That's not that bad daddy!!

"That's not that bad daddy!!" -- It's amazing how the words of a 6 year old can change things so quickly. I know the news that I received this past Thursday is not really that bad, and to some it may even be welcomed news, even my Doctor said if he was on dialysis it is what he would do. So what is this devastating news?? What is the news that is so shocking to me and seem to turn my world upside down?? I was told that the Peritoneal dialysis I am on is not working and that I will have to switch to Hemo dialysis.

Having a tube hang out of my stomach was an adjustment and now I will just have to adjust to having a fistula in my arm. The difference is when I had my next transplant, the tube would come out but the fistula will remain in my arm for the rest of my life. I know it is a pretty petty thought for what I have to go through, but for some reason it is really difficult for me and I am having a difficult time with it - after all it is my body and I will have to live with the constant reminder for the rest of my life.

It all comes down to perspective. I have to make some changes in my routine, but with those changes some really good things come!! My bedroom will not really look like a hospital room any more. I will be able to lie on my stomach the little things that I have missed will be returned to me.

I always seem to get a dose of reality every time I think things are tough for me. After I had my Dr. appointment on Thursday it took a little time, but I came to terms of the changes that are coming my way. A day later, I learned that a high school classmate of mine was just recently diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma. So for me to have to change the type of dialysis I am on and have to live with the fistula for the rest of my life, when I put it into perspective, things are not even close to what others have to go through.

Thoughts and prayers go out to you Joe and your family.

Its better than the alternative

I cannot believe how long it has been since I have blogged last. I would like to say that a lot has happened and I have been so busy that I have not had the time to blog, but that really is not the case. The truth is, it has just been off my mind and every time I think about blogging - I get distracted by one thing or another.

Another reason that I have been away from blogging is that I think my optimism may have just about run out. I have tried so hard to be positive and open minded and willing to go with what ever is thrown at me during this whole process, but I think I have reached a point were at the very minimum I have to release some frustration.

If I hear "Its better than the alternative" one more time, I just may blow. How does anyone know what I am going through is better than the alternative? Have they gone through what I am going through? Have they experienced the "alternative"?

The reason for my not so jovial attitude is that the Peritoneal Dialysis that I am on is not working the way it should and there is a possibility that I will have to discontinue it and switch to Hemo Dialysis.

I apologize if I am letting anyone down and not typing the happy-go-lucky type stuff that I usually do but I just had to do it, if only this one time.

There it is ... do I feel better? I don't really know right now - I guess time will tell.

The road is done

"The road is done. You're home Joe..." - this was a post on a group page on Facebook, it was under a link to YouTube.com for the song "Amazing Grace".

I had met Joe 9 or 10 years ago where I worked at the time. Joe was one of the good guys, you could ask him anything and he would do his best to help out. He was a straight shooter and always got to the point, something I've always appreciated.

Joe passed away on Saturday July 31, 2010 losing his battle with stomach cancer he was 41.

I learned of Joe's passing as we (my family) were getting ready to go to the pool. The day was beautiful and although I cannot get in the water I can still grab some sunshine. There were clouds in the sky and as I watched my wife, daughter and son head into the pool, I looked up and saw a very prominent image in the clouds. I saw what looked like a very visible angel. There wasn't a face, just a body, a very round head, wings and just above the head a halo. It was amazing.

Even though I haven't seen or talked with Joe in a while I'll miss him.

There's just no easy way to hear about it and there's no easy way to talk about it, CANCER SUCKS!!

Joe is survived by his wife and 3 children ages 6, 4, and 6 months.

Therapy

As I entered the room a little before 7 pm, I could hear the piano loud and clear playing some great music. I took my seat at the table and was there about 5 or 10 minutes enjoying the sound coming from the opposite side of the room when I decided to look up and noticed it was not a piano, but rather a keyboard that was being played. A few minutes later, I looked over again and for the first time that the person playing the piano was a young, and I mean young guy. We found out later that he was only 18 and only had graduated from high school a month ago.

This guy, could play almost anything, The Beatles, Billy Joel, you name it, he could play almost anything and without sheet music - it was quite impressive. It was hard to miss an older guy sitting at a table by himself enjoying the music, I thought it was his dad, but ended up being his uncle. Although I am not sure if his uncle was there to help carrying the stuff in and out or if he was there just to enjoy the music, you could tell he was enjoying himself and it brought great pride to me knowing that I want to do those same things and support my children with what they decide to do when they are older.

It was a great escape for me indeed to meet up with a bunch of guys for our monthly ritual to go out and "relax" after our meeting. This month, the meeting was cancelled, but we all agreed we needed to still have our "meeting". I really have not had much of a connection with others since the middle of last year when all of this started to go into a downward spiral. It is nice to get out with the guys and talk about things that really when you look at it are important at the time, but with a little help from a friend solutions seem to be found.

It is usually toward the end of the night, but someone usually asks how everything is going, which generally leads into other questions about what is going on, or how the process works, or even about the supplies that occupy my entry way closet. Those small simple conversations are usually my release to help me feel better about everything that is going on. There is something about explaining it to others that helps me realize, that "hey, this isn't so bad and can certainly be worse!!"

Thanks for the conversation and company guys and a big thanks for helping me find an outlet to get it all out!!

My Big Fat Feet

Vanity has gotten the better of me. I surprisingly have adjusted to just about everything, everything but the way my feet look when I am retaining water. Probably more noticeable are my ankles which swell to a size bigger than grapefruit.

I really thought that I would be caught up in the tubing protruding from my stomach. I thought that would be the 1 and only thing I would have to overcome with this process, but when I look down and see my feet, it really bothers me. Actually I have adapted to the tubing pretty well and I really only notice that when I am doing an exchange.

I do have great news and that is I was approved to do nighttime dialysis. This means that I will be able to hook up to a machine at night and have dialysis while I am sleeping. By having this done, I will not have to do exchanges during the day, which means I can get back to a little more normal of a life instead of being hooked up to an IV pole 4 times a day!!!!

I know I will adjust to the whole swollen feet thing in time, and within a few weeks my life will be a little more normal until my transplant. I am thankful I am able to hold onto the little things and small victories as they come my way!!!

The Clock is ticking...

Not only is the clock ticking for me while I am on the transplant list, there is another clock... the clock of Medicare. Although I am eligible now to go on Medicare, after I have been on dialysis for 30 months, I am forced to take Medicare as my primary health insurance.

I think that it is great that there are systems in place to help people with the high cost of health care, I have a difficult time understanding why I have to take Medicare when I already have health insurance. The good news is I still get to keep my current health care, but it will drop to my secondary coverage.

The upside that I see is that I will have more coverage, not yet understanding what it is, or how the coverage will affect me. From what I understand, for the cost of of dialysis it is wonderful. As far as what else it covers, I am not sure, I hope it is also wonderful.

The downside is that when I am forced into the Medicare coverage, I am also forced into paying the premium for the coverage, so I will have the joy of paying for two health insurance coverages. I could drop my current coverage, but then my family will go without health insurance, since I am the only one eligible for the Medicare coverage.

Like I said, I am glad that there are systems in place to help with the high cost of health care, but to be forced into a program that I do not want is something I do not agree with. In my opinion, the coverage should be for people who are not on a company plan and would be declined if they applied for an individual plan.

That Feeling

I was standing at the deli counter at the grocery store when all of a sudden that feeling came over me. I had only had that feeling one other time, but it was at home and things are different when you don't have the security of being home. I took my sweatshirt off and tried the best I could to shrug it off since I was still in the beginning phase of grocery shopping. I received everything I requested and at that time knew I was not going to be able to finish the rest of the shopping.

I was standing there with the cart having the produce and deli items checked off my list with a bunch of stuff yet to purchase and with Tucker looking at me as innocently as possible when I had no idea what to do. I knew I had to do something and somewhat quickly or I was going to fall over. The rush of heat over me and light headedness, I had to sit down. I surveyed the area and could not see a chair any where in sight, if only I had turned around I would have seen a whole area of tables and chairs, after all I was in the deli area where some people go in to eat. This soon to be embarrassing situation could have been avoided.

After what seemed like forever, I decided to go over out of the way and just sit on the floor. I looked up at Tuck and he was just sitting there, smiling and hanging out. It was not long when a manager who was taking inventory had come over to me and asked if I was OK and asked if I would like some water, I accepted and another lady had come over to comfort Tuck and stay with me while the manager went to get the water.

After a couple of minutes, I was feeling better and the manager had offered a rushed check-out and have someone help me get to my car. I was feeling better as I started walking to the register and the manager had said, "I'm Terri a manager here". I thanked her for everything while we were walking and told her my name and explained my situation. I got to the register and checked out and made my way home.

When I got home, I was feeling a lot better, but still had the need to lie down. On the way home, Tuck had fallen asleep, and I could only feel for the little guy. Here we were on a Saturday outing and the next thing he knew, I was sitting on the floor and he had strangers talking to him. It is one thing for me to have to go through this, and for me and my family to make sacrifices, but that was a little too much for me.

I guess it is just another thing to add to my list of limitations. I know it is not a big thing, but the opportunity to take a solo trip out with one of the kids is something that is fun and exciting and what parent does not like to hang out with their kids one on one? I understand this is not a forever thing, just temporary, but I am looking forward to becoming normal again.

Being Average

I have had a lot of progress in the last week, I am now flying solo with my dialysis exchanges!! I do 4 of them a day and to be honest, like everything else, this will take a little time getting used to. The biggest hurdle I need to get over is my confidence. I spent the last week doing the exchanges over and over again, but doing them at home somehow is different for me.

It is not hard to do, and really not nearly as time consuming as I thought they would be. I have found the most challenging things to be getting the bags to the proper temperature and getting all the required supplies. Now gathering the supplies is not much of a challenge as to remember to get everything the first time.

The funniest thing that has happened is Torre comparing me to a new born baby this morning. She said "think about it, you are now on a whole new schedule, a new eating schedule, and you have to do the exchanges (comparing it to changing a diaper change), you are like a new born baby!!" It cracked me up and helped lighten my mood, as much as this is a difference in my life and as I adapt, she helps me see the brighter side of things!!

As for the exchanges, they take less than an hour to complete, which includes getting what I need, draining and then filling again. I think once I become proficient with it, I can get it down to 30 to 45 min which I don't believe is bad at all.

The next milestone I have to look forward to is after about 6 weeks, there is a chance I can get on a machine that will do the exchanges for me overnight, so then I will just hook up at night and unhook in the morning. Most people qualify for this type of treatment and as the nurse said yesterday, I am "average". Average meaning that I drain and fill in an adequate time period and I am pulling off an adequate amount of fluid each time, which is what they seem to be happy with. If this is what it means to be "average", then I am happy to be just that Average!!

Perspective

I had the opportunity to participate in a candle light vigil tonight to help raise awareness for Organ and Tissue donation. It brought it home to me that this is so much bigger than I am. As people got up and told their story of how organ donation has touched their lives and with my wife's eyes filled with tears I was so humbled.

I recently went back and read each of my blog posts and it seems that I am pretty repetitive. The message I would like to send, is that no matter what situation you are in, your outlook is the most important. I have friends and know people who are going through some pretty tough stuff, and if you ask them they think what I am going through is much more difficult, but when I hear what they are going through I think they are going through much more difficult times.

For me, as I have said before there is an end to what I am going through, sure, it may take a little time, but it is there. Unfortunately, I have some friends who are going through relationship struggles some of which either are or have resulted in divorce. Other friends have struggled with life threatening disease and illness who toe the line daily with living and dying.

That is why I say to me it all about perspective with the situation you are facing. Keep your chin up and face whatever it is you have to face head on with the best attitude you can - it will make a difference in the end result!! You can do anything you want and as I always say, "The only thing that can limit you is your own imagination!!"

The Squad

I was at the dialysis unit yesterday for my weekly check-up and flush and just before I was called in, the paramedic squad was walking through the door. There was no rush, just a calm pace as the 4 men entered with tackle boxes of supplies and a stretcher, as a nurse held the door open for them.

It was hard to tell what exactly was going on as the Hemo and Peritoneal (PD) areas are separated and they were headed into the Hemo side as I entered the PD area. There was no commotion or hurried activity, just the presence of a paramedic squad.

When I asked my nurse if that happens a lot, she just looked at me and gracefully smiled and said, "yeah, we see them every once in a while". It was an interesting response, as the nurse who helps me is very nice and sincere and gives the impression that she has been doing this for a while. I really couldn't tell if it was a rare or frequent occasion, but it did give me the feeling, that they are not called unless it is absolutely necessary.

It brought home the feeling of how lucky I am. Sure I may be tired a lot, and low on energy, but I have a lot of things on my side. I am young, other than having a tube hanging out of me and a little high blood pressure - I don't have significant health problems. As a matter of fact, Torre was just saying the other day, there is an end in sight. I will be on my daily routine of 4 exchanges a day and having energy within a matter of a week and the transplant will be here before we know it.

I consider myself lucky because I have and end somewhere out there. I may not have an exact date, but I do have somewhat of a timeline. Torre and I talk a lot about what we are going through and are constantly overwhelmed with prayers and the nice things that people have helped out with.

Thank you to everyone who has helped us in one way or another and thank you very much for the continued prayers and support, they are very much appreciated!!

Adaptation

I think one of the most amazing things in the world is the ability to adapt. I am still adjusting to some normal everyday things but at least I can now put on my socks and shoes without pain!! I have definitely learned more patience with myself and others. Although convincing others to have a little patience is more of a challenge than to convince myself that patience is needed.

For example - taking a shower. The not so fun part of having my port put in was the 2 week period of not showering during the healing process, and washing in a sink is just not the same as a shower - I think that goes without saying. It's a simple thing to shower, just turn on the shower and get in right. Well things have changed for me for such a simple task. Rather than just take a quick shower, it takes me currently about 30 minutes just to get ready to shower - I actually have to "wash" before I shower so I can get all the supplies ready for when I get out of the shower.

I am becoming more proficient, but still need to make adjustments. I know with time I will get even better so I will rely on patience and practice!!

A Forgotten Anniversary

So 10 years ago yesterday, March 6, 2000, I received a call from the Ohio State University Medical Center. It was a call that changed my life. Yesterday came and went and it was in the middle of the night last night that I even remembered it. Yesterday was my 10 year anniversary of my kidney transplant.

I am not sure what to think about the day, the fact that the day changed my life, or a reminder of what I am currently going through. With the dialysis process starting, it is easy to think of all that I have recently been through and all the stuff that will be taking place, after all I am reminded every time I stand up and sit down.

The day is also a reminder of all the things that I have been able to do the last 10 years. I have been able to be employed, and enjoy my relationship with my wife. Most enjoyable would be the birth of my daughter Marin and son Tucker. We have been able to travel a little and experience things as a family that some people without health concerns are not able to do, I guess yesterday is a great reminder of how truly lucky of a person I am!!

Since I have started this journey and the blogging, I have had a lot of people tell me how they are impressed with my outlook on the situation. The truth is I just take it one day at a time and do what I have to do. After all, I did not choose to have this happen to me, so I make the best of what I have and control what I can control.

I want to thank everyone for the prayers and well wishes, they do mean a lot. I go Tuesday to have my catheter flushed and Wednesday have some final tests done before the dialysis begins, I am actually looking forward to the dialysis to have more energy!!

Happy Anniversary "Sidney the kidney"!!

Under the knife

Well, today I get the PD catheter placed in my abdomen. Although I am not nervous about the minor day surgery, I am a little apprehensive about the tube that I will have hanging out of me. It will just take some getting used to.

It was funny, I had lunch about a week ago with my mentor and told him what was going on. I was explaining the process and what I would and would not be able to do (go in hot tubs, oceans, swim in dirty pools etc). When I got we were talking about the things I would not be able to do, he looked at me and chuckled. I asked him what he was chuckling about and he asked me... "When was the last time you did any of those things?" It was funny because I cannot remember the last time I had done any of those things.

The hardest part I think I will have is getting used to the tube that will hang out of me for the exchanges. The only other difficulties I can for see is the limit in lifting things (nothing over 40 lbs.) and it will be a challenge when the kids want to climb on me...

I am looking at it as the next step and a little adjusting and all will be fine!!

The next phase is about to begin

So I got the call today... only it wasn't the call I wanted to get. When I answered the phone and heard that it was my Nephrologist, I knew what he was going to say before he said it. He suggested that we go ahead and proceed with dialysis.

Since I have already decided to do the Peritoneal Dialysis and toured the facility last week, it was an easier conversation with choices already made. The next step is to have the port inserted into my abdomen which will be done within the next week. On the positive side of things, I will not be starting the exchanges right away.

I am not quite to the point of being really sick and with the healing process around 2 weeks, this will give me the opportunity to ease into the exchanges. The other option is to wait and the possibility of being hospitalized would be greatly increased.

Although I am not looking forward to this procedure, it is much better than the alternative. I am thankful for my support system, family and friends, and especially for my great team of doctors who are aggressively treating me!!

The love of my life!

So I visited the dialysis unit today and have decided that Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) is what I am going to do. The other choice is Hemo Dialysis (Hemo). I am really really glad that Torre was able to go on the visit as well, I think this helped with her worries and concerns.

I have been thinking a lot lately about who this is harder on, me or Torre. For me, things are happening gradually and only have to take care of myself pretty much. For Torre, she has been having to do more and more, but she has been doing so much. She takes care of pretty much everything around the house and with the kids, and has been having to do more for me.

It seems my biggest stress is with feeling well enough to do daily activities. The stress Torre endures is the daily life we live with a 2 and 5 yr old, but she does most everything around the house and also works at our church and has recently started a business. When you add taking care of me into the mix it just seems so much.

I know we all will survive, but wish I was not putting my family through all of this. I do know one thing for sure, and that is I know I would not be able to survive this without a great and wonderful wife like I have in Torre!!

Small victories

3 tests later and I am now officially back on the list!! The tests were 1. Upper Endoscopy 2. Colonoscopy and 3. an x-ray of my small intestines. The tests were not bad, but as they say, the preparation for the test is always worse.

For the Upper Endoscopy, there was no preparation, just could not eat or drink anything after midnight, the night before.

The colonoscopy, as many are aware, the prep is to drink a not so pleasant solution that cleans you out. I think I lucked out with this one since my procedure was in the afternoon. I was able to drink half the night before and then the remaining portion the following day. In my opinion, this was a benefit because I did not have to spend all night in the bathroom.

For the x-ray, the prep was to not eat or drink anything the night before, but the worst part was having to drink the Barium Sulfate solution, all I can say is ughhhhhh. If you haven't had to drink this stuff, consider yourself lucky. Think of the thickest milkshake you have ever had. Now think if that were about 10 times thicker, luke warm and a very unpleasant taste - that about sums it up...

The only thing left to do is for the Doctors to look over the results and clear me for the transplant. I am officially on the list but I am on a hold status. The main reason for this, since I am anemic and my guaiac result came back positive for blood they needed to make sure nothing else was going on inside me that would make the transplant more complicated or lead to other infections. I am confident I will be off the hold status in a day or two.

The main difference between the hold status and active status, is that I am on the list and begin to accrue my "time" on the list, but being on hold, is I cannot receive a transplant if one were to come in that would be my match until I am on an active status.

Another small victory for me, is that I have finally gotten the approval from my pharmacy for my procrit. Since I am anemic, my blood count is low, and since it is a specialty medicine, it seems an act of congress is needed to approve the medicine. The medication will help give me more red blood count, which in turn will help me have more energy - right now is a big plus!!

Another day or so and I will be off the hold status and then I just have to wait for the call!!!

I'll keep you updated as things continue to progress - things are looking brighter every day!!

Oh so close

So there's a little slow down in getting back on the list. I have to have 1 more test - the dreaded colonoscopy... because I am anemic and blood was found in a guaiac test they have to make sure there is no underlying issue. I had an upper endoscopy done last Friday and I received the results today - remarkable!! Yeah that is what was sent as a result - remarkable. I have never heard results stated like that before, but I have never doubted that I am remarkable!!

I was a little disheartened when on Thursday, my nephrologist said I had to do the colonoscopy. Not because I have to do the test, but because I have to wait to officially be listed until the test is completed, just one more thing I guess.

The good news is that I am not quite to the point of dialysis yet, even though I am only about 10% kidney function, he thinks we can hold off a little longer. Every time I go in, I expect him to say it is time. When it was time to schedule my next appointment, he said 4 weeks then changed it to 6 weeks!! I see that as a good sign. We have scheduled a tour of the dialysis unit though. I did a tour 10 years ago, but we thought it would be a good idea to go through again, and this gives Torre a chance to see what it is like.

I have already decided to do Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) rather than Hemo Dialysis (Hemo). It will give me a little more flexibility since I can do it at home, and dietary restrictions are not what it would be with Hemo.

The plan at this point is to wait until my kidney function is a little less than 5%, this way the transition will be a "little" easier and I will not be to the point of getting really sick and concentration levels will still be a bit in tact.

All in all I feel pretty good and my nephrologist seems to be satisfied with my current condition. I am not retaining water and I have actually gained weight (most people at this point start losing significant weight). I think if we could get my hemoglobin back up to normal levels (currently at 7.4, which if it were at 10 that would be great) I would feel great!!

For now I'll just take it 1 day at a time and see what happens!!!

Things people say...

I have found it hard to be surprised at the things some people say anymore. I had my consult with my transplant center yesterday and there was a gentleman in the room making comments about the care of his wife. It seemed easier for him to complain about the lack of his knowledge rather than taking the time to educate himself.

I try not to pay too much attention to these types of comments, but when the room is quiet and someone is talking in the volume as if they want you to hear them it gets a little hard to ignore it. It seems his primary concern was why did his wife have to do dialysis 3 times a week rather than 2 times a week and why does she have to be on such a stringent diet and why can't she drink too many fluids and on and on and on. He even made the comment that "when the doctor sees me, he turns the other way and runs"

There is no doubt in my mind that with his wife being on dialysis for the better part of a year that the information has been provided, it's just he either did not understand what they were saying, or he was not paying attention. I don't know, maybe he does understand, but just does not like the answer given to him. I am sure that if I was the doctor, and he was talking to me that way I would probably run too!!

I have not always understood the things that the doctors have told me or even liked it, but I have accepted that this is a part of my life whether I like it or not. The one answer that I would like, is why (or how) did this happen to me. Although I do not like the answer, I have accepted that I will probably never know. I really want to know more to help prevent this from happening to my family.

The one thing I can do is educate myself and hopefully be a resource to others for what I am experiencing. I enjoy helping people understand the process of transplantation and volunteer my story to people that are willing to listen. I encourage everyone to get educated, not only about transplantation, but things you want to know about.

It may be easier to complain about not having knowledge than to take the time to educate yourself, but when you take the time to become educated yourself, you will understand it a lot more than if someone were to explain it to you... at least that is the case for me!!

Things to (not) look forward to

The symptoms of Renal Failure (Kidney):

-Fatigue and weakness (from anemia or accumulation of waste products in the body)
-Loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting
-Need to urinate frequently, especially at night
-Swelling of the legs and puffiness around the eyes (fluid retention)
-Itching, easy bruising and pale skin (from anemia)
-Headaches, numbness in the feet or hands, disturbed sleep, altered mental status and restless legs syndrome
-High blood pressure, chest pain
-Shortness of breath from fluid in the lungs
-Bleeding (poor blood clotting)
-Bone pain and fractures
-Decreased sexual interest and erectile dysfunction

With my first transplant, I was really not that well educated as to what would happen, and my transplant came so quickly, I am not sure I even realized what symptoms I had. This time around, a little more educated on the matter I have noticed some of the changes taking place.

At least for me, these are not all of a sudden things that are taking place, but rather gradual symptoms that I sometimes don't even realize until someone asks or I read about it somewhere. For example, fatigue and weakness, there are some days that are better than others, but walking up a flight of stairs I do notice that I am out of breath. High blood pressure, have had somewhat since the first transplant and take medications for it on a daily basis.

I have recently started to notice a little numbness in my hands and feet at different times and headaches more recently, and again did not know they were symptoms until a few days ago. I am fortunate in that I still have an appetite and am not nauseous unless I do not eat.

I am sure as this progresses I will notice more and more, of the symptoms and on a larger scale than what I do now. I am not sure what the trigger point will be for dialysis since there are a variety of factors that go into it. For example, how I am feeling and how I am tolerating how I am feeling; my blood levels etc.

Since I was not on dialysis last time, I am not really sure what it is like, but I have done the research into the different types and the pros and cons of each. I would like to stay off dialysis as long as possible, but just now getting onto the transplant list with the wait just under 2 years, I have come to the realization that it is a matter of time before the Dr. suggests it.

We will see what happens in the time ahead, I have a lot of angels and prayers, (which are always welcome), last time, I was only on the waiting list around 30 days and I subscribe to the thought that things happen for a reason. For now I have a positive attitude and a great support system!!!

I did it!!

So I did it, I started a blog. Really a lot easier than I thought it would be. I have no official agenda, just some place to put down my life experiences.

I have always wanted to write a book, so as a replacement, thought I would blog instead.

A little about me, My name is Marc Summers and I am married with 2 children. My wife's name is Torre and I have a daughter Marin and a son Tucker. I live in Columbus, OH and work in the financial services industry.

This March will be my 10 year anniversary of my kidney transplant. Unfortunately, my transplanted kidney is failing, so I need another one. You can check the story of my first transplant at www.lifelineofohio.org.

That is all for now... the journey has begun!!!