Anthony and Kidney Transplant

Who knew just two months ago with my last post that Anthony would already have his new kidney. I'm this was due to a mix of divine intervention and timing.

The process of being listed for a kidney transplant lasted from the end of December through the beginning of April. We were always visiting the hospital getting tests and evaluations to ensure Anthony was a good candidate to receive a kidney.

It seemed the odds were stacked against us from the beginning. Just as the evaluation process started, we discovered a temporary lapse in insurance. Thankfully the hospital was able to work with the insurance and minimized the time  we had without coverage. 

Another thing that came up during the evaluation was concern about papilledema (swelling of the optic nerve.) However, everything finally worked out and he was officially listed as active on the kidney transplant waiting list on April 9th. Meanwhile, his aunt was going through evaluations to see if she could be a living donor (Thanks Aunt Amy.)

We were relieved that the process was complete and knew that waiting for a kidney could take a long time.  However Sunday evening on April 14, the transplant team called and said they might have a kidney for Anthony. We left for the hospital that night. After testing both Anthony and the donor's kidney again, the doctors felt that the kidney was a good match for Anthony and he went into the OR early Tuesday morning.  We found it a blessing that he received his kidney not only during National Donate Live Month, but also during Holy Week.   Many people have been keeping Anthony in their prayers, and I have no doubt that they have been heard and answered. It truly has been a miraculous journey.

In my local community we are raising funds to help with the initial costs of recovering from the transplant. One of the ways we chose to do this was to remind people of the book Angel Donor. Whenever Angel Donor is purchased (especially through Guardian Angel Publishing), I earn royalties which can be put towards the costs.

You can read about his updates on his Go Fund Me Page as he continues the recovery process.