Thank you, Dr. Perrone
Dr. Perrone is a nephrologist who specializes in PKD. His words about my book, The Reluctant Donor, mean so much to me. It means I honored those who went before me . . .the brave men and women who taught me courage. Here is what Dr. Perrone wrote: ‘The Reluctant Donor should be required reading for anybody who works with kidney disease patients, at any level. I provided this wonderful book with brand new nephrology physicians in training. They were profoundly moved. In the present era, we take dialysis and transplantation for granted, i.e., as routine medical procedures. It wasn’t always so. The integration of the incredible and courageous histories of members of the Ruff family, at a time when dialysis and transplantation were not standard medical procedures reminds of the progress we have made, but there is so much more to do. Highly recommended as required reading.’ Ronald D. Perrone, MD Nephrologist Tufts Medical Center...
Read MoreSo You Think Nuns are Mean?
Breaking the Stigma About Nuns Being No Fun Many of you know about my family’s connection to the Dominican nuns because of our beloved Sister Mike. For those of you who don’t know nuns, or Sisters as they’re also called, the best way to describe them is they are a group of women who take a vow to dedicate their lives to serve God. My grandpa Mike’s sister and daughter were both Dominican nuns, Sister Francis and Sister Mike. Sister Mike was, of course, not a typical nun, as those of you who have read my book learned. She was fun-loving, mischievous, and courageous. She was my fairy godmother disguised as a nun. When she died . . . how many 45-year-olds do you know who would accept death so others could live? But, today, let’s just focus on fun. When I was a little girl about to start 1st grade, I was beside myself with excitement. All I kept saying was that I couldn’t wait to ask my new teacher if she knew Sister Mike. And, yes! My new teacher, Sister Marie Raphael, OP (Order of Preachers) knew and loved her. Not to mention that everyone in the family, except 6-year-old me, played along and enjoy my delight when my teacher said, “Why yes! I know Sister Michael Mary! I didn’t know she had a niece named Suzie!” (Even though she was in on it all along.) Sister Marie Raphael was also my little sister, JoAnn’s, 1st grade teacher, the year I went to 2nd grade. We kept in touch with Sister Marie Raphael through the years. She became far more than a first grade teacher. She continued her education and eventually was chaplain and director of spiritual care at St. Joseph Healthcare system in Albuquerque, NM. How many of you kept in touch with your first grade teacher? “Raph” was a pistol and there is a funny story in my book about the joke she played on my mother. When my book was published, she invited us to speak to all the other nuns at The Mound in Wisconsin. After our presentation and reception, “Raph” invited us to have something “stronger” to drink in her room! She passed away this past July at the age of 85. Somehow I believe there is a party up in heaven going on with Sister Mike and “Raph”. I’m betting the nun who wrote the prayer below back in the 17th Century has the same sense of fun as Sister Mike and Sister Marie Raphael and Sister Francis. Maybe you had a “bad” nun in your past. My mom always used to say, “Don’t let one bad apple spoil the bunch!” I have great respect for the work nuns do to make the world a better place. Amen! Prayer of a 17th Century Nun Lord, thou knowest better than I know myself that I am growing older and will some day be old. Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion. Release me from craving to straighten out everybody’s affairs. Make me thoughtful but not moody; helpful but not bossy. With my vast store of wisdom it seems a pity not to use it all, but Thou knowest Lord, that I want a few friends at the end. Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details; give me wings to get to the point. Seal my lips on my aches and pains. They are increasing and love of rehearsing them is becoming sweeter as the years...
Read MoreA Review from the St. Paul Pioneer Press
This review was written by Mary Ann Grossman of the St. Paul Pioneer Press ‘The Reluctant Donor’ by Suzanne F. Ruff (Beaver’s Pond Press, $14.95): What would you do if you had to face the thing that terrified you the most? Suzanne Ruff found that you come out stronger when she donated a kidney to her sister. Ruff, who lives in Minneapolis, tells the story in this beautifully written, gut-wrenching memoir. Ruff’s family was devastated by polycystic kidney disease (PKD) for generations. “The people I have loved most had kidneys that failed,” she writes. “My mother had the disease. Her mother, my grandmother, had the disease. My two uncles. My two aunts. All are deceased, as are two of my cousins who had the disease … now both of my sisters have the disease.” Ruff did not inherit PKD and knew she had to donate a kidney to one sister, with whom she had had some arguments. But she didn’t make her decision without anguish and fear. She wept, raged at her husband, prayed, whined. But she did it with the help of her family, including her patient husband, who kept saying, “Just for today you aren’t going to donate a kidney” in the weeks leading up to the surgery. Ruff effortlessly weaves together her emotions and family background with just enough information about PKD to make clear its seriousness without overwhelming the reader with biology. Ruff is a member of the National Kidney Foundation’s Living Donor Council Executive Committee, and her book is sure to make readers do some soul-searching about whether to be organ...
Read MoreLaunch
Writing a book is not easy! Donating a kidney is not easy! Celebrating a published book is easy! It was almost as exciting as when I learned my old kidney immediately produced urine once it was sewn into its new home within my sister’s body! The Launch Party for my book, The Reluctant Donor, was held on Thursday, April 8, 2010. It was exciting! The fact that our family’s story became a book on the 7th anniversary of our mother’s death was poignant. Mom loved a good party. Maybe she was celebrating, too, from a big fluffy cloud up in heaven, along with Sister Mike and the six other family members who died of PKD. I hope they know the book is to honor them, to bring hope to anyone newly diagnosed with PKD, and to find a cure. They taught me courage, faith, and to remember to laugh despite sorrow and pain. Medical science has made great advances since my grandmother died in 1948 and then Sister Mike in 1966. That’s why I wrote their stories! I have a friend who has PKD. She read the book said she laughed, she cried, and then she laughed again. Isn’t that how life is for all of us? Please consider donating a book to your local library, dialysis center or local...
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