Who woulda thunk it? Me at a Super Bowl game!
Super Bowl frenzy time! The very lucky Reluctant Donor attended Super Bowl XX. The story behind it shows the grit, generous nature and fun-loving spirit my mother possessed. My Dad is and always was a diehard Chicago Bears fan. Dad and his buddies had season tickets to the Chicago Bears for almost 50 years. When Mom married him, in her infinite wisdom, she used to say to us, his daughters, “Girls, if you can’t fight ‘em, you might as well join ‘em.” That’s why all of us women know what a 1st and ten is! Some of us even attended games with Dad when the Bears played in Wrigley Field. Any Bear fan worth his weight in pigskin knows the 1985 season was charmed. We were living in Florida. Mom and Dad were retired and spent their winters near us. Mom was on dialysis because of polycystic kidney disease –an artificial kidney machine was keeping her alive – at that point, for six years. A tough cross to carry, but one she did well – to stay alive. Dad sold his home game tickets easily that year of 1985. In Florida, when the games weren’t on TV, we found an oyster bar called Schuckers that had satellite TV so we could see the games. Our daughter dressed as McMahon that year for Halloween. When the Bears won their two postseason games with shutouts, come on! We were obnoxious! Super Bowl here we come! “Well, they call me Sweetness and I like to dance . . . “ Each of us could sing the words to the Super Bowl Shuffle. Mom, though, was the sweetest of all. She approached Bill and me. “Would the two of you take Dad to the Super Bowl in New Orleans? It might be a once in a lifetime opportunity for him to see his beloved Bears in the Super Bowl. I’ll watch the kids.” “But, we’ll never get tickets, Mom!” She had it all figured out. Because he and his buddies had seven season tickets between them, there was a lottery drawing for tickets to the Super Bowl. “He’ll win a ticket,” Mom claimed. “You watch – I’ll pray!” We left for New Orleans after Mom’s Friday dialysis. Mom didn’t tell us she had a bad dialysis day. She had told the nurses a few times that she didn’t think her machine was working right. No one listened. She was sick when we left, but kept it hidden, putting on a good front. Our school aged daughters, whom mom called Little Angels, along with Mom waved us off. “Bye, bye! We’re going to party, too! Now we can stay up past bedtime and eat all the candy and sugar we want, right, girls?” Dad did, in fact, win a ticket to the Super Bowl! Bill’s brother, George, somehow got tickets for Bill and me. We called home to tell Mom and the girls. “I knew you would get tickets! I have an in with the Man Upstairs! Have fun! The girls are being so good.” Mom told us. It was a magical weekend in New Orleans. We celebrated with Dad’s buddies, friends from Chicago, and Bill’s brother. Mass at St. Louis Cathedral with Dad kicked off the day. We ended it with the Bear’s victory amid Dad’s tears of joy. Chicago Bears 46! New England Patriots 10! Arriving home late Monday still elated, the bubble of joy burst when we saw Mom. She looked like the Goodyear Blimp – swollen and puffy and in her words, “sicker than a dog.” “Gramma was throwing up,...
Read MoreA New Birthday Buddy
Janice and I became Great Aunts to Brayden John! He arrived early! Delightedly Brayden John and Janice are Birthday Buddies! How cool is that? — with Janice Gill.
Read MorePraying for Janice
The staff at the Mayo Clinic are kind, caring, and treat each and every person like royalty. Each life is valued.. Patience, empathy and manners reign supreme! Janice proudly wears two band-aids after being prodded & poked all day! Keep praying!
Read MoreA Medical Week
Sometimes life is all about medical issues. On a Tuesday this month, Janice was admitted to the hospital, Wednesday Dad had a stroke and Thursday my cousin had a kidney transplant – a gift from his loving wife. Janice is now out of the hospital. Doctors say Dad will fully recover; it was mild. My cousin and his wife are home recuperating. Life is precious, fragile and worth fighting for! Thank God for those who awaken each day and go to work in the medical field. God bless Jan, Dad and my many cousins
Read MoreWhew!
Whew! The last ten days have been tense. My sister, Janice, had gallstones and then more gallstones, and then surgery to remove her gallbladder. Three scopes and ten gallstones plus surgery took a toll on a very sick Janice. Our worry was palpable – holding our breath – that her transplanted kidney stayed safe and continued performing its magic. We sent out an SOS – please pray – and are delighted with the vast number of people who prayed. All surgery involves risk. The risk of infection is a very real fear for people with kidney transplants. Compromised immune systems and the word – complication – makes my heart stand still. All is well even though Janice spent her birthday in the hospital. Janice joked with the surgeon that he was going to landscape his yard with the gallstones. She has a funny sense of humor and I loved hearing it! She is feeling so much better. Today I give thanks for the success of Janice’s surgery, gratitude to the surgeon, doctors and nurses who worked diligently to care for her, and the family that helped her through some tough days. Most of all, I give thanks for Janice! Happy Birthday, Jan! There is a sentence in my book – “Kidneys don’t grow on trees!” There are over 110,000people waiting on the transplant waiting list, most of them needing a kidney. My family knows what it is like to be on that list. Daily, I pray for all those waiting for a...
Read MoreThree Sisters, Seven Kidneys Between Us
Both of my sisters attended the launch of the book. The Star Tribune newspaper took some photos of us. We hope the caption reads: three sisters, seven kidneys between us! Despite each of my sisters having had a transplant, both of them still have their diseased kidneys. Each sister has three kidneys. Many people are surprised to learn this fact. Sometimes diseased polycystic kidneys are removed prior to transplantation because of complications or size. Many times the patient is too ill to withstand the removal of their diseased kidneys during the transplant of the new kidney. This was the case for my sisters. Polycystic kidneys can weigh up to thirty-eight pounds. One of my sisters has been told her diseased kidneys weigh twenty pounds each! She would love to have them removed, but she is afraid of an infection or complication that would jeopardize the transplanted kidney she received from a donor in 1995. New kidneys are hard to come by – they don’t grow on trees. April is Donate Life Month. Help us increase organ donor awareness! Two people saved my Mom and my sister because they were organ donors. We are one grateful...
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