There Are Signs Everywhere!

Kidney Walk in Greenville, SC

Do you ever get caught up in the daily routines of life and before you know it months have gone by?  I certainly do.  Since my last blog a few months back, so much has happened.  Many times I sat down at my computer  to write the blog and became distracted with other things, often the things that matter the least but seem to take up the most of our time. For this I apologize. I know how invested all of you are in knowing how Ken is doing and being part of our journey and message . It actually took a simple sign for me to remember that and re-commit myself to this blog. They say there are signs everywhere, we just need to look for them. I saw mine in Greenville, SC. 

We went to visit Kelly, Alex and Baby Gus for four days in April.  The time was spent playing golf, shopping, eating out, and enjoying family time.  On Sunday we all participated in the Kidney Walk in Greenville, SC.  It was held on the beautiful campus of Furman University.  They were many participants wearing shirts with their family names, business names, or stating they were donors or kidney transplant recipients but one sign in particular caught our attention.  It was simple - written on a plain white piece of paper with a marker and pinned on the back of a young girl.  It said 'I NEED A KIDNEY, PLEASE!" and it was followed by a phone number.  This young girl was about 12 years old.  This was the sign I needed to see.  It brings me back to why I started this blog so long ago.  Yes at the time we wanted to get Ken's story out there and maybe someone would donate a kidney.  But God had already planned Ken's life by bringing Alex into Kelly's life and into our lives.  Now I need to continue this journey to spread the word.  Organ donation can save so many lives.  Ken says each day he would not change one thing of his life.  He has not been connected to a machine and has been able to live his life.  We all have challenges - some are different than others but we all struggle.  How many of us ever have the opportunity to totally change someone's life - to save someone's life?  Think about that young girl and so many others out there that need an Alex to step up and say I will help.  Pass the word on about being a living donor and one day we won't have a waiting list of thousands.  Remember that little girl and pray for all those like her.

Ken and Gus

First Communion

Addie's Piano Recital

Now let me update you on Ken since his last hospital stay in January. His journey continues to be a roller coaster ride.  Ken still has blood work scheduled every two weeks.  We still wait and see and pray for good results every Tuesday afternoon.  Sometimes they are good, sometimes they are not. We try to focus on living in the moment, but let's face it those test results make or break our days. Even when we receive good news, with all the medications and infusions Ken receives, he is always battling side effects.  Lately, his challenge has been with low white blood cell counts which prevents him from being with our granddaughters as much as he wants to. Their colds and stomach viruses can be very serious for Ken.  And then there is the the BK virus which rears its ugly head in his body when his immune system is suppressed. But when his immune system isn't suppressed, he is at risk for rejections and requires infusions. So you see it is up and then it is down.  It is like a balancing act - one medicine helps and then another medicine hurts.  How do the doctors figure out the right balance?  I think it is a work in progress.  But let me be clear: Ken's worst day with his new kidney is still so much better than any day on dialysis. And through everything, faith, family and friends are always there to strengthen and console us.  Life goes on and Ken is one strong man! So much so that I have included just a few pictures of the great family events Ken and I have enjoyed over the past few months.

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

Pat