My Dad's Kidney Failure

About 20 years ago, my father was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease. His kidney's started shutting down when my little brother Nathan was just a baby. Miraculously, his kidney's started back up again and things were back to normal. Then six years ago, his kidney's shut down completely. His symptoms were different than the last time and we almost didn't catch it in time. My uncle Steve saved my Dad's life that night and we were able to get him to the hospital just in time. Through many hard and long months, my Dad was able to find a donor. My other uncle, Lynn, offered his kidney to my Dad, to which we are eternally grateful.

Just this past October, my Dad starting showing signs of kidney failure again, and we took him in to confirm. After more tests, we were told some horrifying news. My father's disease will be there all his life, it will keep attacking the kidneys causing them to fail time and time again, no matter how many transplants he has. What we don't know is how long each new kidney will give him before the disease took over. The first kidney he received gave him five more years, the next one....it could be anywhere from a few months to as long as 15 (which is how long regular kidney transplants last). It was devastating news to know that a transplant was only a temporary fix and he will need more in the future. However, we pushed forward with faith that everything will be ok.

My Dad was transported up to Utah Valley Medical Center in Provo. He was kept there for almost two weeks. My Mom traveled up to be with him, having to juggle the four kids at home and her new job as the Elementary School Librarian. I took off a week and a half of my school to help out with the kids and take there where they needed to be. My Dad had to have many test ran and surgeries. All during which, he was hooked up to dialysis. With two major surgeries in just three days, his body took a toll and it was really hard on him.

Finally, after those two weeks, of constant watching day and night, my Dad was released to go home. My Dad was the most awake he had been through the whole process, when he heard these words. And my Mother was ecstatic. However,  he had to come up 3-4 times a week for his 5 hour session of dialysis.

This continued, the diving up for dialysis, until December 17th. My Dad was able to have the surgery that would allow him to do Peritoneal Dialysis. This meant that he could do his dialysis at home, every 3-4 hours for 30 minutes each time. Below is the picture of his doctors, taking out the tube to his main artery. 

Despite, the hardship of having to go through this trial again, we have been so very blessed from loving family members, ward members, and our friends. We want to thank each and every one of you for all the love and support we have received. I want to thank the thoughtful high school students who raised $600 for my Dad. I want to thank the secret santa's who gave my family so much and made our Christmas that much more special. And I especially want to thank our family members and friends, who have been so self-less, to go and get tested to see if they are a match for my Dad. Words cannot explain the love and gratitude we feel for each and everyone of you. We are still waiting to see if anyone is a match. But I will update when we know for sure! Thanks again.