National Donor Sabbath
Two weekends before Thanksgiving is National Donor Sabbath. This year it is November 13-15, 2015. This three-day observance seeks to include the days of worship for major religions practiced in the United States and to show that major religions support and approve of organ donation. This is the time of year for family gatherings! Years fly by! Family gatherings can be stressful or peaceful depending on each person’s attitude. It always seems to me that once I start counting my blessings, my attitude changes. Change your attitude and your life changes! Being together is a great opportunity for everyone to talk about what they’re thankful for in their lives. Give everyone a pen and a piece of paper and ask them to write down what fills them with gratitude. Put the pieces of paper in a basket and have someone pick another’s gratitude. Then ask the person who selected the gratitude to interview the person who wrote it, asking questions and bringing out their gratitude. It’s fun! Some of the gratitudes will be funny and some will be serious. Because my family has so many transplant recipients, one of the “gratitudes” is always for the donor who has given them life. The fact that a complete stranger died so they could live is impossible to put into words. But, we always try. Most families that gather together will remember a missing family member who has died. Bittersweet! There may be tears, laughter. Sorrow and joy – that’s what organ donation and life have in common. It’s a good time to discuss everyone’s thoughts and wishes regarding what they would like done in the event of a sudden or unexpected death. It’s a good time to discuss both life and death, as hard as that may be. Being together makes it a good day! Because life is fragile, a gift! It is to be...
Read MoreMy cousin Jim . . .
On my Mom’s first day of dialysis, she prayed. Then, being the Irish Catholic that she was, Mom checked her church calendar to see which feast day it was. The calendar said it was the feast of St. Bridget and Mom said, “An Irish Saint! Glory be to God!” Actually, it was the feast day of St. Bridget of Sweden, but Mom didn’t know that and confused it with St. Brigid – one of the patron saints of Ireland and nuns. No matter! Whether it was an Irish saint, St. Brigid of Kildare, or a Swedish saint, St. Bridget, angels watched over Mom during those years. Mom named her fistula, “Bridie.” From that day on and for the ten years dialysis kept Mom alive, the grandchildren petted it and said it purred “like a kitty cat.” Today Mom’s nephew, one of the newborn twins I mention in my book, The Reluctant Donor, begins his first day of dialysis. (See why I wrote The Reluctant Donor?? Polycystic kidney disease goes on and on and on … and not many people know about it.) When the twins were born (over 50 years ago) into a household of six children, Mom went to help her sister, Aunt Mary Jane, with the new babies. Now my twin cousins are grown up with families of their own. Today I’m praying for Jim as he begins dialysis, of course. When I get sick of fundraising for a cure, I shake it off because we can’t quit. I also looked to see who the Saint of the day is today. It’s St. Peter Claver, a Spanish Jesuit priest, who left Spain to minister to the inhumane treatment of slaves and to bring attention to the wrongness of it. His kindness, sense of what is right, and compassion toward others is beyond humbling. St. Peter is a good saint to watch over my cousin, Jim, as he takes up his cross in the fight against polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Jim is a fireman and a great family man. I’m pretty sure, too, St. Peter will have a staff of lady angels named Mary Jane, Sister Mike, and Joan watching over...
Read MoreCelebrity Organ Donors
It’s always helpful and humbling to families like mine when a celebrity is an organ donor. It brings awareness to the public of this great noble gesture. Because to be an organ donor is the greatest thing you can do for your fellow man in the event of a sudden or unexpected death. Most of us have heard or met someone with a Cinderella story, especially in novels, who have a rich uncle that left them a fortune. Maybe it’s a million dollars in cash, or a big fancy castle, or a piece of jewelry so rare and exotic that their life is changed forever with this lucky windfall. It doesn’t even compare to the way a person (and their loved ones) who have been on the waiting list for a life-saving organ transplant feels when they receive a call that a “match” has been found. A “match” that can save their life. I’ve done an Irish jig when my mother and then my sister received such a call. You can’t even imagine the gift it is! But, the point is: Anyone who is an organ donor is a...
Read MoreWho Is In Control?
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace. The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things. -Amelia Earhart, aviator (24 Jul 1897-1937) Oh, how hard it is to find peace and to be courageous when fighting a disease! Oh, how in awe it is when we see it done! Amazing Grace, how sweet it is . . . I posted this quote recently on The Reluctant Donor’s Facebook page along with the three sentences of my thoughts. Many people ‘shared’ and ‘liked’ which just goes to show how good Amelia Earhart’s quote is along with the truth about finding peace and courage when battling disease. HOW DO YOU HOLD IT TOGETHER WHEN BATTLING A DISEASE? My mother often answered this question for me. I asked her so many times through her battle with PKD. I recently found a letter from thirty years ago from when I also asked that question. I giggled at some of her answers. “With gritted teeth” “I swear” “I yell at your father” “One day at a time, one hour at a time, one minute at a time” “With faith that better things are ahead” or “I ask Sister Mike to help me through” “The hardest thing is putting my life in God’s Hands! You know what a fighter I am and I have control but I don’t – I found that out when I was so sick!” “I had a good, long talk with the nurses.” “You give me great strength by telling me I have great strength and courage.” “I keep telling myself I’ve GOT to do it and it really does make it easier.” Thank you, Mom, for showing us the way . ....
Read MoreHappy World Kidney Day
Did you awaken this morning when your kidneys gave you a gentle nudge? Or, was it more like an urgent jolt that caused you to spring out of bed and make a mad dash to the bathroom? Whisper a word of thanksgiving for your kidneys today! It’s World Kidney Day and your kidneys are mighty organs within our miraculous bodies. Kidneys filter the toxins in our blood. In one day, your kidneys can filter 52 gallons of blood, working day and night. Kidneys help regulate your blood pressure and your electrolytes and monitor Vitamin D intake that promotes strong bones. Sure, it’s easy to be filled with gratitude if you have healthy kidneys. If you’re one of the lucky ones, take care of them. At your annual physical, ask your doctor, how are my kidneys doing? Be vigilant and know your blood pressure and blood sugar. Be involved in your health and you can head off kidney disease. But, what if your kidneys are diseased, failing or already failed? What about if your kidneys are not in good shape? What if they have made you sick, made you cry, and make you just plain miserable? My mother was someone with diseased kidneys. Kidney disease took the lives of the people she loved most, over and over and over again, and then it struck her.What I most remember was a comment my mother made to me while she was in the hospital and very, very ill. She said, “I can’t be mad at my kidneys for failing, after all they got me to this point in life and I’ve had a wonderful life.” She fought to live for ten years on dialysis and battled hysterectomy, bowel obstruction, parathyroid surgery, snapped quad muscles that kept her bedridden for eight and a half long months. There were tears, anguish and much suffering. But, somehow she kept her joy with peeks of humor amid the pain. It is a testament to her grit and determination. The lessons she taught me about life and, most of all, living life joyfully are astounding. Celebrate kidneys today! If possible, reach out a hand to anyone not blessed with good kidneys. Please pray for a cure, contribute to research, or help someone suffering with daily life! Remember to live...
Read More