A Few more Families

Now that my mom has her new kidney and is doing well I would like to use this blog to tell you all about a few families who are still in need of some help. Back in November when I had the amazing fortune to gain the attention of the Free Beer and Hot Wings show. Along with many people contacting me to offer a kidney, I also received a few from people that needed one. Through this  journey with my mom I have never stopped thinking about either family that contacted me. I always felt guilty about the fact that we had multiple people offering a kidney. Selfishly stockpiling donors, hording good will kidneys all to myself. Fearful to let go of any in case none, but the last we tested would be compatible. How could I sleep at night when there were people, families, out there with none. So I promised both families that once my mom had her transplant I would do what I could to help. I have forwarded their stories and info. on to the people that so generously offered to help my mom in hope that they would still be open to helping these families as well.

Rebecca Eddings contacted me the day my letter was read on air, her husband Antoine heard my story.
He is a 37yr old father of three, and has been on dialysis for the last 6 yrs while waiting for a kidney. Rebecca, though she was a match, had melanoma (skin cancer), and there for is not allowed to donate. Other members of their family tried as well, but were not a match, so he does not have a living donor....YET..... Until he can find one he will continue to wait on a list for a compatible diseased donor to come up. Time line for this? Who knows? He has already been waiting for 6 yrs. A  Until then he will continue dialysis 3 days a week for 4 hours each day. A living donor can end this cycle. Antoine's blood type is A+, so he can accept an A+/ A- blood type or an O+/ O- blood type.

Melissa Kurek also contacted me after hearing my story. She became a single mother of 3 after loosing her husband five years ago. Her mom is now in need of a kidney, and she is not a match. She would consider a paired kidney exchange if she is able to be a donor though. Her mother's blood type is B+ so she can accept B+/B- or an O+/ O- blood type. She is located in Grand Rapids, MI.

For anyone who is willing to help either of these families in need I have put there contact info. on the donor page of this web site. You can also contact me and I will put you in touch with them.

REUSE: an organ save a life
REDUCE: the # of lives lost
RECYCLE: the gift of a healthy organ






                                          ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES!!!!!

Thank-You All!!!

The transplant

Today saw us up at 3:00 in the morning for the drive in to get my mom a kidney. The check-in process was smooth and anti-climactic. I'm not sure what I was expecting. Doctors and nurses urgently shuffling around, spouting medical lingo, "nurse jenny I need 2 cc's of  xyz stat!"
Their were plenty of needles and pokes, backless nighty's, hair nets, and hand sanitizer to go around though. The prep went fairly quickly. Well, all but my moms i.v. that is. The first try went o.k. but not good enough, then their was the second try which had her vein blow out, and the third with another vein blow out (not a good start), forth times a charm right. After that they hooked her up to some prednazone (not sure of the spelling on that one) and it was smooth sailing......for that part anyway.

Right about now my sister is in the o.r. having the good doc. reaching in and pulling out a kidney, the left one just in case you all wanted to know. Something about it having a longer vein and artery, and less guts to move about.

For my mom, well..... she will now look something like this on the inside. Both her kidneys will remain, but will no longer be in use, and the new one gets tucked in the pocket of her hip so it will have some protection. Amazing!

Both my sister and my mom will be able to leave the hospital by this weekend. My sister, having had the kidney removed laparoscopicly will only have about a two week recovery time. My mom will be about two month, if we can keep her still that long.
We are all excited for things to settle down, and for my mom to be back to super human mom capacity. Faster than a speeding bullet, leaping tall buildings in a single bound, bending time and space to fit her schedule, moving mountains because they aren't conveniently located. You know mom stuff.

But....for right now, I wait, and happily so. Today is a great day.

Cocktails For a Cause fundraiser:

Cocktails For a Cause

Raising money, raising awareness, and raising a glass (or two)

to help fight kidney disease. Drink sales will be generously

donated to a local transplant recipient, and the Maine Transplant Center.

Please join us at the Falmouth Sea Grill

on Saturday evening, April 14th from 5-7pm

               


















* Cash bar
                            


Well we did it!!! The date is set and the event is on. The event as you can see will be a cocktail hour at the Falmouth Sea grill on Saturday the 14th starting at 5pm. All you have to do is show up and enjoy a drink or two. Donations are made in the form of your drink purchase. You buy the drink, we donate the money. I hope to see you all there, and don't forget to forward this to everyone you know. For directions please visit www.thefalmouthseagrill.com

Fundraising for dummies

I love control, but who doesn't right?
Saying that having no control is a problem for me would be huge understatement. Its just not in my nature to lay down and take the cards that have been handed to me. If I don't like what I get, I throw it back.
Dealing with my moms kidney disease diagnosis was no different. But once you or your love one has changed diets, started the donor process, or found someone willing to, what more can be done? Well....... LOTS!!!

It looks like my mom could receive a kidney relatively soon (provided my sisters tests come back negative). Like all who receive a transplant she can look forward to paying the exorbitant fees that accompany such a procedure. Insurance will cover the transplant, and most of the immunosuppressant medication she will have to take for the rest of her life, but they will not cover all of those drug costs.

How do you bridge the gap? After all this is no minor expense. Ahhhhh....the point of this blog..... Fundraising!!!! Like all things worth doing in life, this too takes effort.

Its been a long time since I've been in school, and my job doesn't require any letter/proposal writing skills of any type, so I was about as rusty a WWII tank left in the pacific (that's really rusty). So I started where everything starts these days... on line, and it all came flooding back to me.

• First, decide what kind of fundraiser you want to have (this is the easy part), a dance, a walk/run, spaghetti dinner, bake sale, raffle, or like me, a cocktail party. Not so hard.
• Now you need to decide where you would like to hold your event, and when.
• Then how will you advertise the event? A little more difficult, but easy enough.

Next comes the real fun. Writing a proposal, and like I said, unless you do this with some regularity (which I do not), it may be something of a hurtle.

• step 1: Introduction, a quick story to grab at the heart strings and pull them in
• step 2: Why them? What are they going to get out of this? After all, for most people/business, unless they are personally affected or will gain something they usually wont get involved. Sad but true, I speak from my recent experiences.
• step 3: How are you going to make it easy for them to help
• step 4: Ending

Sounds pretty simple, and for some more practiced people I'm sure it would be, but this took me two months. Two months of outlining, writing, refining, tweaking, finessing, cramming in, scratching out, ripping out, re-writing, begging it to write itself (yup.. I talked to my paper), and finally.....sweet Jesus..... I was finished!!!
Writing that is.... advertising was is a whole other topic. For that I called and e-mailed every newspaper and radio station I could. Most radio stations never responded, but a few did. The newspapers I had better luck with, but when you're willing pay for an advertisement of course they will respond. I was able to get the Sun Journal to do an article, and I'm pretty happy with that. I will also print up fliers and hand them out all over Portland, Falmouth, Poland, and any other town I feel like littering. I will also use this wonderful new thing called social networking, if any of you have heard of it please help me spread the word. I'll be posting the info. (date/time/place) shortly.
When I was all done I had my proposal printed out and took it around to all the local restaurants, asked nicely to see the owner/manager, and handed over all my hard work. I'm happy to say it paid off too. We are just starting to discuss details so...more on that later......

Moving forward

We are finally moving forward! After the slow, but necessary process of making sure my sister and I were able donors, the decision needed to be made as to who would be moving forward. Since both my sister and I are more than willing to be a donor, we made the decision as a family. My sister will go though the testing first. If for any reason she is not able to continue, I will then continue being tested further. 

My sister has a meeting with the entire transplant team next Wednesday morning, and in the afternoon she will have an x-ray of her kidneys. This will be the first in a long line of testing to be done over the next month, and we will be sure to keep everyone up to date on the progress. We hope now that a decision has been made, and the responsibility of completing the testing is in our hands, we will move through this faze swiftly and have a transplant happening soon!!
Feeling really good today :)

Baking Soda its not just for cooking anymore

BAKING SODA, this brilliant, remarkable, outstanding, multi-tasking chemical composition is the Chuck Norris of the molecular world.  The more I read about this stuff the more I love it! I used to think it was only good for making your baking goods light and fluffy, and torturing children with when you ran out of toothpaste (stuff tastes like..well we all know what it tastes like), but it will whiten those not so pearly whites, and freshen even the most atrocious breath. So what else will this stuff do? What doesn't it do!

It will clean the heck out of your grout, take the grease off an oven, polish chrome, silver, & stainless steel, dry clean upholstery & carpets, help sooth burns & stings of all kinds, remove crayon. Wipe it on your windshield or windows to make them repel water,  put out  small fires (unless you have a dump truck full, then a bigger fire too), make a volcano, rocket, or any number of other fun science projects, turn it into clay, add it to water and keep flowers longer, clean veggies with it, repel pests from the garden with it. It will deodorize just about anything, your house, your cloths, you (for all those w/ gas this is a great product). It can soften skin, just add a cup to the bath.
It can be used to exfoliate, giving your face that much needed peel (no chemicals necessary), unfortunately it will not turn back the cruel hands of time, and no amount of exfoliating is ever going to scrub the ugly off, but every bit helps. This stuff has been used as an antiseptic, anti fungal, and antacid for years, so why am I waxing all poetic about it here? Well because in addition to all those other admirable uses, it turns out it may also stall our kidney disease, shrink kidney stones (or stop us from developing them all together), and decrease our chances of ever developing kidney disease in the first place.
 
 You heard me, Baking Soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate has been shown to stall the progression of kidney disease (in some to almost a normal level) in a study done in Great Brittan. It was also shown to help people suffering from kidney stones and several different types of cancer as well. This may not be a cure, but it sure is an encouraging step in the right direction. Don't just take my word for it though, here are some links to the study, and ask your doctor:

 http://sodiumbicarbonate.imva.info/ , http://www.m.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/sodium-bicarbonate-baking-soda-for-kidney-stones , http://www.nhs.uk/news/2009/07July/Pages/Bakingsodaforkidneypatients.aspx , http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070430094018.htm , http://www.ehow.com/how_5616960_drink-bicarbonate-soda-health.html

So when life gives you lemons, add baking soda and cure what ails you, because physics is bound by the laws of Chuck Norris.
Also........
Chuck Norris kills 99% of all bacteria...he leaves 1% as a warning.

These jokes are addicting when you have a dry sense of humor like me, sorry.

Seeing green

Ever notice how when something is brought to your attention, that something starts popping up all over? Like when you buy a new car.  Now, before you get this car you would be hard pressed to spot one. Even at the car lot they seemed to only stock a select few, always in lime green or Avon pink. However, buy one......and they multiply. On the road, there everywhere. Pull into a parking lot, and its pact full of them. Almost like your emitting a sent, attracting them to you like male cats to a female in heat, your surrounded. Think you found a unique ______. Nope, every one's got one, I've got two. You get the picture.

 Why does this happen? Is it that once you have something new, or hear a new word, your more in tune to it, and there for notice it. Is it the marketing genius of  stores everywhere that just make us all want the same things at the same time. Probably both, but it's been happening to me ever since my mom found out she needed a transplant. I'm seeing green everywhere (the ribbon color for kidney disease, everyone has a ribbon now). I have read two articles on organ donation in different papers. I saw a story about a girl who received a transplant, on the TODAY show. I've heard a few stories  about organ donations on NPR, and even a couple adds for kidneycars on there as well.

Though my mom has always monitored her kidney function, I only recall being slightly aware of her doing so. I cant really remember ever hearing very much about organ donation. It has always been there, just more as a peripheral issue. I am an organ donor, and have the mark on my license to prove it. I even donated a few cars to the kidney foundation at my moms urging ( I got more as a tax deduction than it would have been worth in a sale).  DONATE YOUR CAR www.kidneycars.com .

I'm sure the topic had been mentioned on t.v., and written about in newspaper articles numerous times, but for what ever reason it just never took hold of my attention. Now  I am seeing and hearing organ donation everywhere. The other day I even saw a flier up at work for the Great Lost Bear best beer competition that said we need your liver. Sure.... they meant for drinking, but that's not what I read. I read donate your organs (I may have edited it  little too). And now "going green" has taken on a whole new meaning. Even recycling logos I now see as donation logos. So far I have resisted the urge to tweak these slightly, and add my own changes (graffiti not really being my thing, yet) My version looks something like this.

 REUSE: an organ save a life
 REDUCE: the # of lives lost
 RECYCLE: the gift of a healthy organ
 


So the next time you see some add for recycling, or going green, think about organ donation. You'll be surprised how well the two campaigns juxtapose. I hope now that you have read this blog, you too will start seeing green, and think, ORGAN DONATION as well. Hey why bury what someone else can reuse right? Now.... do I mean organs, or am I talking trash.

Kind of morbid, but I thought some what fitting  :0)

YES!!!

YES....Who doesn't love to hear this word? Well, I can think of a few things I don't want this word accompanying.  Like maybe... yes, the boat is sinking and we need to abandon ship. Also, oh yah.... those are bed bugs. Or, yup...that loud noise you heard was your muffler falling off.  O.k., a lot of times I don't want to hear the word yes, but today it was music to my ears. Yes was the word from the transplant committee!! My mom will be able to receive a kidney transplant as soon as they have a compatible donor. Who will that be? Well, we don't yet know. My sister and I have both started the testing. We were both a genetic match (no surprise there), however my sister displayed some hematuria. She will need two more urine samples to come back negative in order for her to continue. My samples have shown above average kidney function (first time being above average anything.. I'll take it) and no sign of hematuria. Since there is such a strong history of kidney disease in our family the committee wants to be extra cautious and double up on some of the tests, so I will be tested again. Better safe than sorry.

On another note, earlier this morning I sent an up-date e-mail to the guys on the Free Beer and Hot Wings show telling them the good news. For those of you who don't know here is a quick re-cap. They are a nationally syndicated radio show. Back in November, because of a topic they were discussing, I sent in an e-mail about my mom needing a kidney. They read it on air which touched off an avalanche of responses from people willing to donate a kidney to my mom. Hard to believe a stranger would be so selfless. Obviously fantastic news for us, since we aren't sure if  the clinic will allow my sister or I to donate. Its nice to know we have options. They have been following the story ever since. Mentioning the story, and bring the topic of organ donation to their viewers attention. This morning was no different. After I sent the update they read it on air, hopefully reaching all those who came forward, and maybe inspiring even more people to consider donating a kidney to others in need (of whom there is no shortage). Any way I just wanted to say THANK YOU AGAIN FREE BEER, HOT WINGS, AND ERIC ZANE.

Still waiting

Yesterday my moms case was presented to the board at the hospital for review. It is their job to decide if my mom can receive a transplant. The last visit we had at the clinic her coordinator seemed very optimistic that she was a good candidate, so there is that. However, the wait is killing me!!! Negative thoughts swirl around in my head, the what ifs start to get the better of me. Then I try to counter with my more reasonable, positive side. I've called twice already, and left messages. I'm fighting the urge to call again, instead I sit and wait. I know they will call as soon as they know something and have a chance, but would they call already.

An encouraging visit

This Tuesday we payed our last visit to the transplant clinic before we find out for sure whether or not my mom will be able to receive a kidney. We met with her pre-transplant coordinator, Heidi Bruce, who has been wonderful to work with. She went over all the x-rays and other tests my mother was asked to complete in the last two months, and was astounded with the speed in which my mother accomplished the task (she had them done in 2 weeks). She said quite often, most people tend to not understand the urgency in this part of the process, or maybe it's a little too overwhelming, and it takes some 4-6 months or longer. Either way, without these tests completed you don't get a kidney.

  This is a hard process (emotionally& physically) for anyone going through it, and like anything it's harder for some more than others, but I still can't imagine not doing what was asked of me asap. Yes Miss Jones we just need you to get those tests done in two months, and we can then review your case and help you get a new kidney. Oh, ya sure I'll try to do that. Two months later, Ahh ...mam...those tests....we can not proceed with out them. Oh yay....sure sure....I'm on it, really. Repeat conversation 2 more times. O.k., mam, are you sure you really want to receive a transplant because we NEED THOSE TESTS!! She also told us of a recent case where a young girl, who was next in line to get a kidney, decided now was a good time for a trip to Mexico. She neglected to tell her doctor, or the transplant team. You guessed it, a kidney became available and no one could find her, it went to someone else. Can you imagine the conversation when she got home. So... Suzy.... we found you a kidney, but we gave it away because you went on VACATION!!  Now, your not expected to put your life on hold while you are on the list. Your wait is usually a long time, but when they tell you your the next on the list, maybe now is not the best time to go to Mexico. Again these limitation, and obligations are a hard reality for some to accept, and I don't mean to shit on people, but if that had been my mom I would have freaked out.

Anyway, to get back on topic, Heidi was able to tell my mom that all her tests looked good, and she's confident that the review board would recommend her for a transplant. So now we wait, (seems to be the theme) and in about two weeks we will get a definitive answer. So far so good!

As for my urine test, I haven't received the results yet. I'll be sure to share as soon as I do.

Jug O' Pee

When I first found out my mom needed a kidney, like every child would (I should hope)  I offered up one of my own.  Like every concerned mom, she said no way. Her concern was a valid one said her doctor,  but it would be worth it to test me anyway.

Fast forward a month and a few blood tests later. Turns out I am genetically compatible, not a big surprise, she is my mom after all.  I'm handed two large jugs and told that they're for the two twenty-four hour urine samples. So why all the pee? Well, they will be use to find out whether or not my kidney function is normal, or if I have, or may have in the future decreased kidney function. They will also be able to tell if I have hematuria (the presence of blood in the urine ) which is what runs in our family.

No big deal, fill a few jugs over a few days from the privacy of my own home. Small price to pay for a chance to save my moms life.  So... down the hall to the bathroom I walk, jug in hand. Then I pass Joel, and a smile cracks across his face, a chuckle follows. It's not everyday you see someone totting around a jug of  pee like it's their precious liquid. I felt like gollem and his golden ring, my precious..... it's golden too.

 After I do the deed I realized that I wasn't sure where to put it, I read the instructions again. IN THE FRIDGE!!! YUCK!!! You want me to do what. I know it's in a jug, and I did put it in another bag, but there it was every time I opened the door, my pee.

This will be gone in a few days Kelley, I told myself, and it's really not that bad. Peeing in a jug doesn't hurt, hardly a sacrifice. Again I was doing it to save a life, well worth it. But, every time I had to grab the jug and walk down the hall to my bathroom I felt just a little humiliated. Even when Joel wasn't there to have a little fun at my expense. For those of you lady's out there who have ever breast fed your baby and used a pump, you may know how I was feeling. I felt the same way every time I made the long walk, just me and my pump. I would sit in my room, cups suctioned to my boobs, brrr..shuuump...brrr....shuuump. Its amazing how defeated and humiliated one can feel even when no one is around to see. Carrying around a jug of my pee, and putting it in the fridge made me feel the same way. Why? I don't know. It's hard to escape the humor of this scene though. Me, holding my pee jug, trying to get it all in there and not on myself, or the floor. Why would you think that pee on the floor is mine Joel, my aim is great, I think it was you.
 Oh, and the little funnel (called a hat) that they give you to make it easier, yah, they forgot to give me that.  What a hilarious site, Saturday Night Live could have a field day with that scene.

 Now I wait two weeks to find out what the results are. In the mean time, my mom has finished all her tests that the clinic needs. She will be seeing her team the 10th of this month, and a few weeks later, provided all the tests look good, she will be able to receive a transplant. We will wait for all the people that came forward to return their packets and then, if my sister and I are not, we will find a compatible donor, hopefully in one of them, our heroes.

Oh the temptations

Since Christmas in right around the corner I thought I would share some kidney friendly recipes, and web sites where you can find some more.

This can be an especially difficult time of year for some. Watching everyone indulge (read gorge) themselves with such treats as honey glazed ham, mashed potatoes, squash, stuffing. Not to mention all the cakes, cookies, pies, chocolates, eggnog, and all the other irresistible treats that will be dangled in front of our faces. Hard enough for anyone to resist in the attempt to avoid a bulging waist line, now imagine being someone who, because of medical restrictions can NOT stray from their diet.

So how can we help so everyone can join in on this epicurean event? With a little planning it can be more than just palatable, it can be delicious too. Be sure to have a little something for each course.

A great way to start is by letting them bring something that they may already like to make. Then find out what their particular restrictions are and go from there. Who knows you may find a fantastic variation on an old favorite. Here are some tasty recipes I have found.

Breakfast:
Breakfast sticky buns: 16 servings, 2 slices per serving
1 packet active dry yeast                                    3 to 3 1/2 c all-purpose flower
1/4 c warm water                                               1/2 c unsalted butter
3/4 cup rice milk, heated to a simmer               1 package(4 servings) butterscotch jello instant pudding
2 tbls sugar                                                        1 tbls ground cinnamon
2 tbls canola oil
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Mix warm rice milk, sugar, and oil and cool to lukewarm. Add 1 1/2 c flour, yeast mixture and stir together. Add enough of the remaining flower to make a soft dough. Turn out on a lightly flowered surface and knead about 8 min. until dough becomes smooth across the top when it is shaped like a ball. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, place in a warm spot, and let it rise about 15 min. Punch down, knead out the bubbles, and shape into 16 balls. Melt butter add butterscotch pudding and cinnamon together. Dip each piece of dough into the mixture and place into a pre sprayed, oiled, non-stick bunt pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning bake at 350f for 40 min or until the dough is browned on top. Let cool, and flip out of the pan.         

Frittata:
8 eggs
1/3 c rice milk                                      1/4 tsp ground sage
1/3 c chopped green peppers                4 vegetarian sausage patties, browned, cooled(optional)
1 tbls chopped chives                            and diced
3/4 tsp dijon mustard                            vegetable oil spray
1/3 c chopped onion                             1/3 c diced swiss cheese (optional)
Whip together all ingredients except the spray. pour into a skillet and bake in a 350f oven for 15 to 20 min or until firm.

Fruit plate: a mixture of some or all of these fruits suggested serving is 1/2 c
blueberries, raspberries, strawberries cut in 1/2, pineapple sliced, cherries, red grapes, and apples sliced

Finger foods:
Horseradish spread:
6 tbls reduced fat cream cheese              1 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 tbls sour cream                                     1 tsp mrs. dash onion herb seasoning
1tps horseradish

cream both sour cream and cream cheese together. Add other ingredients together and serve with Melba crackers(bagel chips), carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, cauliflower, red pepper slices

Filo cups:
3 sheets thawed filo                                                                             cooking spray or drizzle evoo
2 tbls melted unsalted butter                                                               1 tbls mrs.dash onion herb seasons
1/2 med summer squash, onion, zucchini, and red pepper diced        Parmesan cheese
1 inch mini muffin tin
Roll out filo and butter each sheet, layering them while buttering. cut into 2 1/2 in X 2 1/2 in squares. Meanwhile, dice and saute your veggies with the oil and seasonings. Place filo squares in small inch muffin tin and fill with veggie mix, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake in a 350f oven till filo is browned, about 15 min.

Ham and turkey are fine to cook as usual (turkey is better if salt is an issue for your loved one)

Side dishes:
Mashed potatoes: these need to be started the night before. Serving size can be up to a cup

1 sm. head cauliflower chopped and boiled                    white pepper to taste
5-6 med sized potatoes peeled diced and leached           mrs. dash onion herb seasoning(if desired)
3-4 tbls unsalted butter                                                    1/2 tbls garlic and onion powder(not salt)
2-3 tbls sour cream                                                          each if desired and not using mrs. dash                                                          

To leach your potatoes(this is very important) peel and cut into chunks. soak in a pot of water over night, changing the water several times. This cuts the potassium by a third. Boil the potatoes as usual, they will cook a little quicker. At the same time boil the cauliflower till tender. Mash both potatoes and cauliflower together. Start by adding 1/2 the cauliflower at first along with the pepper and other seasonings if desired. Then add the sour cream and butter one table spoon at a time. Adding the ingredients this way helps you find what tastes best to you. I tried a cauliflower mash once as a mashed potato substitute and did not think it was even close. By chance, with my leftovers I mixed the two and came up with this. When mixed with the right portions of potato and cauliflower I couldn't tell that it wasn't all potato. The cauliflower also helps to moisten the potatoes without having to add milk or lots of butter.

Glazed carrots: 1/2 c serving size
 2c carrots, sliced 1" thick                      
1/8 tsp salt
1tbls sugar                       1/4 c apple juice
1tsp cornstarch                2 tbls margarine, melted

Cook carrots in water until tender. Mix together sugar, salt, ginger, apple juice, cornstarch, and margarine. Pour mixture over carrots and water in the pot. Stir until thick.


Deserts:
Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake: portions:8  serving size 1/8         1/2 egg substitute
one 9-inch Nilla wafer crumb pie crust                                    1/2 c pumpkin puree
1 egg white                                                                               1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2  8-oz packages cream cheese, softened                                 8 tbls frozen nondairy topping
1/2 c sugar                                                                                   (like cool whip)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat  oven to 375f. brush pie crust with egg white and bake for 5 min. Reduce oven heat to 350f.
Combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a lrg. bowl and beat with mixer on high until smooth.
Beat in egg substitute. Add pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice and blend until smooth. Pour pumpkin mixture into pie shell and bake 40-50 min. until center is set. Cool pie, then refrigerate.
Cut into 8 slices, and serve with 1 tbls of whip topping.

I hope these give you all a place to start. There are lots of sights out there for more recipe ideas. A great place to start, and my favorite is www.davita.com . They have a great section called kidney-friendly recipes. www.kidney.org has a bunch just click on kidney disease, then a to z heath guide, then nutrition diet, and finally kidney kitchen. Its a lot of clicking but the recipes are worth it.  www.kidneywellbeing.com which is chef Laurence Keogh's web site, and also has great food. He is a chef who had a kidney transplant, and created a free cook book available to down load. I also always have a link to these on the blog. Enjoy!!

I hope you all have a happy holiday.

We'll take more than just your kidney

Just because you may not be ready to part with a kidney doesn't mean you can't donate. If you'd like to, the Kidney Foundation would love to take your car off your hands. Thats right, they want your car too!

No...not the family car (although they would take it if you're offering). You know the one, it's been sitting in the driveway taking up space because it costs too much to fix. The one you're planning on trading in, not because they're going to give you anything for it, but they'll at least get it out of the driveway. Yup...they want that one!

Here's how it works. You contact the Kidney Foundation at www.KidneyCars.org, and they come and take it off your hands, usually in a matter of days. It doesn't matter what condition it's in, trust me. I've donated three cars over the past ten years (I like to drive my cars into the ground). One had a blown engine. Not my fault, well maybe...who knew you should check oil levels? The other one I would have traded in, but they practically laughed me off the lot with it. The last one I donated had been sitting in my yard for four years, and consequently needed so much work done after that amount of time I couldn't afford to fix it. It had been a lovely home for some mice though, till the snake moved in.

Why would they want your junk you ask? Well, they don't, but some scrapper at an auction does. The Kidney Foundation takes them all to auction and sells them (for scrap if it's like mine), and viola, money.

And for you, a tax write off. Once your car has sold someone from the foundation will call. They'll let you know what it sold for, and send you some papers (and a cool bumper sticker) you can give to your accountant (you keep the sticker). He/she/or you can then turn this into a tax deduction, aka less money you owe the government. We all know why this is good. Win win.

You see, it's not just your kidneys they'll take off your hands, though if your offering you do have a spare.... Your car can make a big difference too.

So the next time you get a new car, or notice your trashy neighbor(me) has too many cars not moving from their yard, give the Kidney Foundation a call. And don't forget to tell your friends... and that neighbor.

Right now my other cars are saving a life.

You never know

When I was young my mom would always call me Mr. Magoo. This was because no matter where we were or what I was doing, walking, riding my bike, I payed attention to were I was going...oh ya never. My feet may have been moving forward, but I was almost certainly not looking in that direction. She would tell me to stop lolly gagging and pay attention before I ran into something or got lost (which I did with some frequency). I would tell her I was paying attention, and I was... to everything but where I was going. I like being aware of my surroundings. She thought I had my head in the clouds, and sometimes I did. I also like to stop and smell the roses. This comes with consequences, I'm still always bumping into things and getting lost. I can get lost anywhere, ask my boyfriend and he'll tell ya I get lost in the Maine Mall. If you're not familiar with it, its TINY!!

My point? Ahhh....yes there usually is one, but I like the scenic route remember.
The other day I was headed into the transplant clinic to have my blood tested for compatibility, and as I walked through the door (and yes, maybe I was looking, well... not forward) I bumped into someone as they were leaving. Though I smiled and apologized, they still seemed pissed. Were they, I don't know, but they could have said no problem, or its o.k.... right? Instead they kinda just grumbled something, then kept going. At first I was annoyed, I mean I hadn't done it intentionally. I did make eye contact, smiled said sorry and meant it.

Then I remembered where I was, and what door it was that I had just walked through. Truth is, this door isn't like most other doors, this door, is different. If your going through it, its likely because you or someone you know and love is not well. And while for right now, I feel I have a reason to be hopeful, others may not. I have no way of knowing what the person I bumped into heard behind these doors today. What they were thinking, and what they were feeling. But I did have the benefit of  knowing were they had just been, and that perspective made a lite flick on. Having this knowledge made it easy for me to understand their reaction at the door. Often, we don't have this benefit.

Now, since the smart phone explosion has enabled us to indulge our narcissism 24-7, it's easy to forget that we share this world with others. Gasp...its not all about me all the time! What I'm trying to get at here is this. The next time someone doesn't hold the door for you and it slams in your face. When you hold open a door for someone, and that someone doesn't seem all that thankful. Or when you receive any number of un-courteous gestures that seem just plain rude in the surface...try to remember, and I will too. We have no way of knowing what they may be going through, what's on their mind, or what kind of day they just had. It's no excuse, but we've all had bad days, and I'm pretty sure we've all been "that guy" before.

 So for this holiday season I'm asking each of you to put on that big toothy smile the next time you and "that guy" cross paths. Maybe they really are a huge D, and in that case nothing usually pisses them of more than someone being nice when they want to be an ass. Or... who knows, it might make a difference in their day. Maybe it will be just the thing to make them smile again too :)

Oh ya...one more thing. Try putting down that smart phone for a minute or two (after you read my blog of course). Stop and smell the roses, or heaven forbid take the long way home. You may like it!!

Taking steps tward donating: is it right for you?

Donating organs saves lives!!! Kidneys in particular, since more than half of all transplants needed are kidney transplants. The good news here is that unlike other organs most people are born with two kidneys, and provided they are healthy we can continue to live long healthy lives with just one. So, if we were fitted with a spare why not give the other one to someone who needs it. Think of all the people we could save. All the family's that would get to keep their loved one around a lot longer.

 Wait.... Sounds great but, before you put me on ice and yank out my kidney how do I know if its right for me. Well keep reading, hopefully this will answer some questions for those of you who might be interested. For those of you who are on the fence, maybe this will be the nudge you need to jump off. For those that feel donating an organ just isn't a decision they can make,( lets face it its a lot to ask, and having someone take out a perfectly good organ is some scary sh..t) a little information is good for everyone. Getting the word out for a worthy cause is never waisted breath.

Steps to living donation:
Do you even qualify? Here are a few easy questions:
-are you physically fit & in good general health
-do you have or have ever had: high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, or kidney disease
If you said yes to the first two questions and no to the others then you passed the first stage to be becoming a living donor. Next is to contact a donor registry if you don't already have a recipient in mind. You will be asked to contact the recipients transplant center and they will get you started by sending a packet of info. and some papers to sign. You will need to send these back along with the last three years of your medical history. Once you have filled these out and sent them in they will decide if you may be a possible donor. This does not necessarily mean you'll be able to donate.

How will I know if I'm a match?
Provided you have had a regular check up within the year the next step will be a blood test for genetic testing ( a kit gets sent to you with instructions for the lab). This step can take up to two or three weeks. All tests at this point(including the genetic testing) will be still be done by your primary care physician and a local lab, but will be covered under the recipients health care coverage provided the testing was ordered by the transplant clinic.
What they are looking for with the blood test is a compatible blood type, and if it is, your blood will then be spun with the recipients blood. This is done because your DNA will always be present in your kidney even after it has been transplanted. The doctors look to see how the recipients immune system reacts to your DNA. A positive match means the recipients immune system has killed off all the donor's blood cells during testing, and would do the same to the donor's kidney (not so positive).
If the test is negative then the donors blood was not attacked and testing continues.

Next test... HLA or human leukocyte antigens:
This test identifies the markers we inherit from our parents. Though we are made up of thousands of pieces of DNA, this test will only need to look at six individual pieces. The best match would be a"six antigen" match, which means the donor and the recipient match all six. This doesn't happen very frequently, and usually will only happen between siblings. The cross-match only determines if the donor's kidney would be accepted by the recipient. Only after that is determined will the doctors move forward and test if the donor is healthy enough to donate.

After these tests have been performed and a potential donor has been selected the next series of evaluations begins. This includes the required laboratory tests, which are:
-a twenty-four hour urine collection
-blood work
-a urinalysis with urine culture that will indicate your kidneys are healthy and functioning normally

If every thing goes well you will be scheduled for a physical and history check, done by the transplant surgeon and nephrologyst(kidney specialist). You also meat with the transplant social worker and living donor coordinator at this time. Blood will be drawn and you will have an electrocardiogram(EKG).

Assuming you make it past all of that you will then have a three dimensional CT of your kidneys and a chest x-ray. They do the CT to make sure you have normal sized kidneys, that you have no kidney stones, and to determine the number of blood vessels that supply each kidney.

Great... you look very healthy....we'll be taking that kidney now please... O.k. so maybe they wont put it quite like that but, after all that testing the rest goes fairly quickly. It's just finding a time that works for everyone.

The primary goal of the living donor evaluation is to minimize risk to the donor. No one wants to cause another person to be ill!! The goal is to save people not injure them. If at anytime during these tests they where to find something wrong they stop testing, and send all the information they have to your doctor and the proper specialist. Any testing after this however, would not be covered by the recipients insurance.
As a donor you also have the right to stop testing for any reason, and end the donor process.
During part of the living donor evaluation you will meet with an independent living donor advocate. This person is here for the donor only, and is available at any time.

How does living donation affect the donor?
Studies have shown that one kidney can be more than enough to keep the body healthy. Living donation does not change the life expectancy, but, as with any surgery there is risk of complications. After surgery, the living donor can expect to lead a normal healthy life.
Recovery time is fairly short because the surgery is done laparoscopically. Most people are out of the hospital within 2 days, and back to work and daily life within 2-6 weeks depending on how quickly your body heals.

Many long-term (20yrs) studies have followed donor patients and found that they are no more likely to suffer from kidney failure or shortened life span than the average person who has not donated. There is lots of research that supports this, and that talks about how many donors have an above average life expectancy. This is due to the fact that donors are picked because they are the healthiest people.

I'll refrain from going on any longer. There is so much info. I could ramble on for weeks, but if you would like even more info. I have some great links so check em out. Class dismissed.