Step By Step...Inch By Inch...

Recent posts have started with a commercial reference. This one is different. I don't know why this Three Stooges skit entered my mind. I really don't. I searched for a video clip, and I found similar ones from Abbott and Costello, and I Love Lucy. They all have basically the same story, and I'm not sure what it really has to do with our latest situation, but I will do my best to make the connection for you.

We did get news this week about Donor #2. His doctor finally sent the proper paperwork to the Mayo Clinic. They sent out the orders for blood tests, and he had those done. He studied more than I did and aced the blood tests. The donor coordinator from Phoenix called and set up his week of testing at the Mayo Clinic. He will be traveling out the week of June 5. There are several tests, examinations, and meetings that will be involved. If all goes well, we will know if he can be a donor on June 15. If he is still willing to go through with all of this, the surgery might be scheduled for late June. We would like to get the surgery done as soon as possible to Missy will be able to return to teaching in the fall.

Have you seen the connection yet? Nope, me either. We are taking this process step by step and inch by inch. Some steps are smaller than others. This latest news is a larger step, and we hope it leads to the final steps. Yes, it's a bit of a stretch for a connection, but it's the best I could come up with. No, we're not planning on punching anybody out any time soon.

Please pray that all goes well with the travel and testing. We will keep you updated as best we can. Oh, I thought of this song, too, when thinking of a step by step process. This analogy is better than the others.

This Is Where It's At

You can go with this...

Or you can go with that...

This post begins with another commercial reference. The inspiration came from our rental car choice in Phoenix.

I'm not sure Missy has spent enough time in the 'hood. Although a ride in the Weinermobile would be kind of cool, I think we'll stick with the Soul for now.

This relates to our transplant journey. We have ideas that we would like to see to get us through this process, but it isn't always what God has in mind. We were hoping that this week would be the time of my screening to be a donor. Instead, we are in Phoenix for some follow-up appointments for Missy. We are still waiting for the screening process to continue for our second donor candidate. This one is going very slowly as one doctor is taking a while to get some necessary records together.

Our delay, though unwanted, will allow for some ease in the future. I will be able to be there for Missy as her caregiver. That wouldn't be the case if I was the donor. Also, the transplant will take place in June at the earliest. This will allow Joy to be done with school and make her care much easier.

We did have a blessing on the way out to Phoenix. Missy has the type of personality where she can strike up a conversation with anybody. She talked with another lady waiting for the plane, and has someone else praying for her as a result. She also talked to the lady sitting next to her on the first part of our flight. That lady got off the plane in San Antonio, and we stayed for the flight to Phoenix. One of the flight attendants came up to Missy between flights. She handed Missy some money and said it was from the lady who sat next to Missy. We had never met this lady before, but she gave Missy $100 because she felt led to do so. While on the flight, she also took Missy's name and said that she would put Missy on her prayer list. We truly appreciated the money, but the prayers are worth much more. Thank you very much, Carolyn. May God bless your generosity.

I haven't posted in a while because there really isn't much else to say. We are still waiting. I will post more information as it becomes available.

Recalculating...

Have you seen the Allstate Mayhem commercials? They are very clever, and we're beginning to think maybe that guy is in Missy's liver somewhere.

Missy and I have GPS navigation apps on our phones. We love them. We would be lost without them...literally. Missy's dad had a GPS unit for his car. He used to go a different direction on purpose just to confuse the system. It was funny to hear him talk to the box and get a sincere pleasure of hearing the word "recalculating...". Sometimes, it seemed like his goal was to get the box to give up. He did succeed a few times. Then he would have to talk nicely to it so we could get to where we were supposed to be.

Guys won't stop and ask for directions. Women know this, and that is why I truly believe that a woman came up with the idea for GPS navigation. Guys will listen to a little box or phone app telling us where to go. Okay, sometimes we think we know a better way, a shortcut, but we promised never to talk about that trip ever again.

The "recalculating" theme has been running through my mind a lot today, especially with all that is going on with Missy's transplant situation. We follow the directions we've been given for a while, and then all of a sudden, we're in the middle of nowhere.

Recalculating...

Then we take off in the new direction until we're lost again.

Recalculating...

It's not like we are going off-road or taking detours. We are following the directions that are given to us. I don't think we are getting ahead of things either. We just start getting comfortable, having a vague idea of what is around the next corner and getting prepared for it. But once we get around the corner, the bridge is out.

Recalculating...

So off we go in another direction God knows where...

But there's the key...God knows where. God, the Creator of the universe, the Designer of the liver is in complete control. He hasn't fallen asleep. He isn't watching the ball game (Have you seen the Rangers play lately?). He knows what is going on, what's around the next corner, where the next corner even is. Where will he lead us? We have an idea where the final destination is, but the route? We don't have a clue...only God knows where...Remember, nobody protects you from mayhem like God.

His Ways Are Not Our Ways

Warning: The following post contains honest thoughts and reflections (just like all the others). The mood may change unexpectedly. And the roller coaster adventure continues...

My blood test results came back earlier than usual. It has been less than a week, and we were expecting up to two weeks. We are learning to expect the unexpected. Think about the ramifications of that for a while if you want a headache. Well, the result is that I will not be the donor for Missy's transplant. I missed the trick question on the blood test. The results show that I have a Factor V Leiden. According to Mayo's web site, it is a common inherited genetic disorder that can increase my chance of developing abnormal blood clots. I had never heard of this problem until this evening.

This condition, affliction (or whatever it is) is problematic on two levels. It could cause problems during the surgery to remove part of my liver. It could also be a problem for Missy since most of clotting factor V is produced in the liver. That means that my liver could produce a clotting problem for Missy if I was the donor.

I am very disappointed that I will not be able to be Missy's donor. I could sense Missy's disappointment as well. I was really hoping to be able to help her out with the transplant. This setback will further delay her transplant. When I had the hope of being her donor, I had a sense of being able to do something about her suffering. Now, I'm back to a feeling of helplessness. Remember the warning at the beginning of this post?

Upon further reflection and conversation with God, we are dealing with this news. We're not really happy about it yet, but we're dealing with it. We do have Donor Candidate #2 beginning the process tonight. We have Missy's caregiver situation worked out. We definitely don't want to endanger Missy's health any more with a possibly defective liver. God is going to work things out. He just isn't going to do it in the way we imagined. That's a good thing because He has a much better imagination than we do. He is okay with my disappointment and frustration. I'm okay with trusting Him to do what is best. At least I keep telling myself that.

He reminded me tonight of the time where Jesus drove an evil spirit out of a man's son. The man told Jesus, "I believe. Help my unbelief." God, we trust You with Missy's health. Just help us when it's more difficult to trust. Another part of that passage spoke to me as well. The disciples couldn't drive out the spirit. Afterward, they approached Jesus, and asked Him why they couldn't do it. His response was that it could only be done through prayer. Sure, I've been praying for Missy every day, several times a day, every time I think of her. But have I really been praying as I should? Have my prayers been as fervent and full of faith as they should be? God worked out circumstances at church tonight where I could have a good conversation with Him. You know...the kind of conversation where I was made quiet, still, and had to listen.

As our roller coaster takes another turn, I am learning how to move from trying to be the best donor I can be to learning how to be the best caregiver I can be. Your prayers are always appreciated. Stay tuned. Our journey is never boring.

May = Mayo?

When I made out tests for my students, I liked to lighten the mood for them a little bit by including a joke. The first part was at the top of the first page. The punch line appeared somewhere else on the test. The point was to give them a release for any stress that might be caused by the students' lack of studying for the test. I know that the difficulty of the test couldn't have caused any stress! Students usually looked for the joke first or for the cartoon at the end of the test. For some reason, I thought of the following joke today.

If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?

Wait for it...wait for it...

Well, the answer is pilgrims, of course. Go ahead and groan and shake your head. I'm used to it. You don't even have to give me credit when you tell it to somebody else. It's not an original joke anyway.

It looks like May might be bringing another trip to Phoenix for us. I received a call today from the living donor coordinator at the Mayo Clinic. The insurance company has approved the process (again), and we are ready to proceed. I had called the clinic earlier telling them that I wanted to be tested to be a donor. The coordinator called back this evening. She told me the history of living liver donations at the Mayo Clinic, the possible complications that can occur with the donor, and the rest of the process for becoming a donor. She then asked several questions about my medical history. I think that I aced that quiz even though I didn't study for it.

The good news is that no donors have died at the Mayo Clinic since they began living liver donations in 2001. Of the 110 transplants, only two have had major complications, and both of them are fine now. Even the few minor complications have been resolved. After giving me all of that information, the coordinator proceeded to inquire about my medical history. She then asked if I had any other questions for her. She had already answered everything that I could come up with, and we had already found most of the information in our own research.

So what does all of this mean? Well, the coordinator will meet with the head of the program tomorrow. If he agrees that I am a good possible candidate, they will fax orders for blood work to Baylor Hospital. I will then go by Baylor on Friday to have the blood tests done. If anyone knows of any online study guides for these tests, please let me know because I want to do my best. It should take one to two weeks for the results to be evaluated by the team at Mayo. If I did well enough, I will get invited to travel to Phoenix in May for a week of evaluation. After that week, the Mayo team will make the final determination as to whether or not I will be a good liver donor for Missy. Sooooooo, if the answer is yes, the transplant could happen in late May.

We are making progress, or at least we are doing something. We still have some issues to consider and handle like logistics for Joy, our pets, and our house during the transplant. We also need to secure two caregivers for the recovery process. Thanks for all of your prayers and support through all of this.

Oh, one more pilgrim joke: Why do pilgrims have problems keeping their pants up? Because they wear their belt buckles on their hats!

It's Pizza Time Again

CiCi's Pizza in Waxahachie has graciously agreed to host another round of fundraising for Missy's transplant. Each Monday in April, CiCi's will donate a portion of the day's sales to Missy's transplant fund. If you would like to help out, all you have to do is place your receipt in the box at the counter.

We have really appreciated all of the nights that CiCi's has hosted. This particular location is managed/owned by wonderful Christian men. They are always glad to see us because business always seems to be better on fundraising nights.

We would love to see any of you out there on a Monday night this month. Just be sure to save some cinnamon rolls and spinach pizza for Missy.

Mayo Madness

NCAA basketball isn't the only source of madness this March. It's a good thing we don't make our living picking basketball games. Missy hasn't beaten me...yet. Her bracket is currently tied with mine.

Missy, Joy, and I spent our Spring Break in Phoenix, AZ at the Mayo Clinic. Missy was being tested so that she could be put on Mayo's liver transplant list. She endured lots of poking, prodding, questioning, and needle sticks. She did very well considering all that they put her through. This testing was a little more intense than her initial testing at Baylor a year and a half ago.

The team at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix communicates very well. Everyone knows what everyone else is doing. That is huge especially considering how many different people are involved with Missy's care. All of them think that Missy would be an excellent candidate for a live donor liver transplant. Her lung function has actually improved some since her last lung test. Her blood work also caused her MELD score to go down one point. That means her liver is doing better as well. We are told that with the alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, the MELD score often plateaus before rising. The bottom line is that she still needs a liver transplant, and she is healthy enough to get through the transplant well. The Mayo Clinic committee will meet on Wednesday to make a decision whether to list Missy or not.

After we get the call that Missy has been listed (yes, we are thinking very positively here), we will start providing donors. I will be the first one to contact the Mayo team. Some preliminary blood work will be done here. After that goes well (more positive thinking), I will travel out to Phoenix for my turn at intensive poking, prodding, etc. They will determine if I am healthy enough to endure the surgery and if I have a good liver for Missy. They will check blood flow, liver size, and other factors. My favorite part (here comes the sarcasm) will most likely be the liver biopsy. If they determine that I am a good match, then they will schedule the surgery. It could happen some time in May.

The transplant process should take around 5 weeks in Phoenix. Missy will spend about a week in the hospital and about 4 weeks recuperating and being observed. If I am the donor, I will spend a little less time in the hospital and about 2 weeks recuperating. We are hoping to get into some hospital housing for the recovery time. It is cheap and on the hospital grounds. It is available for transplant and cancer patients, but there is currently a waiting list.

We were able to relax some (Joy and I more so than Missy) on our trip. We saw "Mars Needs Moms" at an IMAX theater in 3D. The screen was amazing. It was almost a private viewing as we were the only ones in the theater until right as the previews were starting. We went to a Texas Rangers game on Wednesday night. I did learn a little bit about spring training baseball:

1. If you don't have a name on your jersey (and most everybody else does), or your uniform number would work for a tight end, or the announcer doesn't notice that you're in the game for two innings, don't count on making the big league team.
2. The Rangers didn't bring all of their music, sound effects, etc. to Spring Training with them. Spring Training games are very quiet (not necessarily a bad thing).
3. It's a good idea to appease the veteran players (Hamilton, Andrus) by taking their gloves and hats to them if they are left on base at the end of the inning. It's also a good idea to take your own (Deeds) glove with you.
4. Major League concessions are much better than those at Surprise Stadium.
5. Cotton candy has a lot fewer calories than I thought it would.
6. I wouldn't want to face the top of a healthy Rangers lineup. Beltre hits the ball VERY hard.
7. Chuck Morgan, the Ballpark at Arlington announcer, is way underrated.
8. Free parking is a really good thing.

It is nice to be making progress. Missy is looking forward eagerly to getting better. Some of her symptoms should be gone within 12 hours of the transplant. Please stay tuned for additional updates as the madness is just beginning!