Grateful for the support....

***A loooong overdue update on all things Dialysis, End Stage Renal Failure, and Life*** I have had a lot of you reach out with questions, messages and calls lately that have gone unanswered, and I realize we do not owe anyone the answers, but its those messages and calls that remind us that we are not in this alone, so here it is for those wondering......

One year ago today, we w

ere in our first of many hospital visits, surgeries, started dialysis, and we were at the top of a rollercoaster and had no idea when or how the ride ended.....

Today we are still on that ride, Greg does dialysis at home every 4 hours - every single day so our lives pretty much revolve around that, I think we are on surgery #5, 6 trips to chapel hill so far, ER visit #132385 (okay maybe a slight exaggeration, but I lost count) - weekly pain management, chiropractor x 2 & and physical therapy x 2 visits for months now - it would be easier to count the nights we both got more than 4 hours of sleep than those we didn't over the last year - with so many twists and turns its hard for me to keep up with it all and keep everyone updated, because to be honest its day by day and things change so quickly, and I don't want to subject you with the long depressing list of things I wish I could change or make better.

But one thing that hasn't changed is the support we have from everyone, even when its been extremely hard for us to reciprocate and keep in touch - our amazing friends & family, complete strangers who heard our story, local organizations who have helped us navigate our current normal of surviving everyday life, the parents of Michelle's school friends who offer to keep her entertained, our Venture Church family, and I honestly cannot be more grateful for our foster care community....

When we put the call out for those interested in being a living donor so many of you stepped up to learn more, many of us (including me) learned preexisting issues disqualified us, we have had 2 friends tested in Chapel Hill already only to get the devastating (for them and us) news that they were not able to donate. Insurance verification for #3 is underway, but we try not to get too excited and overly hopeful. We are aware of 7 potential donors that made it past the initial survey that are candidates for further testing - and 4 of them are from our foster care community - foster parents, relatives of foster parents and Guardian ad Litem. We truly appreciate all of the efforts, shares and those willing to take the time to learn more about Living Donors even if you do not feel led to go any further than that. We understand its a big life decision to make and not everyone is in a situation to do it.

So to answer the most frequently asked question...How can you help:

#1 PRAY - keep us in your prayers, for answers to Greg's unresolved back pain, for a living donor to be approved, for our little family to make it to the other side of this intact and Michelle to not be negatively affected by the chaos of it all.

#2 FUNDRAISING (Stay tuned!)- now that he is officially on the list, we do have plans to fundraise for the expenses of the transplant, travel for appointments for us and a living donor. UNC is super helpful in helping us navigate this without affecting our "income" and losing medical coverage so once we figure it all out you all will be the first to know. If you have any ideas let us know!

#3 WISHLIST we do keep a wish list of items that people can help with during this time - for those wanting to donate - a wish list keeps us from having to worry about "added income" that will effect Medicaid/Medicare coverage until we get the fundraising figured out. Things like gift card for groceries, food on the go, date nights, math tutoring supplies for Michelle and misc. items that Greg needs.

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/21SM1XR24391M?

#4 LEARN more about becoming a Living Donor and share it with your friends and family. We have connected with so many others waiting for a donor, the need is critical. So even if it is not for you at this time, share information, talk about it with your loved ones - you never know who might be interested and who may need a living donor. I have a post pinned at the top of my page that isn't just about Greg but about the Transplant process. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17zJKdmPXE/

#5 KEEP IN TOUCH - I realized we are terrible (me particularly) about answering, returning calls or reaching out. Greg is always looking for reasons to get out the house and things to keep him busy, and we always need things to do with Michelle that don't cost a lot of money but keep the both of them busy. (me, Id be happy staying home - but I promise I do try for them). But we do see the calls and messages and promise to do better about answering them.

So if you are still with me, thank you! Good news is we are one year closer to a kidney!