At about 9:00 p.m. on February 17th, Mayo's Organ Transplant Coordinator excitedly called to say that they had a cadaver kidney and I should report to Mayo's Emergency Entrance at 6:00 a.m. the following day. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep that night and Connie, who again drove the entire distance, was exhausted upon our arrival in Jacksonville. (I spent most of the trip on my Blackberry, emailing family and friends that we were en route to Mayo - again.)
It seemed as if everyone was awaiting my arrival - from the admitting clerk to the entire staff of the Transplant Unit. After the dry run six days earlier, the reality that this was indeed "it", didn't fully hit me until I was transported to the staging area adjacent to the operating room, was injected with a multitude of needles, was examined by my anesthesiologist and my transplant surgeon, Darrin Willingham, M.D., who thoughtfully brought Connie in to see me just before I was wheeled into the o.r.
In retrospect, the following five days seem more like one long day. I have no recollection of being in the recovery room, but was reassured to see Connie when I was returned to my hospital room. For the next two or three days, I was intensively monitored by a transplant nurse assigned solely to me and another recent transplant recipient. During my hospitalization, I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from family and friends - near and far - and visits by Alison and her family, Connie's nephew, Amir West, and our parish priest, Rev. Ellen Richardson, who made a turnaround trip from Savannah, and Madeline Scales-Taylor.
My new "friend" began functioning immediately and I was impressed by Mayo's team approach - which made Connie and me integral parts of our treatment team. In addition to regular walks beginning the day after the transplant (ugh!), we were educated about recognizing signs of organ rejection, diet, and managing my lifetime regime of immunosuppressent and other medications.
Like all of Mayo's recent transplant patients, following my discharge from the hospital on February 23rd, I was required to stay in the Jacksonville area for several weeks to be closely monitored as an outpatient for any signs of organ rejection, blood tests two to three times weekly, and other diagnostic procedures. During this post-hospitalization period, I was encouraged by the support that I received from visitors; my brother-in-law and his wife, John and Jackie Riley, Sandy Malone, Mark & Leah Stewart, and Nathaniel Herring.
Words cannot describe how good it was to return home on March 27th. The irony that we departed in the darkness of night with the grass dormant and brown, and returned on a bright sunny day, with the grass turning green, did not escape me.
Praise God!
It seemed as if everyone was awaiting my arrival - from the admitting clerk to the entire staff of the Transplant Unit. After the dry run six days earlier, the reality that this was indeed "it", didn't fully hit me until I was transported to the staging area adjacent to the operating room, was injected with a multitude of needles, was examined by my anesthesiologist and my transplant surgeon, Darrin Willingham, M.D., who thoughtfully brought Connie in to see me just before I was wheeled into the o.r.
In retrospect, the following five days seem more like one long day. I have no recollection of being in the recovery room, but was reassured to see Connie when I was returned to my hospital room. For the next two or three days, I was intensively monitored by a transplant nurse assigned solely to me and another recent transplant recipient. During my hospitalization, I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from family and friends - near and far - and visits by Alison and her family, Connie's nephew, Amir West, and our parish priest, Rev. Ellen Richardson, who made a turnaround trip from Savannah, and Madeline Scales-Taylor.
My new "friend" began functioning immediately and I was impressed by Mayo's team approach - which made Connie and me integral parts of our treatment team. In addition to regular walks beginning the day after the transplant (ugh!), we were educated about recognizing signs of organ rejection, diet, and managing my lifetime regime of immunosuppressent and other medications.
Like all of Mayo's recent transplant patients, following my discharge from the hospital on February 23rd, I was required to stay in the Jacksonville area for several weeks to be closely monitored as an outpatient for any signs of organ rejection, blood tests two to three times weekly, and other diagnostic procedures. During this post-hospitalization period, I was encouraged by the support that I received from visitors; my brother-in-law and his wife, John and Jackie Riley, Sandy Malone, Mark & Leah Stewart, and Nathaniel Herring.
Words cannot describe how good it was to return home on March 27th. The irony that we departed in the darkness of night with the grass dormant and brown, and returned on a bright sunny day, with the grass turning green, did not escape me.
Praise God!
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