Running a Marathon...

I happened to stumble upon someone who I work with at JCPenneys who has a lot more in common with us. I have spoke with this woman before, usually the "how are you today" type, but this time we got into a little more. She was born with polycystic kidney disease, where the kidneys become enlarged. Sixteen years ago she underwent a kidney transplant. The kidney was a deceased donor, and she was able to keep this kidney for 8 years. This was all while she was raising 4 children at home and went through the death of her husband. The kidney failed though. She had to undergo dialysis and at that her son donated her one of his kidneys. She has been going strong for 9 years now and her kidneys are still working at 75%. One of the questions I asked her was how she felt after the transplants, because I keep hearing how much more energy a person has after it. She also said that the next day she could have run a marathon (I wonder how many times around a hospital floor would be a marathon???) Simply amazing! Her word of advice for Mark -- "Don't give up!"

I have also been reaching out to organizations that work for kidney research, especially those for Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis. There is still little known about FSGS and effective treatment. I came across a group out of Pennsylvania, and were looking to expand the the group to the Phoenix area. They are wanting to plan a walk, and I am just super excited to be a part of this group.

Mark has a job!!! He just started Corner's Bakery, a small deli type restaurant. A week into his training for a cook position, an assistant manager position opened up and in a week he will be leaving for California for 7 weeks. They also know about his dialysis, and one of the other managers was simpathetic because she has a family member doing dialysis as well. Also, on the good news board, Tori was a blood match for Mark. So she will be going through the testing in the next coming weeks. Things seem to be doing well! Until next time, "don't give up"