The 3rd time around

I started this blog post when I saw a problem with the site hosting the blog I began writing 7? years ago.  If it ever gets resolved go back and read the prior history. 

I'll go back and briefly cover how we got to where we are today.  (Believe me when I say I've left some things out.  I have a notebook that I started almost 20 years ago and it is almost 100 pages!)

• 1981 Yvonne is diagnosed with Lupus
• August 1993 The Lupus become active
• February 1994 Kidney failure. Start dialysis 3 nights per week.
• November 1994 Kidney transplant
• 1995 an entire year of being sick. New kidney is not doing well.
• April 1997 Kidney failure again. Resume Dialysis 3 nights each week.
• April 1999 2nd Kidney transplant. A "perfect match"
• 2001 transplanted kidney shows signs of a new kidney disease, FSGS. Plasma apheresis treatment started 1 once per week.
• Oct-Dec 2005 PCP Pneumonia (lungs, heart & kidney all malfunctioning to some degree)
• Feb 2006 Pulmonary Embolism on trip to Florida
• Oct 2008 - Aug 2010 A 2 year slide featuring near-constant nauseousness, fatigue, extreme weight loss and frequent hospitalizations to stabilize electrolytes.
• Sept 20, 2010 Kidney failure. resume dialysis 3 night per week

... but 2 years later to the day, on Sept 20, 2012....the 3rd kidney transplant is scheduled to take place!

The first two transplants were from cadaver donors and in those cases you find out you are a candidate for the transplant a few hours before the surgery.  But in the case of a living donor, you get to plan it out.

Yvonne's opportunity to get off dialysis and get her life back was made possible by one very special person, my cousin Kathy!  She has offered the ultimate gift to Yvonne... one of her kidneys.

It started at the beginning of the summer when they talked at a party and Kathy said "I want to be tested".  By some time in July we knew all signals looked good but August was a busy month (weddings, trips, etc) so the transplant surgery was scheduled for September and here we are just a few days away.

A word about the Blog and our privacy.
This is a public blog (the old one was not).  As such I will probably leave out some details, names, etc.  I'm sure you understand.  Yvonne expects to have her cell phone handy after the initial surgery/recovery so feel free to text or email her. Don't call.  Very little of this will make its way to Facebook and I would certainly hope you do not paste this link on Facebook or any Social Media page.

Updates
I will make every attempt to update this as often as there is news to report.  In the beginning that could be several times per day but I expect that will drop off to maybe once a week depending on how quickly Yvonne recovers and adjusts to the medication.