Happy six month anniversary, Team RenJen!
You read that right: today marks the six month anniversary of our transplant surgery. It still seems like only yesterday I was hobbling down to Rene's room to see her for the first time after surgery!
Rene and I both wanted to write updates today to let you know how we're feeling. Rene had her six month checkup yesterday and her doctor said her kidney is "well seated" and a "strong" one. I'll let her give you more details about how she's been feeling over the last six months in her own post.
I have my six month checkup tomorrow; I'll let you know how it goes, but I'm anticipating the doctor telling me I'm completely healthy...if not healthier even than before surgery. I'd say that it took about six weeks out from transplant to experience no tenderness at all, but, after that, the only physical reminders of surgery I've had are a few scars and a bit of numbness around my main incision site.
I can't say that nothing has changed for me, however. Rene remains a constant presence in my life--something I'm very grateful for. Whether it's her checking in to tell me she's off to LA or me filling her in on a date I've just had, we have remained connected...beyond the fact that she's now the owner of one of my former body parts. Between Rene and Nancy and the rest of Team RenJen, I've really been blessed by being able to incorporate some amazing people into my life. This experience and all of the people involved definitely reestablish my belief that at its heart, life is good.
The other thing that has really changed for me is that I am much more aware of and outspoken about organ donation. I want people to be aware of the need that exists, as well as the different opportunities there are to fulfill that need, whether by becoming a donor once deceased, by becoming a living donor for someone you know, or by becoming a living donor through a site like matchingdonors.com. Furthermore, I find it necessary to speak to how easy this really was for me. I think fear often holds us back from venturing into many situations in life that, while scary at first, could turn out to be absolutely beautiful in the end. While I can't say that I wasn't scared at all in the few days before surgery, my fears proved to be unfounded. I am healthy. I am happy. And if I had another kidney to give, I'd do it all over again.
Thank you all again for your continued support. It has been so nice to hear from some of you via the blog, Facebook, and email. And thank you for continuing to spread our story.
Happy Holidays, all.
More to come. . .
