The Gift Of Life

Eight months ago I began testing to see if I would be a compatible donor to give my daughter a kidney. At thirty-eight, her kidneys finally gave in to a disease called FSGS (Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis Syndrome). How this happened to her is a mystery, but it showed up eleven years ago during pregnancy and continued its relentless attack until her kidneys were finally dead. As it turned out, I was a perfect match and on December 2, 2015, I gave a kidney to my daughter.

The kidney I donated has truly given her a new life. The organ began to work as soon as the surgeon unclamped the arteries he used to attach the kidney to my daughters body. After a couple of weeks, her numbers (they measure several through the blood) look like the numbers of a person with two healthy kidneys.

The interesting thing is that a kidney recipient goes into the surgery feeling bad, and comes out feeling better. The donor, however, goes into the surgery feeling good, and comes out feeling bad. Fortunately for me, and all other live kidney donors the bad feelings only last for a while.

This process caused me to think about what Christ did for us. I imagined a conversation with the Father. “Son, the world has been attacked and they are dying. The good news is that your blood is compatible. You can offer people a chance at new life. I know that right now, you feel fine. For this to work, you will need to feel bad for a while. In fact you will need to suffer and die. Don’t worry, I will raise you up and from that point you will feel better, and you can come home. I know this is asking a lot from you, but without your sacrifice, people will continue to die in sin. Are you willing to give people life?”

Amazingly, Jesus was willing to go through the process to give himself so that we may live. He had to give up a lot to become a man, suffer at the hands of his accusers, die, and be raised up on the third day. But the results were worth the sacrifice. The offer of life to those who accept it was worth everything to him.

While my sacrifice was nothing in comparison with the sacrifice that Christ made, I get a small glimpse of the love he had in giving himself. By suffering for a little while, I gave my daughter new life. That makes the sacrifice worth every bit of my temporary suffering.

The practice of live kidney donation has grown in recent years. The kidney is removed from the donor as a fresh and viable organ, and very shortly is placed inside of the recipient, changing their life almost instantly. As a compatible donor, there was never a question of whether or not I would give a piece of myself to my daughter.

I could not end this piece without challenging you to be willing to give a life-giving donation if you are called to do so. Sure, you will feel bad for a while, but in the end you will feel better than ever as you watch the organ you gave completely change the life of the recipient. In the end, you too will gain a glimpse of why Jesus was willing to go to the cross.

To read my daughter’s story follow the link: https://www.youcaring.com/the-taylor-family-465217#YouCaringGives

Here we go again!

"Here we go again!" Have you ever felt this way? It is almost like a car, when the water pump breaks, it is like a guarantee that the alternator is going to go out next. Or, when one part of your body fails, you know that another  part will follow. Let me give an even better example (a personal  one).

My back was injured at a young age, so I walked with a limp for many years. It got to the point where I needed back surgery. So, we did that, twice. When the back problems were solved, tremendous knee pain began. Turns out, during the period where I limped, my right knee was destroyed. A knee replacement was the only way to solve the problem. When that was solved, (I am sure you can figure this one out) my left knee, which had been supporting most of my weight throughout my life, began to hurt. Now, I am poised for my second knee (Next week in fact|).

The human body has a tremendous capacity to heal itself, but when joints are worn, that is a different story. Fortunately, the body will envelop the cold cobalt metal, and heal itself, leaving only a scar of what once was an issue.

Those of us with disabilities can either look at the deterioration, or the restoration. We can wait for the next part to fall apart, or we can relish in the healing process and the periods in between the problems.  The recovery period for a knee replacement is longer that we would like, but while we are focusing on the pain and the limitations, our body is hard at work adapting to the new reality.

Perhaps we can learn from our own DNA. It does not get depressed over what may come next. It just spits, and reproduces itself, until everything that can be restored, is restored. DNA does not sit around waiting for something else to go wrong. Your body goes back to doing what it normally does, replacing skin cells, cleaning the blood stream of bad things, providing oxygen to the brain, things like that.

The truth is, we need the help of others to remind us to be like DNA. Things will repair as well as possible, and we will have a new reality. The reason we need the help of others is that looking at the present is easy. Dwelling on the past doesn't help our present either. But, when we are carving out our own rut, we can see where we are, and where we have been, but we can't see where we are going. That is where others come in. They can see the future a lot better than the person in the rut can. They are on the surface and can see in all directions. They have the ability to lift you out of the rut and help set you on a new course.

So, here is a request. Remind me of what I just said over the next few months. Be my friend and help me be like my own DNA. Respond to this blog, email me. Google me, FaceBook me, talk to me on Linkedin, and remind me that it is going to get better. I need to focus on the healing process and look forward with anticipation to a new reality. Help me see it when I am down.