Good News All Around

It just keeps getting better and better. In the middle of laundry today I stopped to check my email and found this. I thought it would be nice to share since some of you have sent cards and have kept these two in your prayers.

I know some of you know my sister and even those that don't might enjoy reading an update from the kidney recipient. It will be a month tomorrow and I am certainly feeling better than I thought I would at this point. I'm sure some of that is because I was surrounded by the love of family and friends!

Love, Barb

ORGAN DONATION IS THE TRUE GIFT OF LIFE…

June 1, 2009
How can I possibly thank first of all my wonderful sister, Barb Wolf, and the cast of terrific friends and family who have made my kidney transplant and convalescence as smooth as it has been! I am forever grateful…
It’s hard to believe that less than 4 short weeks ago my sister and I were prepping for transplant and celebrating her 60th birthday! Time sure flies. A hereditary condition known as PKD Polycystic Kidney Disease has affected the lives of our family for generations on my father’s side. Thankfully one of my two siblings was spared from the disease making her eligible as a related living donor and consequently successfully improving anti-rejection chances. Her gift has already improved my quality of life exponentially as hemo-dialysis was scheduled to begin in just a couple months to eliminate the toxins which were building in my bloodstream.
Our kidney surgery on May 6th was a success as my blood creatnine levels dropped from 6.1 to 1.0 (normal) in less than 48 hours post transplant…amazing! Glen’s profound statement to me that my eyes were white again hit home, as I didn’t realize the effects the poison had taken on my appearance as I struggled to maintain energy while my body fought the rapid decrease in kidney function.
My only complication to date has been a loss of function both motor and sensory to my femoral nerve in my right leg. A challenge I could not have foreseen nor did my surgeons. Three steps forward one back… A condition all surgeons, neurologists and physicians continue to say will regenerate over time. Fingers crossed this holds true. I have learned to navigate pretty well graduating from wheel chair, to walker to cane with the assistance of my leg brace I have become more independent much to my families delight and mine!! Can’t drive yet though which is torture for me… I am confident I will look back at this unexpected complication and determine it was God’s way of telling me I needed to slow down and give myself a chance to heal completely.
Despite the leg I accomplished my first goal last week as Glen and I proudly strolled out on the FHS football field, walker in tow, with Ali and Ashley for LAX senior night. I cried as the National Anthem played, steroids play havoc on my emotions! A memory I will forever cherish. Next goals… prom and graduation all taken into consideration when planning the timing of surgery. I wasn’t about to miss anything after 18 years!
My sister returned to Cincinnati on the 21st, feeling pretty well despite the evasive treatment her abdominal region endured from her gift. We got to spend 3 weeks together which we determined was the longest period we had spent together in over 40 years as I was 8 when she left for college and her subsequent summers away as a camp counselor prior to her getting married right out of college. A heck of a way to finally get time together!
Life for the Palmisano’s continues… it is great to have Mike home from Miami for the summer he has been a great help to me these past weeks. I know he’s looking forward to his summer job at Winding Trails to begin so he can stop hearing me call his name! The girls are enjoying the end of senior year, and Glen continues working like a dog with three headed to college in the fall. I have resumed office work from home, thank god for computers…
I continue to have to be cautious around “germs” and “infections” as my new kidney gets used to its new home. If you see me with a mask in public please know it’s for my own protection and not meant to make anyone feel awkward. If I could I would hug each one of you incessantly and tell you over and over how thankful we are for your kindness, generosity and support during this challenging time for our family. Friends and family like you make life worth living. They say when you face these challenges you learn to appreciate life and your loved ones. For us nothing could be truer.
We are forever grateful, Ann, Glen, Mike, Ali and Ashley