I have had my original-equipment, native kidneys removed. So now I have only one, the kidney donated by my friend Dana Anderson in 2019. 

Diana and I are staying during my initial recovery at the home of friends in OKC near the hospital; they’re away this month helping to welcome their newest grandchild. 

Surgery was quite invasive and I was in the hospital 4 days and 4 nights. Recovery got off to a rough start with uncontrolled pain for some 12 hours. But my Transplant Team at Integris Medical Center in OKC rallied to my aid, and now I’m sitting in the living room of some incredibly generous people and watching college basketball on TV. 

I couldn’t be more grateful, and I’ve been assured by my medical team that within three weeks, I’ll be glad I did this. For now, I’ll be seeking to strike the delicate balance between rest and activity. 

We’ll be in OKC and Norman for a couple more weeks before I get my 37 incision staples removed. Then, my driver, nurse and basketball-watching buddy, Diana, will take me home to Old Santa Fe.

Being able to spend this time in private, in the homes of loving friends, is truly a blessing. Knock, and the door shall be opened unto you. It’s true!

Hereditary Polycystic Kidney Disease runs strong in my family; my brother and his daughter have been through this before me. The cysts never stop forming, and the kidneys never stop growing, even after they’ve stopped working. Eventually the abdominal crowding can become the problem, and in my case those football-sized kidneys had to come out. 

We’ve been asked why they weren’t removed at the time of transplant. Now I really know: Having recovered 3 years ago from the transplant and now doing this, It’s quite difficult to imagine attempting both at the same time.

Meanwhile, my (Dana’s) kidney continues to extend my life, day by day. She is doing fine on only one kidney, and so am I. We’ll see Dana and Chuck sometime during this trip to Oklahoma, like we always do. 

My family — Diana, Tyler and Elyse, Sarah and Nathan, and grandchildren Mary Emma, Vivian and Arthur — bring me indescribable joy, on a scale that no one, myself in particular, could possibly deserve. My cup runneth over.

Everyone is in a position to help this happen for someone else. Just make sure that little heart is lit up on your driver’s license. There’s no telling how many people will be glad you did. Declare that you’ll become an organ donor. Donate Life!

In all things, it helps me to remember the message of the prophet Isaiah, coming from above:

Fear Not, for I am With You.

Amen!