February, 2009 - A "Dry Run".

For several weeks, following our return from my annual pre-transplant evaluation at Mayo, I expected every phone call to be “the one”. Then, in mid-morning on February 11^th, after I had adopted a “what-will-be-will-be” attitude, I finally received that long-awaited Call. Within an hour we were en route to Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville. (Connie drove the entire way; I was too anxious to trust behind the wheel of our car.)

Upon arrival at Mayo’s Emergency Entrance, I was swiftly processed, escorted to my room in the Transplant Unit, and subjected to a blur of pre-operative procedures. My doctor, Martin Mai, M.D., examined me thoroughly, cleared my for the transplant and, in response to my query, said that, unless there was a problem, I wouldn’t see or hear from him until after the transplant which was now set for 11:00 p.m.

So, at about 10:30 p.m., when my nurse handed me her cell phone and said that Dr. Mai wanted to talk with me, I thought “This is not looking good.” I was right. Dr. Mai explained that the donor kidney was badly scarred, unsuitable for a transplant, and that my scheduled transplant was scrubbed.

My initial disappointment didn’t last long. First, I realized that my medical team would make every effort to ensure that I received a “good” kidney. Second, I now believed that I was at the top of the transplant list and could reasonably expect to receive a second call in the next few weeks.