Yesterday some
friends were here for lunch when one of them turned to me and said, “By the
way, Happy Anniversary”. Jim and I celebrated
our 44th wedding anniversary back in July so I thought that’s the
anniversary she had in mind. It wasn’t,
because she followed it up with, “the anniversary of your kidney surgery”. Since the other guests at the table wanted to
know more about it, I found myself reliving that event all over again.
It began
with a Facebook link to an organ donor site, posted by Jennifer, a woman from
my church. She had just heard that the
disease which affected her kidneys had progressed to the stage where going on dialysis
would probably be only six months away.
At the urging of her daughters, she posted the link to the donor’s
website with a, “it can’t hurt to get it out there” attitude.
I had known
for some time, along with all the members of our church, that Jennifer had her
name on a transplant list, but it wasn’t until I saw the link and realized the
reality of a kidney shutdown in her not too distant future, that God began to
speak to my heart about being her donor.
I visited the site and began to consider what to do next.
I had always
admired Jennifer as a vibrant, spunky women.
She’s written a book, writes columns for local papers, travels into New
York City by herself all the time, sightseeing or showing friends around, a
woman diseased kidneys just can’t keep down!
She has an exuberance for life
that makes her fun to be around. I
thought, if I could help this woman to get more years out of the life she lives
to the full, despite diseased kidneys, then I was willing to do it!
So, I checked
my blood type, which “happened” to be compatible with Jennifer’s. Then I went into the city to New York
Presbyterian Hospital for the cross match testing. By this time, through far too many seeming “coincidences”,
I was so confident that the Lord was leading me, that when Jennifer called to
say we were a match, I said, “Well, of course we are!” What followed was more than a year of further
testing before I was finally approved as a donor and the surgery was scheduled.
Jennifer and
I checked into the hospital for our surgery on August 14, 2013. If you have ever been sure of the call of God
on your life and determined to follow where He leads, then you KNOW what that
morning was like for us. We knew surgery
and it’s recovery period, with the resulting discomfort and fatigue, lay ahead
for us. We knew the risks as well. So there was some anxiety, naturally, but
mostly we were flying high on adrenaline and the Holy Spirit! We had a host of prayer support with us, plus
our praying brothers and sisters in Christ from all over the country, and pray
we did! And the Lord was completely
faithful!
Jennifer and
I came through the surgery with flying colors!
We were interviewed just a few days later by television newscasters and
we even made it on local TV where we had a wonderful opportunity to talk about
the Lord and how He had led. I know for
me, and I can probably speak for Jennifer as well, it was a HUGE mountaintop
experience for our faith!
A year has
come and gone, with our kidneys continuing to work at optimum performance! Jennifer has had a new lease on life,
although she still faces other, equally serious, health challenges. What a blessing it has been for her to have
one huge one removed! For me, kidney
donation was a piece of cake! Okay, so
maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration!
It is true that apart from the usual post-surgery discomfort, it wasn’t
long before I was back to the gym, living the life I’ve always lived, not even
noticing the absence of a kidney.
There have
been a few other situations in my life (job opportunities, mission trips,
teaching Sunday school, even a cancer diagnosis) where the Lord clearly spoke
to my heart, suggesting some avenue of adventure in which to follow Him. I always did some thinking and praying about
it before I followed, because each opportunity came with a risk, plus
accompanying anxiety, as is true whenever the Lord asks us to venture into the
unknown. I wanted to be sure each time
that I was willing to see it through to the end before making a move. However, the assurance of the Lord’s will and
the constant comfort of His presence, as well as the overarching sense of
anticipation and excitement, gave me the courage to take the first step, confident
that where He was leading would always be far better than anything I might have
planned for my life.
He has never
disappointed.
“Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to Your Name
be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness.” Psalm 115:1
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