Wednesday, May 12, 2010, at approximately 1:45pm, I received a telephone call from my sister’s mother-in-law.  Yes, that is unusual and frightening at the same time.  Former moments that I have heard from the woman is to tell me that my sister, Judy, of Worcester, Massachusetts, is in the hospital – again.  For good reason, I often think the worst and hesitate to answer the phone.  I answered it today.

“Hi Andrea.  It’s Avis.”  she said with a brightness to her voice.  “I have some wonderful news.  Judy is in recovery right now from a kidney transplant.”  “Whoa,” I thought.  “OH MY GOSH!” I exclaimed.  That’s excellent.  Having asked for more details, I just wished I was there.

Judy will “remain in recovery at UMASS (University of Massachusetts Medical Center) before she is wheeled to ICU (Intensive Care Unity) for about two days.  The care nurse assigned to Judy was Karl’s nurse (Avis’ son and Judy’s husband) when Karl had his transplant.”  Halleluia!

You see, Judy was diagnosed in 1964 as a diabetic.  This actually occurred on her fifth birthday.  She was the second child to be diagnosed with this disease in a family of five children.  I was the first at age two in 1959; Gina was the third at age 12 in 1970.  Judy married a man, Karl, who was diagnosed in 1978 at the age of fifteen.  Okay, so between the four of us, we’ve been through it all!

To make a long story short, Judy has been undergoing dialysis for the last seven years.  This one diseased complication pertinent with diabetics, nephropathy, took over and disabled her young body.  This also means she has been on the “Kidney Donor List” for that long.   

I can only guess at how much longer she would be able to survive on dialysis, three days a week.  I am grateful to the donor and the donors’ family for granting my sister and me and my family this present.  Thank you.  Thank you so very very much.   Organ donations are a matter of life and death.   I wish more people felt and believed in this fact.

Good health to all!  AK.