It's a Miracle!

Stanford's new definition of a "twin bed"!

It was an early start for rooms C107 and C108 at Stanford Medical Center. At 6:30 am PST Chris was transported to Pre-Op, but not before the twins could wreak havoc on their nurses. Both insisted on including hand written post-it notes to the surgeon on their charts and bodies. These stated their requests:

Chris:

Dr. Busque - While you're at it, can you please do a tummy tuck.

Thanks, Chris

ps No catheter please!

Thom (for Chris' chart):

Please perform the following:

1) Breast Augmentation

2) Brain Transplant

Our family would really appreciate it.

Needless to say the nurses and surgeon were kept entertained.

Chris on his way to surgery

At 12:30 pm, Thom was transported to Pre-Op. En route, the surgeon, Dr. Busque, informed us that Chris' surgery went really well and everything looked good. The anesthesiologist, Dr. Fink, explained the operating procedure and after a blood test they were ready to wheel Thom into surgery.

Thom on his way to surgery (with Melissa and Annette)

Around 4:00 pm Dr. Busque came out to inform us that Thom's surgery was successful and that the kidney was working PERFECTLY! It is a modern miracle and we are SO grateful for the positive outcome.

The man of the hour, Dr. Busque!

Hey Guys,

Transplant postponed for the third time...but only for 24 hours. We have an OR scheduled for Thursday at 7:30 am. Wish you could all be here!

After surgery you will get the Red Hot Juice (all the details.)

California Dreamin'

I'm headed to Modesto tomorrow for the big day! I'm pretty excited to be there with Dad, Mom and Uncle Chris on such an important day.

The things I am looking forward to:

- Eating good/authentic mexican food! (it does not exist on the East Coast)
- Spending some quality time with my parents (they are the best as far as I am concerned)
- Meeting my Dad's doctors (they have been so amazing)
- Having an In-N-Out burger!
- Enjoying the beautiful California weather

Thanks again to all who have kept our family in their prayers. We will keep you posted on how things go. Only a few more days!

Melissa

Third Time is a Charm....

No surgery today, May26! It turns out I have an intestinal infection that my body is trying to fight off, and true to form, Stanford says no surgery until we have perfect conditions.

As I have mentioned before, Stanford takes high-risk cases and combines that with an ultra-conservative approach and treatment. Of course, we appreciate their standard of excellence.

We believe the third time is a charm and....surgery is only two weeks away on Wedenesday, June 9th!

Just a personal note: Thank you for your support, thoughts, prayers, phone calls and concern for all of the Stevenson Family.

We sincerely thank you!

Dear Generous Friends and Family,

Thank you for all your amazing support. It has been a very moving experience to see how you all have rallied around our family in these last few months. We are continually impressed by your generosity and hope that in some way we can show that same love in return. Each day brings us closer to a transplant and a brighter future.

Thank you for your positive thoughts, well wishes and prayers. We feel them each day!

FINAL COUNTDOWN TO SURGERY.......POSTPONED A FEW WEEKS!

Some of you may be thinking that we are counting the days until surgery .... you are right, BUT it looks like we will be counting a little longer!

My brother Chris came into town on Wednesday, April 7th to complete some final testing and get ready for our hospital admittance on Tuesday, April 13th.

The good news is that Chris survived a detailed ultrasound procedure on his kidneys, circulatory system and bladder. The bad news is that the expert radiologist needed to read the MRI is out of the country for another full week. Our surgical team feels they cannot move forward until they have the final opinion and reading from this physician.

Our best guess: another 3-4 weeks before the actual transplant proceedure. While disappointed, we value the conservative approach, skills and perfect record of our surgeons.

Thanks for your love, support and prayers. Please keep checking the blog for the latest and greatest!

Only four more times

Who are the all-stars of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)? The answer would have to be the nurses and technicians that administer dialysis to about 450,000 people everyday.

I just returned from a four-hour session of dialysis, and I am amazed at the compassion and dedicated service they render. The caretakers are on their feet, standing on concrete for 12 hour shifts, and do it with a smile and much patience. They work around blood and other bodily fluids and deal with high-risk people with diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis.

My year and a half of dialysis are not my favorite moments, but the staff that helped me will never be forgotton. I am so blessed to have a live donor and feel both grateful and somewhat guilty as others continue to wait years and often lifetimes for this gift. I'm often reminded of the comment, "Where go I, but by the grace of God."

My good friends: eat well, be healthy and exercise. Life is good. Only four more sessions of dialysis! Thank you for your support and prayers.

Who is CHRIS STEVENSON?

I wouldn't be a very gracious kidney recipient, if I didn't duly recognize the one person that is going to make this happen. As many of you know, Chris is my identical twin brother and has never let me forget that he is 4 minutes older than me!!

Chris and his wife, Mavis, live in Huntsville, Utah. They went through a similar ordeal when Mavis was the recipient of bone marrow from one of her siblings. They know what lies ahead, but are so willing and committed to the cause. Chris has spent days if not weeks going through tests and giving up personal time to travel to California to the point where we now have the green light for surgery.

I cannot express in words how grateful I am for his heart-felt, brotherly love and sacrifice. Chris is one of my friends on Facebook, so please get to know him. He is genuine in every sense of the word.

Love you all.

p.s. Three kidneys trump one!!

IT'S ABOUT TIME!!

As you read my blog, please consider donating to my Kidney Transplant Fund. Just click on the 'Donate' button to the right on the sidebar.

History is about to be made: I have learned that I am scheduled for transplant surgery in the latter part of April! This has come on much sooner than expected, but I am grateful to finally realize something I have wanted for so long (most recipients in this area of CA, wait about 5 years for a transplant). What is historic about this surgery, is that both Chris (my donor) and I have had gastric bypass surgery and are both resolved diabetics. After 1000's of kidney transplant surgeries, this is the first time a kidney will be taken from a "diabetic".

About 18 months ago, I approached several people, asking if they would consider donating a kidney. My identical twin brother, Chris stepped forward. After months of every test you can imagine, he has been cleared as a live donor. Being identical, I should be able to avoid taking any anti-rejection medicines which is huge in the world of transplantation.

The surgery will be done at Stanford University Medical Center by Dr. Busque (a twin himself!).

The facilities are excellent and Dr. Busque is the best in the country - hands down! Thankfully, the incredible expenses of this surgery are covered by insurance, however Annette and I, as well as the donor, Chris have a steep bill when it comes to incidentals. To quote a recent advertising campaign:

Hotels, food, airfare, deductibles, shares of cost and co-pays: $10,000.

A new kidney: Priceless!!

I think it is always nice to be able to offer something in return for a donation, therefore, I am giving to each donor a copy of several proprietary bread recipes from our family bakery, Harvest Mill. These are only known to our family and now you can have access to them. I guarantee these recipes to be the absolute best breads you have ever eaten (and most are fat free).

Your donation means everything. I am very thankful for such a dedicated and supporting family, friends and associates.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generous donation.

Once again, just click on the Donate button on the sidebar. Your personal information is 100% safe via Pay Pal's encrypted and secure software.

p.s. I will now be able to practice my "one-upmanship" on my older brother (by 4 minutes). I will now have three kidneys and he will only have one!!