The Little House Out Back

 Valerie, kidney donor, and Martha, October 14, 2011, 7:40 p.m.,
just a day after kidney transplant

Valerie Is Home!

I can't believe it, but after only 3 days, Valerie was released from UC San Francisco hospital and is back at home. She is sore but happy to have the transplant over with, as are we all.

Larry (Marty's hubby, a true unsung hero) and I don't know what we would have done had we not had Dawn (Valerie's identical twin) and Leslie (Martha & Larry's daughter) by our side. Their doting and patience did not go unnoticed. The four of us together made a pretty darned good tag-team, keeping one another grounded and held together emotionally.

My hubby couldn't do the trip because he is recovering from his 4th back surgery. It was a difficult time for him not to be able to be with us, and it was just as difficult not having him to lean on, but we muddled through. Having him home, though, gave us all peace of mind that our four dogs were being spoiled, the mail taken in and the house safe.

Martha is still at UCSF, but she is doing pretty well. She still has a way to go in getting herself back up to par to where she was a couple of years ago. She is so grateful to Valerie for her new kidney and keeps saying thank you to everyone she sees. It is wonderful to see Martha's color return and the light back in her eyes.

We'll be going back to San Francisco Thursday morning for Valerie's follow-up. The view from the 7th floor of the kidney unit is breathtaking, so we will concentrate on that positive to make the drive up there more pleasant to anticipate.

Giving thanks to the Lord for putting in our grasp some of the best transplant surgeons in the world and top-notch nurses and staff. Our God is an awesome God!