As of my last call to Baptist, 5 of 6 packets of possible donors had been ruled out. The average wait time for the list is 2-3 years and I was rapidly approaching 2. My hope and faith in a living donor was quickly diminishing. And as is often the story, when my faith had been stretched to near breaking, God came through in a big way. The last person tested was a patient of mine who I only saw for a few visits and had asked if she could be tested. This person barely knew me, had no previous connection with me, and had no obligation for such a heroic act towards me. I gladly gave her a packet and never really thought anything else about it. I got the call last month that my last possible donor was a match and the transplant has been scheduled for November 14th. It always amazes me how God will always work things out, even if it means bringing someone into your life to bring the miracle that you are waiting for. I would ask that God would bless this person "according to their works" as she is literally saving my life by a HUGE sacrifice on her part. She is giving me the opportunity to be there for my family and my kids for a long, long time. For all the media who tell us how bad the human race is on the news every night, I believe that there is still the power to change lives in each of us. I hope that I can take this gift and do just that.
I have also been blessed by yet another patient who owns Texas Roadhouse on LR Blvd in Hickory. She has asked if she could do a fundraiser before my surgery and this will take place on November 3rd. Again, every need is always met and I am so humbled by the amount of support and love that I have been given my all those around me.
I will be working my last day on November 8th and will be admitted to Baptist Hospital on November 13th for final testing and my transplant will take place on November 14th. I'm told that if all goes well, I will be able to come home sometime early the next week. I should be out of work 8-12 weeks. I will have to make fairly constant trips back and forth to Baptist after the transplant (2-3 times per week) for the first couple months and then down to 1 time a month for around 6 months. As I will be out of work and probably going stir crazy, I will try to post updates fairly regularly.
As for me, I am at peace with this endeavor. God kept me 3 years ago when I was hit by a car and came out unscathed, even though I had the bone mass of a 90 year old due to kidney failure. He has not only been with me throughout my diagnosis and dialysis, but has used it to grow me and change me into a better person. He is still working and I am excited to see where he will take me. My goals for recovery are simple. I want my story to be an inspiration to others to what God can do in a life and what he can accomplish. I want others to feel that they too can do anything that God lays on their hearts to do, no matter the situation. I want to be "more than a conqueror" over this situation. With that, if anyone reading this blog has questions about kidney failure, dialysis, etc; please let me know. My email address is two21bakerst@yahoo.com and I am on facebook.
Lastly, after my surgery, I will have about a 7 inch scar on one side of my abdomen. I am torn between the story that I was bitten by a shark while surfing of the coast of Australia or gored by a bull in Pamplona. I am taking votes now.
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