December 2008 - Moving Up!

A few days ago, upon our arrival at the Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville for my annual pre-transplant evaluation, we were pleased to learn that I'm now fifth on Mayo's kidney transplant list. Having moved up five spots in barely 60 days , I could be transplanted in the near future- subject to the complexities of tissue matching, which involves testing the similarity of certain proteins (antigens) between potential organ donors and recipients.

The immediacy of my situation became more apparent when my transplant coordinator and social worker engaged us in a discussion of some practicalities - the importance of accurate alternative telephone numbers, what to expect upon arrival at the Mayo Emergency Department, clarification of post-transplant immunosupressant and preventive medications, plans for remainig in the Jacksonville area following the transplant (to monitor and treat any signs of organ rejection), and so forth.

Mosts of the tests durng this three-day period focussed on my heart and its ability to tolerate the transplant surgery. No significant abnormalities were found and other clinical and laboratory tests indicated that my kidney condition is essentially unchanged. We had a lengthy meeting with my Mayo physician, Dr. Martin Mai, on the precarious nature of my "stable" condition and the advantages of a pre-emptive kidney transplant.

Given the immediacy of my situation, we decided to forego our plans to attend President-Elect Obama's Inauguration on January 20th.

Thanksgiving - 2008

There was much to give thanks for this Thanksgiving. In addition to the stability of my condition, we were cheered by the visit of my sister, Eleanor Redway, from Los Angeles. Because we live on opposite coasts, this was our first Thanksgiving together in over 40 years! It was our "treat" for her her 80th birthday and Eleanor proudly told almost everyone she met that she was from Los Angeles and was here in Savannah, thanks to her "little" brother.

In addition to family time - Alison and her family joined us - Eleanor and I found some precious private time to share personal concerns and stories of years past - especially our childhood years in Roxbury, MA and our deceased parents and brother, Calvin. This was Eleanor's first visit to the South and she genuinely enjoyed Connie's legendary culinary skills, our tours of Historic Savannah, its ambiance, a hydro massage, and the warmth exuded by many persons, some complete strangers, that she met.

As Eleanor left for home with effusive thanks for her "birthday present", we were reminded how the joy of receiving can easily be matched by the joy of giving.

"We ain't where we want to be, but we ain't where we used to be."

The election is over!! My condition has taken a backseat to the history of the occasion. We did our "bit" by serving as poll watchers at the Georgetown section of Savannah - where 280 (!!) prospective voters were in line when the polls opened at 7:00 a.m. Aside from meal breaks, we stayed all day and were favorably impressed by the professionalism of the election staff. (Only ten of 1,200 voters were turned away. Each was promptly intercepted and interviewed by Connie and we were satisfied that there were no improper reasons involved.) Unfortunately, the results at the Georgetown precinct mirrored the statewide results - McCain received 57% of the vote. On a more positive note, Chatham County went overwhelmingly Democratic (thanks in large part to a strong AA voter turnout) and friend Larry Chisholm was elected the Chatham County's first AA District Attorney.

Returning home, after reporting the precinct results to Obama's GA headquarters, we got a bite to eat and, like millions of others world-wide, settled in to watch the national returns. When the words "President-Elect Barack Obama" appeared on the TV screen, we were overcome with emotion - and my thoughts returned to my late father who never failed to cast his vote (for Democrats, of course!), the Brooklyn poll worker who in 1955 insisted that, despite being a college graduate, I had to take a literacy test far across town, and those hundreds of unsung "foot soldiers of the Movement" in St. Augustine, FL who, in 1964, chose to stay in the outside jail pen, rather than promise to stop marching for the right to enjoy the beaches of "America's First City".

The following morning, bright and early, we drove to the nearby Savannah airport to purchase a copy of the NY Times of that historic date.

A few days later, thanks to the hospitality of Sharon Burrell, we decided with our good friends, Cliff and Di Broadnax, to travel to Washington DC - joining about four million other well-wishers - to witness the Inauguration of President-Elect Obama.

What a time to be alive!

Examination and Disengagement.

Mayo Clinic has scheduled me for my annual pre-transplant physical examination over three days in early December. (Fortunately unlike many other transplant candidates, this trip won't be a financial burden upon us because my insurance will now reimburse us for the expenses of travel, meals and lodging.) Yet, as an aside, I can't help but wonder whether I'll receive a kidney transplant by that time.

Last Wednesday, I visited my vascular surgeon, Dr. Christopher Wixon, and received both good and not-so-good news. Good news is that the aneurysm is unchanged in size and should not be a barrier to transplant, The not-so-good news is that my fistula, which would provide access in the event of dialysis, is not functioning well at all. He wasn't surprised that I declined the opportunity to be backup to a primary transplant recipient last month and we had an extended conversation about transplant surgery in my particular situation. He's not only an able surgeon, but an excellent communicator.

Meanwhile, because I'll be out of circulation whenever I do receive "the call", I've begun to lighten up on my community activities. Earlier this month, I announced my resignation as secretary of the 100 Black Men of Savannah and as chair of our Mentoring Committee. I was deeply moved by my brethren's kind expressions of appreciation and support. But - I'm still committed to work for the election of Barak Obama and Connie and I will perform poll watching duty next Tuesday, Election Day.

I Never Imagined it was This Close! Weeks? Months?

About 10:00 a.m. Monday, Mayo's Organ Procurement Coordinator called to ask me if I was interested in traveling to Mayo - right away - for further blood tests to back-up a primary kidney transplant recipient later today!!! C.J and I were literally stunned, I felt butterflies in my stomach. Believing that I was 10th on the list, we had assumed that it would be several months - maybe January or February before I was called.

After some discussion with both C.J. and the Organ Procurement Coordinator and learning that there was only a 10% chance that I would be transplanted today, and being in no immediate distress, I went with my "gut" feelings declined the offer.

On the other hand, I now realize that - having been called as a back-up - I'm almost certainly close to the top of the transplant list for my blood type (A) and its most likely only a matter of weeks or maybe a couple of months before I receive "the call".

It's both exiting and frightening. After all, I'm not on dialysis, but my renal functioning is now down to 14% and it could drop to the "magic" 10% (and dialysis) precipitously. Preemptive transplants (before dialysis) are more successful, statistically. I'm not too worried about the surgery or the strict medical regime afterward - it's the fear of organ rejection.

It's now early evening and as the day has settled in, so have my emotions also settled down. I've called and talked with Eleanor, Scott, Alison, the priest at our church (a wonderful and compassionate woman who is also a physician) and a few close friends to share the news. They were all appreciative of my anxiety.

Of course, I had to check out Mayo's spanking new state-of-the-art hospital in Jacksonville. It's pretty nice with all sorts of patient amenities. Not a bad facility, if one must be in a hospital.

More on my journey later.

It Could Be Getting Closer.

Today, while taking my morning constitutional walk through our subdivision, the Mayo Clinic's Transplant social worker called for update of my insurance medical and prescription insurance situation (pretty good!). She mentioned that I was now 10th (for my blood type - A) on Mayo's transplant list. Since I was 24th on the list in January, I guess that it'll be a few months, perhaps December or January, before I receive "the call".

Earlier this summer, when MCG (Medical College of GA in Augusta, GA) notified me that I was in the newly-established "paired transplant" program, I was hopeful that, with an available live but unmatched donor, I would receive a live kidney by this fall. A month or so ago, however, my MCG transplant coordinator explained that their program was still in the process of securing the necessary approvals and that the likelihood on a live kidney donation was still in the undetermined but distant future. C'est la vie.

On the positive side, my current renal function is somewhat above 10%; I'm not yet on dialysis; I'm feeling well and - contrary to Connie's teasing non-medical opinion - I'm in control of my mental faculties.