“The Call”!

Big news: My friend and co-author, Betsy Crais, just got “the call” she’s been waiting for ever since her first (live-donor) transplanted kidney failed more than a year ago–after 15+ years. She is now the proud and very grateful recipient of a healthy kidney and a liver from a deceased donor. She is recuperating well.

Just the week before, she and her husband were en route to the beach, nearing the end of a 3-hour drive from home, when she also got the call. They excitedly turned the car around and headed back, arriving at the hospital a few hours later. She knew there was a chance she might not get those organs, because she was cautioned that she was an alternate in case the primary candidate wasn’t an acceptable match. The main candidate was fortunate that day, and Betsy went home empty handed, so to speak.

Still, it was very encouraging to get that close, after fearing that a second transplant could be years away for her. Thankfully, this time Betsy was the primary candidate and was a good match.

Recovery will take time, but Betsy always has her eyes on the prize, and she’s mainly thinking about getting stronger, leaving dialysis behind, and enjoying an infinitely better quality of life. She’s also looking forward to finally taking that beach trip or a mountain getaway this summer. In the meantime, she’s “coming along slowly but surely.”

And I sincerely hope that the grieving donor family somehow knows, as I do, that Betsy will take excellent care of their loved one’s precious organs.