Transplant - it can't happen to me!

This is a very personal post, and a request for help.

Last week I read this article, about a young mother's wait for a heart transplant.
https://www.upworthy.com/this-woman-s-story-shows-how-one-organ-donor-could-change-the-lives-of-a-whole-family

And my very very private eldest son and his even more private beautiful wife have given me permission to go public with their search for a Kidney Donor.

They don't DO social media. Tom doesn't even have a FB account. Wendy has one, and posts photos of her children. And limits its visibility to family members.

Wendy, in the center, surrounded by JT, Kaitlin, Josh and Jack, last Christmas.

Two years ago, Wendy went in to total and complete kidney failure. Her blood pressure skyrocketed to a level that could and probably would have killed her, had an ophthalmologist not seen the broken blood vessels behind her eyes and sent her straight to the ER. She was diagnosed with extremely high blood pressure, and kidney failure. She was hospitalized for several weeks while the doctors fought to stabilize her blood pressure (and save her life.)  We thought at the time that the blood pressure was what sent her into kidney failure, but the kidney failure could have triggered the HPB. Chicken/Egg???

At any rate, Wendy, her husband (my eldest son) and their four children are blessed. We could have lost her during that time.


And thank the Creator for the blessings of modern medicine. A dialysis machine, four to six hours a day three days a week keeps Wendy alive and able to live her life the rest of the time.


For now that is working. She is not high on the donors list because the dialysis is working. There are those who will die if they don't receive a kidney shortly.  For now Wendy is not on that frightening list.


But every Monday, Wednesday and Friday she spends her day at the hospital, hooked to that machine.  If they need a volunteer at her sons' schools, she can not.  If there is a field trip, she can't go. Not what a stay at home Mom would plan on. And of course they can't take a vacation. No trips to visit family for holidays, because she can't miss dialysis.

My son wanted to donate a kidney. (We each have two, so a person can donate one and live happily every after.) She has antibodies against him and would reject his.  Her grown children are unable to for the same reason.  Family members are not a match.

So we are asking the universe.

The donor has to have type A or type O blood, and pass some other tests. And be between ages 18 and 60. Tom and Wendy's insurance would pay all the expenses, and we would even fly you to Indianapolis for the surgery and recuperation.

If you want to donate, but are not a match for Wendy,  there is a United Network for Organ Sharing, which facilitates almost a daisy chain of donors.

You will be kept in the prayers of some powerful prayer warriors, and have more thanks than I have words for.  If you know of anyone who might be willing to donate a kidney for my daughter in law, Wendy, you all know how to contact me.