Jinxed

So last night, the Intern making rounds said Shirley's last chest tube would be pulled today.  The last major obstacle between Shirley and the door out of UW Medical Center.  We were excited to hear this and both Shirley and I posted Facebook messages about this exciting news.

Overnight, Shirley's drainage increased and she tipped over the maximum daily limit. Hence no tube removal today.  That will teach us to announce news too soon! So the wait will now likely continue through the weekend.

Shirley just finished walking 1.3 miles without stopping.  Up and back down the halls of 5NE.  It is interesting seeing and chatting briefly with the others on this floor--32 total rooms, all Cardio-Thorasic patients:  open heart surgeries, heart transplants, lung transplants, and several people waiting for transplants.  There are a couple of young people (like in their 20s or early 30s) on pumps that will be in the hospital until they get a transplant.

Let me pause on that thought to ask everyone reading this to please, please, please register as a donor. AND talk to your family to make sure your wishes are known.  We are so grateful to the family of Shirley's donor that they were able to see through their grief and make such a live-changing decision for Shirley and the recipients of the other organs and tissues.

Our friends Ted and Jenni sent us a link that I want to share.  They live in Vermont and Jenni received a kidney transplant several years ago. The Vermont chapter of Donate Life produced a video that really hit home for me as I watch Shirley recover and these others wait for a transplant. There is a section of the video where Jenni is shown with the woman who donated one of her kidneys.  The didn't even know each other before the transplant, which I think is amazing.

I also wanted to give a shout out to my friend Debbie, who came by to visit yesterday with her boyfriend Chris.  Chris and Deb are on my walking team and two years ago Debbie donated one of her kidneys to a co-worker.

If Debbie and Jenni's donor can endure major surgery to share a kidney, shouldn't we all be able to sign a form to say we'll donate after we are finished needing our organs and tissues?  Please consider doing this today.  Here is the link:  DonateLife.net