On August 13th, 2007, I spent the day in the hospital with my best friend Spencer before he passed away from cancer.
It's been almost 9 years since that day, but the impact Spencer's life had on me has not faded in the slightest.
In the years of heartbreak following, I made these decisions:
1. Take more pictures with the people you love.
2. Donate your hair 3 times to help girls with cancer get wigs [finished in 2014]
3. Share the love you have for Jesus with others in radical, life changing, and everyday ways.
Decision number 3 has become more than just a goal for me, it's become my life motto. This is one of the ways I've prayerfully decided to live that out.
About a month ago I asked y'all to pray that I would be able to donate a kidney to my friend Mariela who is in kidney failure and desperately needs a transplant. More specifically, I asked you all for, "prayers that there will not be antibodies that prevent me from donating, and that if there are, the Lord will remove them". Guess what?? God answered our prayers!! Mariela's previous donor shares some of the same DNA as I have. Because she has been introduced to my DNA before, she should have antibodies that would cause her to reject my kidney. But she doesn't! And the doctors don't know why.
I do.
We prayed for it. God answered our prayers.
THANK YOU FOR PRAYING!
Although this is an incredible answer to prayer, the doctors still have a few reservations that have caused a delay of surgery until August 9th [6 days after I graduate from nursing school]. For the next few months the doctors will be trying to put together a "kidney chain". Basically, I am a good match for Mariela, but they are hoping to find an even better one. A kidney chain involves one, or several more, people that need kidneys. Long story short, not only would Mariela get a kidney, but so would several other individuals that need one!
I think a kidney chain would be a huge blessing, but you know what's great?? Even if it doesn't work out, the surgeon told me that I would still be able to donate my kidney to Mariela.
In other words, I'm saying adios to one of my kidneys on August 9th!
This past year and a half has been a time of healing for me. After being diagnosed with endometriosis, I had surgery, spent 6 months on medicine that made me incredibly sick, moved to a new city, and began a 15 month accelerated nursing program. In those moments of hardship and trial, I prayed that the Lord would motivate me to push through. The decision to donate one of my kidneys has not come lightly, and has not come without countless prayers and counsel from others, but it has absolutely become a huge motivation for me.
I am so freaking excited for the next 6 months of my life. I'll be one kidney short, but I'll have a nursing degree! I'll be able to spend a few weeks in bed with guilt-free ice cream eating and netfix binging, and Mariela will be able to live a kidney filled and dialysis free life! What a mighty God we serve!
Thank you all for celebrating with me, praying for me, and supporting me. I feel so well loved. (:
So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" Hebrews 13:6.
I mean, who needs two kidneys anyways?
It's been almost 9 years since that day, but the impact Spencer's life had on me has not faded in the slightest.
In the years of heartbreak following, I made these decisions:
1. Take more pictures with the people you love.
2. Donate your hair 3 times to help girls with cancer get wigs [finished in 2014]
3. Share the love you have for Jesus with others in radical, life changing, and everyday ways.
Decision number 3 has become more than just a goal for me, it's become my life motto. This is one of the ways I've prayerfully decided to live that out.
About a month ago I asked y'all to pray that I would be able to donate a kidney to my friend Mariela who is in kidney failure and desperately needs a transplant. More specifically, I asked you all for, "prayers that there will not be antibodies that prevent me from donating, and that if there are, the Lord will remove them". Guess what?? God answered our prayers!! Mariela's previous donor shares some of the same DNA as I have. Because she has been introduced to my DNA before, she should have antibodies that would cause her to reject my kidney. But she doesn't! And the doctors don't know why.
I do.
We prayed for it. God answered our prayers.
THANK YOU FOR PRAYING!
Although this is an incredible answer to prayer, the doctors still have a few reservations that have caused a delay of surgery until August 9th [6 days after I graduate from nursing school]. For the next few months the doctors will be trying to put together a "kidney chain". Basically, I am a good match for Mariela, but they are hoping to find an even better one. A kidney chain involves one, or several more, people that need kidneys. Long story short, not only would Mariela get a kidney, but so would several other individuals that need one!
I think a kidney chain would be a huge blessing, but you know what's great?? Even if it doesn't work out, the surgeon told me that I would still be able to donate my kidney to Mariela.
In other words, I'm saying adios to one of my kidneys on August 9th!
This past year and a half has been a time of healing for me. After being diagnosed with endometriosis, I had surgery, spent 6 months on medicine that made me incredibly sick, moved to a new city, and began a 15 month accelerated nursing program. In those moments of hardship and trial, I prayed that the Lord would motivate me to push through. The decision to donate one of my kidneys has not come lightly, and has not come without countless prayers and counsel from others, but it has absolutely become a huge motivation for me.
I am so freaking excited for the next 6 months of my life. I'll be one kidney short, but I'll have a nursing degree! I'll be able to spend a few weeks in bed with guilt-free ice cream eating and netfix binging, and Mariela will be able to live a kidney filled and dialysis free life! What a mighty God we serve!Thank you all for celebrating with me, praying for me, and supporting me. I feel so well loved. (:
So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" Hebrews 13:6.
I mean, who needs two kidneys anyways?
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