Been a while since I posted on here. Thought I would let you all know that the friend who received my kidney is doing very well. She is planning to go back to work next week. She is doing great. I have had some health issues come up since the kidney donation. The team in Denver feels that it isn't related to the donation surgery. I am having more tests done to diagnose what the problem is. Thank you all for your prayers, kind words and thoughtfulness through the entire process! GIGATTATTGIG!!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
The Big Day Is Almost Here!
Hi All,
Thought I would put together a group email to give family and friends information about my surgery. As you know, I am donating my left kidney to a friend. Her name is Dianna Brown. The surgery is scheduled for Monday, May 16, at 8:30am. We will be at the hospital at 5:30am. Dean and I will be spending Sunday night in Denver at a hotel, Boston Commons. Dean's parents are coming to help take care of Aiden while I am in the hospital. Dean will have both his cell phone and my cell phone on him Monday. His cell number is 719-466-1395 and my cell number 719-439-7247. The home number is 719-203-4827. The surgery should last between 3-4 hours. I am also including a link to the hospital -- Porter-Adventist Hospital 2525 South Downing Street, Denver, CO 80210 phone 303-778-1955 (main line to the hospital), a link to the surgeon Dr. Warren Kortz, and a link to the Da Vinci tool used for surgery. After recovery I will be moved to a private room on three north. I should be coming home Tuesday or Wednesday... depending on how fast I recuperate.
Hospital Link
http://www.porterhospital.org/body.cfm?id=252
Dr. Warren Kortz
http://www.surgone.com/DrWarrenKortz.html
DaVinci Robotic Surgery
http://www.davincisurgery.com/davinci-surgery/
Thank you all for your prayers, thoughts and concern. Dean will keep you updated on Monday as he knows information. If I have your number, it is on my phone. If your number has changed recently, please let us know. Not sure if there is wifi in the hospital. Dean is also planning on bringing his little laptop. His email is dwarrend33@hotmail.com
Love You All!
Thought I would put together a group email to give family and friends information about my surgery. As you know, I am donating my left kidney to a friend. Her name is Dianna Brown. The surgery is scheduled for Monday, May 16, at 8:30am. We will be at the hospital at 5:30am. Dean and I will be spending Sunday night in Denver at a hotel, Boston Commons. Dean's parents are coming to help take care of Aiden while I am in the hospital. Dean will have both his cell phone and my cell phone on him Monday. His cell number is 719-466-1395 and my cell number 719-439-7247. The home number is 719-203-4827. The surgery should last between 3-4 hours. I am also including a link to the hospital -- Porter-Adventist Hospital 2525 South Downing Street, Denver, CO 80210 phone 303-778-1955 (main line to the hospital), a link to the surgeon Dr. Warren Kortz, and a link to the Da Vinci tool used for surgery. After recovery I will be moved to a private room on three north. I should be coming home Tuesday or Wednesday... depending on how fast I recuperate.
Hospital Link
http://www.porterhospital.org/body.cfm?id=252
Dr. Warren Kortz
http://www.surgone.com/DrWarrenKortz.html
DaVinci Robotic Surgery
http://www.davincisurgery.com/davinci-surgery/
Thank you all for your prayers, thoughts and concern. Dean will keep you updated on Monday as he knows information. If I have your number, it is on my phone. If your number has changed recently, please let us know. Not sure if there is wifi in the hospital. Dean is also planning on bringing his little laptop. His email is dwarrend33@hotmail.com
Love You All!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Here We Go
I received an email from the donor coordinator a couple of days ago. The kidney recipient will see the doctors on Monday (March 14)to determine if she is ok for surgery in the near future. She looks fine, feels fine. Just a matter of getting the go ahead from the doctors. I appreciate all the prayers you have sent through the last several months. Thank you in advance for continued prayers as we go the "final stretch". I will know more in the next couple of weeks.
Love in Christ,
Maggie
Love in Christ,
Maggie
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Love You Mom!
Well today – January 11th, is the 24 year anniversary of my mother’s death. It’s something that I guess I will never fully get over. My mother was one of the nicest people you could have met. She was kind to everyone.
My mother died at the age of 49 – due to breast cancer that metastasized to her brain. The fought a hard battle and went to Wilford Hall several times for radiation treatments. Had chemotherapy treatments and other treatments at the local hospital too.
She passed away on a Sunday. I still remember that day vividly. My dad and I went to Sunday School and then skipped church to go to the hospital to see mom and help her eat lunch. She needed help to eat in the final weeks of her life. After we helped her eat, we went to Hardee's and the plan was to stop by the hospital again before going to Lawton to go shopping for some shoes for me. We went back to the hospital to find out that she had passed on while we were away. The whole experience of seeing my dad break down crying and seeing her in the hospital bed like she was sleeping but knowing she was gone is something I will never forget.
I miss being able to talk to her and her support. Even today it is very hard. My mother never judged people and was nice to everyone. She was truly a great person and was taken away way too soon.
I love you mom!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
A Phone Call Changes Everything
Some of my posts have been on the humorous side. Today's post is a more serious topic. It all started back in the spring of 2010. I am at church and looking at the prayer list requests. I see a woman's name in need of a kidney transplant. I pray and talk with God about her. I don't know her, but I keep her in the back of my mind. A few weeks go by and there is news that her sister will be a donor. The family is very excited and the surgery date is set for the summer. The day before the surgery, the medical team learns that her sister can't donate her kidney. She has a rare problem with her kidney. She is off the eligible donor list. The family is heartbroken.
I need to share that I am essentially an orphan. My mother passed away from cancer. She was 49 years old. I was thirteen at the time. My father passed away when he was 70. I was 27 years old at the time. I have a son who will be three years old in February. I feel that if there is something I can do to help another family have the opportunity of more years together, then I will do my best to do that. I have done a lot of research into living kidney donors. They live regular lives after donating and the gift of life is comparable to giving birth.
A couple more weeks go by and the family includes more information on their daughter needing a kidney transplant. They include her blood type (A Positive) in the information. That Sunday I'm looking at the bulletin and reading through it and stop at the words "A Positive". That's my blood type. It feels like flashing lights to me. I can feel an urgency to look into this. That afternoon I do some searching on the Internet. I wait a week and talk with my husband about it. I decide to call the church to get more information, hoping they can point me in the right direction. The person on the line gives my contact information to the woman in need of the kidney transplant. She later calls me and gives me the information of a hospital in Denver, Colorado. I wait another day and call the number of the hospital in Denver, Colorado. They take some basic information from me and send me paperwork to fill out.
When I receive the paperwork I see there is a lot of tests that need to be done. The recipient's insurance pays for that. Trying to talk to Tricare (my insurance company) about that was not fun at all. I decide to go to the hospital in Denver to do the testing. On that first day they did a cross-match and before I went home that day, they told me that the cross-match is good.
A few months go by and there are more tests more trips to Denver and more pokes... Then just after new year's on January 3, 2011, I get the call that I have been approved to be an organ donor. It is unbelievable.
Not sure on when it will take place, but will keep posting on here as I know more information.
I need to share that I am essentially an orphan. My mother passed away from cancer. She was 49 years old. I was thirteen at the time. My father passed away when he was 70. I was 27 years old at the time. I have a son who will be three years old in February. I feel that if there is something I can do to help another family have the opportunity of more years together, then I will do my best to do that. I have done a lot of research into living kidney donors. They live regular lives after donating and the gift of life is comparable to giving birth.
A couple more weeks go by and the family includes more information on their daughter needing a kidney transplant. They include her blood type (A Positive) in the information. That Sunday I'm looking at the bulletin and reading through it and stop at the words "A Positive". That's my blood type. It feels like flashing lights to me. I can feel an urgency to look into this. That afternoon I do some searching on the Internet. I wait a week and talk with my husband about it. I decide to call the church to get more information, hoping they can point me in the right direction. The person on the line gives my contact information to the woman in need of the kidney transplant. She later calls me and gives me the information of a hospital in Denver, Colorado. I wait another day and call the number of the hospital in Denver, Colorado. They take some basic information from me and send me paperwork to fill out.
When I receive the paperwork I see there is a lot of tests that need to be done. The recipient's insurance pays for that. Trying to talk to Tricare (my insurance company) about that was not fun at all. I decide to go to the hospital in Denver to do the testing. On that first day they did a cross-match and before I went home that day, they told me that the cross-match is good.
A few months go by and there are more tests more trips to Denver and more pokes... Then just after new year's on January 3, 2011, I get the call that I have been approved to be an organ donor. It is unbelievable.
Not sure on when it will take place, but will keep posting on here as I know more information.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Be Patient Mommy!
It's been a while since I had a post on here. Feeling a bit nostalgic today. Have written some about my son. Thought I would share some more about him and also my thoughts and plans for the future. Each day is a new adventure. Seems in the day-to-day blur sometimes we forget to stop and enjoy the moment. There are things here that I know will be hard to follow through. I can only pray to God and ask for his strength and courage to get me through. Then, and only then, can I feel that I have done my best as a mom.
I remember holding my son for the very first time and gazing with wonder that he was mine. I was overcome with emotions and cried. The nurse asked, "What's wrong?" I said, "Nothing is wrong. I'm finally holding my baby." He was born at 1:12 am on a Friday, about six weeks preterm. I finally was able to hold him a couple days later and a few hours before my discharge from the hospital. I was wondering what would he become? The answer to that question will not be found in a book, but in my willingness to patiently teach him day by day.
Aiden is my first and only child. I also have a sixteen-year-old step-daughter who spends her summers with us. I had prepared myself as best I could for the job of being a mom. I read every book I could get my hands on. I wanted to know the best ways to do everything from feeding him to disciplining him. I even kept a record of everything he ate for the first year of his life. I was obsessed with his growth. Also have the baby book bursting at the spine, already full of notes. Have his first 100 words listed. Most every first I can think of is listed and recorded.
That was only a couple of years ago. I keep finding myself thinking about the future. What kind of child he will be, what kind of teenager will he be. I know that as a baby grows into a child and then into a teenager the problems a mother is faced with grow and change and only get more complex.
Children require a great deal of patience and teaching. Thinking back to how my siblings and I are each different and unique; sometimes I wonder if it has to do with birth order, life experiences or aging parents. I was the baby and our mother passed away when I was thirteen years old. She was 49. Each year I get closer to the age she was when she passed away. There is a part of me that is fearful that my son will have to deal with the death of a parent. My mother had breast cancer. There are things most moms wish they could go back and change, but, unfortunately, any mistakes we make as moms cannot be undone.
How can a mother raise a child who loves the Lord, works hard, and is kind to others when this world encourages immorality?
Here are some thoughts. Whether you have a newborn baby or teen, begin setting an example for Godly living today. It will be easier to change bad habits in a very young child than an older child, but it is possible to teach children at any age.
Be consistent. One of the biggest mistakes we all make is being inconsistent. When you tell your child the rules, follow through. If your child knows he is not supposed to jump on the sofa, do not ignore the bad behavior because you don’t feel like dealing with a fuss or because you are busy or tired.
Be patient. Being a mom is not always easy. My two-year-old repeats a lot of the words he hears. Lately one he repeats is --- PATIENT. He hears me talking to myself. I need to be more patient. You will have to teach your child the same principles over and over… and over again. Sometimes these teaching moments can be painful. When your child tests your resolve by mouthing off, it pains your heart. Patience will help you to deal with the disobedience without losing your cool. Patience will also help you to enjoy those many teachable moments. For instance, my son wants to be my helper. He wants to help me around the house. I let him help me push the vacuum or stir the cookie dough batter. Little things, but as he gets older he can help in bigger ways. I am teaching him how to love by my willingness to be patient.
Be firm. Children need to know their limits. If you allow your child complete freedom without setting specific limits, you will raise children who are out of control and rude. Parents who set reasonable rules for their children have children who are secure in their love and who are able to respect authority on a greater level; for example, teachers, employers, the government.
Be an example. If it is important to you that your children are well mannered, respect others, and work hard set the standard by your own behavior. Children learn more by watching you than they do by listening to you. Always remember to say please and thank you. If your child brings you a flower or helps to clean up, tell him thank you. When you are thoughtful of the needy in your church or community, you are setting a good example. If you want your child to learn to be neat, make sure you keep your own things picked up.
Be fun. Motherhood will pass by faster than you could ever imagine. I already look at his baby pictures with misty eyes. Already missing his itty-bitty days. I realize how much I want to hang onto the precious times we have together. Suppose that comes from the fact that my mother passed away when I was 13.
Read to your child daily. Play games with your child. Laugh with your child. Explore the world together. Find the magic in the everyday moments. Snuggle as much as possible. These are the things I remember most about my mom. Her ability to laugh at herself, find the humor in little things and her ability to always love. You always knew you were loved when she was around.
Be a witness. Giving a solid foundation of Biblical teaching is the greatest gift you can give your child. Pray with your child every day. Read the Bible together. Study together. Talk about the Scriptures and how the Bible applies to today. Show your child what it means to live a Godly life.
There will be times when you feel that all your hard work is not working. You can trust God. Seeing is believing, but believing without seeing is faith.
Grace and Peace Be With You!
I remember holding my son for the very first time and gazing with wonder that he was mine. I was overcome with emotions and cried. The nurse asked, "What's wrong?" I said, "Nothing is wrong. I'm finally holding my baby." He was born at 1:12 am on a Friday, about six weeks preterm. I finally was able to hold him a couple days later and a few hours before my discharge from the hospital. I was wondering what would he become? The answer to that question will not be found in a book, but in my willingness to patiently teach him day by day.
Aiden is my first and only child. I also have a sixteen-year-old step-daughter who spends her summers with us. I had prepared myself as best I could for the job of being a mom. I read every book I could get my hands on. I wanted to know the best ways to do everything from feeding him to disciplining him. I even kept a record of everything he ate for the first year of his life. I was obsessed with his growth. Also have the baby book bursting at the spine, already full of notes. Have his first 100 words listed. Most every first I can think of is listed and recorded.
That was only a couple of years ago. I keep finding myself thinking about the future. What kind of child he will be, what kind of teenager will he be. I know that as a baby grows into a child and then into a teenager the problems a mother is faced with grow and change and only get more complex.
Children require a great deal of patience and teaching. Thinking back to how my siblings and I are each different and unique; sometimes I wonder if it has to do with birth order, life experiences or aging parents. I was the baby and our mother passed away when I was thirteen years old. She was 49. Each year I get closer to the age she was when she passed away. There is a part of me that is fearful that my son will have to deal with the death of a parent. My mother had breast cancer. There are things most moms wish they could go back and change, but, unfortunately, any mistakes we make as moms cannot be undone.
How can a mother raise a child who loves the Lord, works hard, and is kind to others when this world encourages immorality?
Here are some thoughts. Whether you have a newborn baby or teen, begin setting an example for Godly living today. It will be easier to change bad habits in a very young child than an older child, but it is possible to teach children at any age.
Be consistent. One of the biggest mistakes we all make is being inconsistent. When you tell your child the rules, follow through. If your child knows he is not supposed to jump on the sofa, do not ignore the bad behavior because you don’t feel like dealing with a fuss or because you are busy or tired.
Be patient. Being a mom is not always easy. My two-year-old repeats a lot of the words he hears. Lately one he repeats is --- PATIENT. He hears me talking to myself. I need to be more patient. You will have to teach your child the same principles over and over… and over again. Sometimes these teaching moments can be painful. When your child tests your resolve by mouthing off, it pains your heart. Patience will help you to deal with the disobedience without losing your cool. Patience will also help you to enjoy those many teachable moments. For instance, my son wants to be my helper. He wants to help me around the house. I let him help me push the vacuum or stir the cookie dough batter. Little things, but as he gets older he can help in bigger ways. I am teaching him how to love by my willingness to be patient.
Be firm. Children need to know their limits. If you allow your child complete freedom without setting specific limits, you will raise children who are out of control and rude. Parents who set reasonable rules for their children have children who are secure in their love and who are able to respect authority on a greater level; for example, teachers, employers, the government.
Be an example. If it is important to you that your children are well mannered, respect others, and work hard set the standard by your own behavior. Children learn more by watching you than they do by listening to you. Always remember to say please and thank you. If your child brings you a flower or helps to clean up, tell him thank you. When you are thoughtful of the needy in your church or community, you are setting a good example. If you want your child to learn to be neat, make sure you keep your own things picked up.
Be fun. Motherhood will pass by faster than you could ever imagine. I already look at his baby pictures with misty eyes. Already missing his itty-bitty days. I realize how much I want to hang onto the precious times we have together. Suppose that comes from the fact that my mother passed away when I was 13.
Read to your child daily. Play games with your child. Laugh with your child. Explore the world together. Find the magic in the everyday moments. Snuggle as much as possible. These are the things I remember most about my mom. Her ability to laugh at herself, find the humor in little things and her ability to always love. You always knew you were loved when she was around.
Be a witness. Giving a solid foundation of Biblical teaching is the greatest gift you can give your child. Pray with your child every day. Read the Bible together. Study together. Talk about the Scriptures and how the Bible applies to today. Show your child what it means to live a Godly life.
There will be times when you feel that all your hard work is not working. You can trust God. Seeing is believing, but believing without seeing is faith.
Grace and Peace Be With You!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
A Neighbor's a Neighbor, No Matter How Small
It is about a week and a half until VBS starts. I have volunteered to teach the three year old class. While looking through the materials, I have decided to include some extra things to add to what the publisher has. Three year olds are active little people. Anyways, each day of VBS we will be studying a different parable of Jesus. I found that a Dr. Seuss book, "Horton Hears a Who", goes along with the story of the Good Samaritan. I am planning to include it with the other materials of the day. Horton is a lovable elephant. He hears a voice from a tiny speck on a little flower. No one else hears it, but he knows there are people there.
They will learn from Horton Hears a Who how each of us, as a part of God's family, needs to make our voice heard. As well as how we can stand up for those that can make their voices heard. But the lesson I hope the kids will identify with is how God expects us to help others when we can - no matter how old we are.
The VBS theme is a Rain Forest and the overall theme for the week is John 3:16. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall have eternal life.
Another Dr. Seuss book (story actually) that I am considering is "The Sneetches". I already have the Horton book in my personal collection, but am looking for this other book.
This is the idea for the sneetches. These large yellow birds have grouped themselves into two separate groups according to if they have stars on their bellies or not. Those with stars think they are better, and the sneetches without stars wish to be like the others. With the help of a con-man named Sylvester McMonkey McBean the Sneetches finally learn that they are all the best sneetches on the beaches. The characters in both the Horton book and the Sneetches book go along with the rain forest theme.
As the Bible teaches, we, like the sneetches, each have value and are loved by God. We have each been created by Him; we are fearfully and wonderfully made! This Dr. Seuss book relates how we can develop the same attitudes as the Sneetches - either we think we are better than others or we think we're not as good as someone else.
God thinks we are each special, and because of this He gave His Son, Jesus, that whoever (anyone and everyone) that would choose to believe (trust) in Him can have eternal life and live in Heaven with Him forever.
Isaiah 64:8 “But now, O LORD, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand.”
Psalm 139:14 "I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well."
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Our God is an awesome God! Wish me luck as this VBS approaches. Who knew that there could be Bible stories taught with Dr. Seuss?
They will learn from Horton Hears a Who how each of us, as a part of God's family, needs to make our voice heard. As well as how we can stand up for those that can make their voices heard. But the lesson I hope the kids will identify with is how God expects us to help others when we can - no matter how old we are.
The VBS theme is a Rain Forest and the overall theme for the week is John 3:16. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall have eternal life.
Another Dr. Seuss book (story actually) that I am considering is "The Sneetches". I already have the Horton book in my personal collection, but am looking for this other book.
This is the idea for the sneetches. These large yellow birds have grouped themselves into two separate groups according to if they have stars on their bellies or not. Those with stars think they are better, and the sneetches without stars wish to be like the others. With the help of a con-man named Sylvester McMonkey McBean the Sneetches finally learn that they are all the best sneetches on the beaches. The characters in both the Horton book and the Sneetches book go along with the rain forest theme.
As the Bible teaches, we, like the sneetches, each have value and are loved by God. We have each been created by Him; we are fearfully and wonderfully made! This Dr. Seuss book relates how we can develop the same attitudes as the Sneetches - either we think we are better than others or we think we're not as good as someone else.
God thinks we are each special, and because of this He gave His Son, Jesus, that whoever (anyone and everyone) that would choose to believe (trust) in Him can have eternal life and live in Heaven with Him forever.
Isaiah 64:8 “But now, O LORD, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand.”
Psalm 139:14 "I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well."
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Our God is an awesome God! Wish me luck as this VBS approaches. Who knew that there could be Bible stories taught with Dr. Seuss?
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