I feel very blessed that as of July, I was able to go back on PD at home.  I had developed ascites and a ventrical hernia.  They thought that the ascites was linked to my liver, but all is well and it went away after a month. I was left with a ventrical hernia after the surgery to put in the mesh.  It took a while for them to figure out what it was.  After my 4th hernia repair, I still ended up with a hernia on top of the mesh and thank God it is not attached to my stomach or bowel.  So it doesn’t hurt and it isn’t interferring with my PD.  

My doctor still wants me to have another surgery to fix the hernia.  I pray that we find me a living kidney donor before I have to have another hernia surgery that way they can do the transplant and fix the hernia at the same time.  I have had a couple of people test to qualify to be a donor for me but they did not qualify.  It is a little disappointing to be so close to having a donor then in a phone call they no longer qualify.  

My faith is still strong and God knows what I need before I even ask.  I just have to “Be Still” and let God be God.  He has a plan for me and I know it is going to be great.  I keep trying to encourage people to be a living donor and participate in the “Paired-kidney exchange program”.  Any blood type can get me qualified to be in the paired-kidney exchange program.  At Piedmont Transplant Institute, once you have a living donor in the program on your behalf, they will match the recipients and donors so that I will receive a Type “O” kidney.  It could start a chain reaction where it could result in 3 to 6 people receiving transplants. 

Please consider being a living donor on my behalf in the “paired-kidney exchange program” at Piedmont Hospital, call LeAnn, RN, my coordinator at 404.605.4605 and get tested.  It is a big decision to so I ask that you pray on it first and talk to your family and friends before you make the decision.  Your decision could save my life and several others.  It takes a special person to donate a piece of themselves to a stranger but they are also someone with a giving heart.  We call them “Heroes”.