and La La's house.  It had been months since the last sleepover.  It was so hard for Ken and me to look at those little girls' eyes asking when they could sleep here again.  When Ken came home from work, he asked Addie and Sophie if they wanted to sleep over. They screamed and jumped for joy and it sounded so GOOD!

Tailgating with Friends

On Saturday Ken played his second round of golf.  He enjoyed each and every moment on that golf course and it was so GOOD!  Sunday was the best day of all.  We finally went to our first Saints' game of this season at the Dome.  As we were walking to the Dome from the parking garage, Ken said a month ago he could not walk from his recliner to the kitchen without being short of breath.  Now we were walking at a brisk pace and it felt so GOOD!  We tailgated with some good friends and enjoyed the company, the beautiful day and the fact that life was starting to feel normal and it was so GOOD!  Once inside the Dome our friends were so excited to see Ken back.  They were all amazed at how good he looked.  We cheered, screamed, jumped up and down and tried to help our Saints get a win but it was not meant to be.  Sure we were disappointed but not like we felt before this journey began.  Things are different now and Ken and I see life from a new perspective and it feels so GOOD!

Back in the Dome

So as life continues to slowly but surely get back to normal, our post-transplant journey continues. Ken is now getting infusions every two weeks to kill the virus that is active in his blood.  He is scheduled to receive three more treatments.  The infusion lasts for 4 1/2 hours.  He receives saline to hydrate the kidney for 3 1/2 hours and then receives the medicine for 1 hour.   So far he has not experienced any side effects from the medicine.  They are monitoring his blood weekly, and he may have to have another kidney biopsy in the near future.  We again ask you to keep Ken in your thoughts and prayers.  Despite this current bump in the road, life is truly getting better and better every day and both Ken and I are feeling very GOOD!

Until next time may the Lord carry us on our journey,
Pat

A Week of Firsts!!

First Golf Game since 9/8/12

Ken and George

Life was good this week.  Ken played his first round of golf in more than 9 weeks on Saturday.  He had a GREAT time with his golfing buddies and actually played pretty well.  He was so happy to get back on the golf course.  It was a huge step for him toward that normal life he is looking to get back to.

On Sunday Ken and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary.  We had made plans months ago to go to the beach for a long weekend, but we decided to put that off until a later date.  Instead we enjoyed a beautiful "Anniversary" weekend - dining at Ruth's Chris and breakfast at Peppermill.  We cheered our Saints on to a GREAT victory on Sunday afternoon and talked to our children both in town and out of town.  Ken and I both agreed this was the best weekend we have had in months.

Anniversary Dinner

The challenges do continue for Ken. His new kidney is still showing a mild rejection, and he also has a virus in his system. The doctors agree that the treatment plan now is to kill the virus with medicine given through an infusion.  He will have his first infusion on Wednesday.  This medicine is powerful and we are confident it will finally get rid of the virus. He will need to have the infusion every two weeks until the blood work shows the virus is gone. In the next few weeks, Ken will have another kidney biopsy to check the cells in the kidney and assess his progress.This is normal protocol for a new kidney transplant patient. Since Ken is still on Coumadin for the blood clots, I will have to administer shots in his stomach again until after the biopsy.  Then they will start him back on Coumadin and the shots will continue until the lab results show a therapeutic level in his blood again.  So we humbly ask you keep Ken in your prayers as he continues on this path to recovery.  Pray that the gift of life from Alex, that wonderful kidney, will keep functioning so beautifully. As always, we know we can count on all of your good thoughts and prayers.

So as we approach Thanksgiving, we want to thank God first for all He has done for us.  We want to thank our amazing family, Stefanie and Danny, Greg and Camille, Kelly and Alex and our three beautiful granddaughters, Addie, Sophie and Jillie.  We want to thank our extended family and friends who have followed this blog and continually give us their support, prayers and love.  Life is a journey of faith.  Ken and I realize that nothing is guaranteed so enjoy each moment that God gives us. Our prayer as we wake each morning is, " God, whether I get anything else done today, I want to make sure that I spend time loving you and loving other people - because that's what life is all about.  I don't want to waste this day."  You are all in our prayers today and every day.

Until next time may the Lord carry us on our journey,
Pat

Another Successful Kidney Walk!!

Ken With A Kidney!

Ken and Terry

Sunday was a GREAT day for the Roig Family.  We took part in the 2012 Kidney Walk.  The Renal Roigs raised over $1,000 for the Kidney Foundation.  Our team was made up of family - our daughters, Stefanie and Kelly and their husbands Danny and Alex.  Our son, Greg, and his wife Camille were there with Jim and Mary, Camille's parents from California and Camille's Aunt Meg.  Ken's sister Sheila and brother David with his wife Tammy and children Gabby and Joel participated.  My cousin Frank and his wife Barbara and my cousins Becky, Sue, and her husband Jerry came.  Our good friends Roberta, Ken and Darren Chevis joined us.  Ken's cousin Rhonda and her husband Terry walked too.  Kelly got a wonderful surprise when her friends showed up to walk with our team - Holly, James, Poppy, Ashley Z, Paige, Becky, and Ashleigh P.  Greg's friends Tim and Lauren joined us as well as our new friends Colleen and John. We want to thank everyone who walked with us in person or in spirit and for their prayers and well wishes.  It was a celebration of the gift that Alex, our son-in-law, gave to Ken.  It was a time to focus on encouraging others to consider the gift of life - becoming a donor.  We hope more people will walk with us next year.  As you can see by the pictures, fun was had by all.  Sally Ann Roberts from WWL-TV came out to the Kidney Walk to do a follow-up on the story she did in August on Alex and Ken.  On the morning show this week, Sally Ann talked about Ken and Alex two months after the transplant surgery. She said our family is dedicated to "paying it forward" by encouraging organ donations and bringing attention to other causes in our community.  We have been blessed in many ways by this blog and we hope to share our blessings with others.  Thank you Sally Ann for all you do for this community and for making all of us aware of the need for bone marrow donors as well as organ donors.  May this blog encourage others to find out more about becoming a living donor!

This week Ken and I went to his clinic visit to get the results of his kidney biopsy.  The doctor said the kidney is showing a mild acute rejection.  This apparently is very common and many transplant patients experience this a few times in the 3 to 6 months after the transplant surgery.  They will start treatment immediately which will be IV infusions of steroids for 3 days and then oral steroids for awhile.  The infusion should last about 45 minutes.  Good news it can be done as an outpatient procedure.  They will monitor his blood levels daily.  He will also have another Echogram since he still gets short of breath occasionally.  One positive bit of news from our visit is that Ken was told by the doctor that he could start playing golf again soon. YAY!!!!!!!

So life goes on and we enjoy the blessings we receive each and every day.  Some days the journey takes strange turns but God is our guide and He knows the way.  We trust in Him and know that He loves us so much and knows what is best for us.  We ask as always that you keep those AWESOME prayers coming our way.  You are our "Prayer Warriors!"

Until the next time may the Lord carry us on our journey,
Pat                                                        

Pat and Sheila

Sheila, Meg, Mary. and Camille

"LaLa" and Addie

                   

Sheila and Meg

                                               

Addie Swinging!

Jim and Mary

                     

Darren, Alex, Ken

                       

David and Ken

                                 

Colleen, Greg, John, and Camille

           

Meg, Sheila. Jim, Mary, Darren, Ken, and Roberta

     

James, Poppy, Holly, Alex, Becky, Paige, Ashleigh, Kelly, and Ashley

Ken, Rhonda, and Terry

Jillie, Stef, Danny, Sophie, and Addie

Meg, Sheila, Camille, Mary

Daughter and Mom

Danny, Jillie, Stef, and Ken

                                                                                                                                     

Frank, Ken, and Jerry

                                                                                               

Ken and Jerry

A Time To Work, A Time To Pray, And A Time To Walk!!

As I sit in the same waiting room I did on September 10th,  I can't believe the journey that we have taken in these past 8 weeks.  Ken has certainly experienced some setbacks along the way, but I wanted to share some happy events that have occurred recently.  Ken went back to work last week and though it was a struggle initially he finally felt a little sense of normalcy.  He battled with a low energy level and his blood pressure kept bottoming out which made him feel "washed out." But on Friday, something changed. Ken started feeling better - much better. His blood pressure leveled off so the doctor discontinued his medicines. He was able to run a few errands and catch up on "jobs" around the house.  He kept saying he felt like a normal person again, the best he has felt since the surgery. On Sunday, our grandchildren came over and spent the day. It was great to see them and play with them. Addie said, "I wish I could come over to your house everyday!" Ken and I agreed.  Sunday night we slept very well after our "play day."  

Yesterday Ken had a biopsy on his kidney. A week ago some levels changed in Ken's kidney. The doctors immediately started running tests to see what was going on. We have learned that this is a normal occurrence for kidney transplant patients to have one or two biopsies in the first few months after surgery. This gives the doctors a good picture of what is going on and more importantly how best to "fix" the problem.  This was done as an outpatient procedure.  Ken had to take it easy yesterday, but was back to work today. We will receive the results of the biopsy on Monday, and as always ask for your good thoughts and prayers.

The Return Of Our Hero and His Amazing Wife

On an exciting note, we are thrilled to have Kelly, our amazing donor Alex, Greg, Camille, and her parents Mary and Jim, and Camille's Aunt Meg to celebrate Ken's kidney and Alex's gift - that wonderful kidney - on Sunday at the Kidney Walk in Audubon Park.  Team Renal Roigs has over 20 members walking this year. We are blessed with all these family members and friends walking with us. It is not too late to join the Renal Roigs. The walk begins at 9:30am on Sunday in Audubon Park. You can register to walk with us starting at 8am that morning. Our team will be wearing royal blue shirts this year with A Kidney For Ken written on the front of them. We hope to see you there!

Until the next time may The Lord carry us on our journey,
Pat