The Day After Surgery

Good evening family and friends,

A passage from Uncle Mike in Cape Town to start off this post:

"Hubert Humphrey said, 'The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love' and there is plenty of that around both Sue and Wenche." This couldn't be more true!

I still can't get over that my mother-in-law was sitting up in her bed today chatting on her cell phone (almost all day long!) to all her friends, and asking me about my day, and going on a short walk in the hospital hallway. Bron took a short walk with Wenche in the hallway today as well. She was experiencing a lot of nausea. She was being examined by her nurse when I arrived at 5:30pm, and was fast asleep when we left the hospital at 7:00pm. Sue had a chat with her family today in Cape Town to get them all up to speed on Wenche's and her progress and was very sleepy when we left tonight. Desia came stopped by for a visit today and Cath Fry as well.

We continue to wish them well on their journey and look forward to what tomorrow brings :-)

Until then,
Bron & Kathryn

Kidney donation and transplant: Success!

Good evening all,

Sorry to keep you all waiting for the good news of the day! 

Wenche's surgery kicked off at 7:45am this morning. It took a bit longer than the 3-4 hours that the doctor had suggested it might take, but she was back in recovery by 2:00pm. Sue went into surgery at around noon or 1:00pm and was back in recovery by 5:30pm. So all in all everything went very much according to plan. Paul stayed at the hospital all day and Bron arrived after work at 4:30pm. Bron first saw Wenche, who was in good spirits and talking. Sue's eyes lit up when she awoke and saw Bron. When I arrived both girls were in great spirits as well (already asking questions and cracking jokes, I was surprised to see!) and Bron was feeding Sue ice chips (of which she wanted lots and lots, although she needs to keep liquids to a minimum.)

They are going to try and get Wenche walking tomorrow; she already wants to go home, which the doctors are happy to hear. We all left the hospital at around 8:00pm this evening (Paul, Bron, Desia, Greg and I) and we left the girls to rest with their new plush lambs that Desia brought them. Sue named hers "Hope." Sue is in the ICU on the kidney floor and Wenche is three doors down from her. The girls should be able to see and speak to each other and hang out and watch TV sooner than we know.  

Thanks again to everyone for their good wishes and phone calls and texts. Sue and Wenche's good friend Trudy Sturton sent along the following:

"I got up bright and early at 5am this morning with thoughts of the importance of the day ahead. Sue and Wenche, I will think of you often during the day, also Paul, your families and the many friends who will be following this blog. What a glorious gift Wenche and what a glorious celebration of friendship. Kathryn this is a great way of keeping us informed. Thanks."

Please leave your comments as always. The girls will love to read them!

Room Update

Wenche now has a bed! She is sharing with three elderly roommates, just five doors down from Sue.

Admission Day

Good evening everyone,

Bright and early this morning at 9am Bron and I escorted Sue, Wenche and Paul to St. Michael's Hospital well in advance of their 10am prescribed arrival time. Only to have to wait around for several more hours. Sue was admitted mid-morning but poor Wenche was told there was not a bed for her just yet. (I have yet to find out if she has a bed to sleep in at St. Michael's tonight! Will update on this when I know..) Either way, both surgeries are still scheduled to happen tomorrow, now in the afternoon. 

Sue got all set up in her room late this morning; sharing a room with a young man (much to her pleasure) with a window seat (bed) to boot. She then went through a variety of procedures and exams with her nurse, and she and Wenche later had tandem chest X-rays. Sue and Wenche chatted with a doctor to go over some basics just before I left them at the hospital (with Paul and Bron) at 4:30pm. I am looking forward to another update from Bron when he arrives home this evening, and certainly lots of exciting news tomorrow!

Sue wanted me to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their uplifting phone calls, texts, e-mails and cards that she and Wenche and Paul have been receiving over the past several days - they start their journey buoyed and uplifted by the good karma. Thank you all!

We welcome everyone to add their comments to the blog, and if you have any questions please e-mail me directly or ask in the comments section if you are unsure how the blog works. 

Thanks for following and stay tuned for more updates tonight/tomorrow. Take care everyone.

Happy Campers at the hospital this afternoon (Sue, Paul, Wenche, Bron)

Words of encouragement

Good morning everyone,

A friend and co-worker of Sue's sent along the following this morning:

When the world say says, "Give up," Hope whispers, "Try it one more time." 
--Author unknown

Let these be words of encouragement to us all. If you'd like to pass along any personal words of encouragement for Sue or Wenche, please feel free to comment below.

I hope you are all having a wonderful day.

And so it begins!

Good morning family, friends and followers,

We have created this blog to keep you updated on Sue and Wenche as they embark on their kidney transplantation journey. We hope our updates will answer all of your questions about their daily progress. To follow us most easily, please sign up for e-mailed updates from this blog sent directly to your inbox.

Come along with us for the ride as Sue and Wenche face the journey of a lifetime!

A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world.  --Leo Buscaglia