Maribel’s Kidney Story

Well it’s that time again to keep up with this website and the full purpose in sharing my story and life. It just isn’t easy to put in words everything that I’ve been going through. I am trying to practice something different in writing spontaneously and just write with a free flow and stop analyzing to make things so perfect when in actuality that’s not the reality of life anyhow so let’s me just keep it real and start typing away as the spirit is flowing. Good, bad, happy or sad It’s time to outwardly express all that I’ve been blessed to experience in life in a whole new way of thinking and total being. Which has allowed me to truly live in the way God intended, for His purpose which has brought me and my family so much peace and fulfillment. I’ve learned to start practicing new habits to replace with the list of bad ones and little by little the better choice has made things my world an easier place to live in even in my circumstance. Continuous effort really brings significant change but I learned it all takes the first step (even if it’s a baby step) so here it goes. If you have read my last update on my site a lot has been happening. A sudden move and bam a whole new life in a new city set up all in matter of months. Which have been full of new discovery, new steps and a lot changes. With these changes comes more revelation and insight but it is one I have learn is a life journey that I am learning to finally love and appreciate every step of the way. Even though I can say it feels like I’ve been traveling lost in the desert for who knows how long… going in a circle as our ancestors once did I can say I finally can see that I am on a path to the Promised Land. I am so thankful God prepared a new home church for us here that we love and has been everything we could ever want for a home church. I just felt once we found our church it would really substantially help us start building a foundation for our lives here in Sacramento but the seed that has been planted many years continues to flourish and I feel like it is time to harvest and its’ time to start planting seeds.

So with this outwardly expression whatever God is giving me as life it is time to share. I’ve always had this urge to continue to outwardly express the goodness of God and what he is doing in my life. Especially since it’s been food for my soul attending church, studies and fellowship it has been giving me such a light when physically it can feel so dim. I fight that feeling on a daily with the power of God’s word and there is no other way for me to explain how I make each day other than giving it all back to him, Our Father! Our Savior! Being in my weakest hour He is the first I call on and faithfully he always restores! For most of my social networking friends/family you’ve heard about my recent sickness. This is a regular pattern for me to have these spiraling ups and downs but for the past few months I was getting really concerned with the way I was feeling. The symptoms were tough to put my finger on and I even had my nurses puzzled at what exactly was going on. Labs, test, discipline did not help. I guess my biggest frustration was I had to determine with feeling bad or really really bad and it bugs me that it gets to the point of my body shutting down for me to really get a result. I can write a book called, “The juggling life of a dialysis patient”. From managing your potassium, phosphorus, sodium, weight gain, blood pressure, meds, can’t have milk but need lots of protein. Low blood pressure needs to be balanced with sodium, high blood pressure stay away. Half the time I just don’t even want to think about it but I have to. Just the whole thing about putting yourself first can also be so tricky for me when I have a family and all I want to do is put their needs first and the needs of others. So I balance a priority scale to because I just know longer can do all that I want to do so I have to always make spare quick decisions based on what I’m feeling at the time. It’s difficult but after sitting in bed all of last week not being able to do anything was even the hardest. I had to drop everything, PTA scheduled meeting, ministry work, bible studies, Donate Life (I was scheduled to speak for The Legislature to pass a donor education bill too such a bummer). My greatest joy is to serve and when I lose full control to my health it can be very hard. I guess all of those things made me realize yet again to regroup and start looking at this juggling act and figure out WWJD, What Jesus would do and when I think of it this way I can see how important it is for me to just slow my role. Sit at His feet and know and he doesn’t want me all over the place. Take my time and start doing things one step at a time. God is a patient teacher and it is time for me to be a patient student.

With this discipline I have seen how God answered my questions to why my healing has not taken place yet and His purpose for the donation. The reason for my recent sickness was a simple tooth infection that I could not even feel because the infection was taking place in an area that I had a previous root canal so all the nerve endings were dead. Crazy how something so simple could do so much damage to the body. Basically my potassium was soo high I had to take this medicine for 3 days that kept me in the bathroom. Not fun stuff. I knew that my teeth was being affected because of the years on dialysis and all the calcium it took from my teeth but I had no idea the extent of what it can cause. So the dental work began with a wisdom tooth extraction, root canal and it continues on. I had been already fully evaluated at UC Davis and ready to go for transplant and they could have called me any day now. If I would have had the transplant with this slow tooth infection it could have been damaging to the new kidney and my health. Even though I believe that it should have never taken this long for the live donation process I am content in the way it had to enfold. As far as knowing how valuable the time is on the list I was lucky to make recovery but I always think for the one that wouldn’t have the time. To give you an update about me and Christy. Christy finally got the results that she could be a live donor. Unfortunately, a year and half had passed until the results finally came. Anytime within that first year she could have came with no problems because her employer was prepared for the time she was going to take but since than we all know what happened to our economy and her family was affected. Within the same time she got the results that she can donate to me was the same time she started a new job. It has been frustrating to us both and I really felt like I was being robbed yet again and it’s a delay that shouldn’t have happened. I know now it couldn’t happen with my current health conditions and I think about this whole year that I was able to be at the boys school being active as advocate for Donate life. To have the opportunity to speak to senate these are all because of my fight. As they say truly things happen for a reason and I even though we don’t understand while things look like things are going down it’s the usually the hurdle needed to keep you moving in the right direction.

Until it is the time, I know I need to remain steadfast and continue to live in the way God wants me to and even though my answer for complete healing is not fully answered with what we all humanly know is complete flesh/body wholeness. I feel like I am becoming whole through His spirit and because of that I can declare that I am healed! As I always say I’m just waiting for the body to catch up! I was anticipating on what He is doing because He continues to do a new thing in us all everyday. I will now keep up and share this beautiful journey of life what I call, “My Kidney Story”. Most of it is just simple everyday life with the kids and friends. Lately we have been going to so many places advocating as a family, holding blood drives, community carnivals, etc and than there is my participation in the PTA and all the worderful things we are doing for the children and our community. So let me finally get this writing thing going again. I will have more time since my night time dialysis treatments are now 10 hours. So I’m sure I won’t have problem keeping this site updated. Thank you for your continued support, love and prayers!

God Bless!!

CRITICAL NEED IN THE MINORITY COMMUNITY

Minorities represent 50 percent of the more than 93,000 patients currently awaiting transplants, yet they represent only about 25 percent of those donating organs.

The risk of end-stage kidney disease for some minorities (African American, Hispanics, and Native American) is three to four times higher than for the Caucasian population. Blacks and other minorities are hard hit by hypertension, diabetes, and kidney disorders… diseases which lead to organ failure. In fact, of the 45,758 people nationwide waiting for kidneys, 21,697 are African American (35%), 10,282 are Hispanic (17%), and 4,502 are Asian (7%).

Also, African-Americans and Hispanics between the ages of 45 and 65 have twice as much diabetes as do Caucasians in this age group.

Because the minority population continues to grow (they now make up approximately 20% of the US population), the need for minority donation and transplantation can be anticipated to grow as well.

While the number of minorities waiting for a transplant continues to grow, minority organ donations lag behind those of the white population. A breakdown by race in 2004 shows that deceased donations are overwhelmingly from the white population (70%). The black population accounts for 14%; Hispanic, 13%; and Asian, less than 1%.

It’s critical to increase the availability of minority donors, in order to save lives within those communities. Fact is the best matches between donors and recipients often lie between members of the same race. Currently, the lack of minority organ donors decreases the number of well-matched kidneys and pancreases available for minority recipients.

It’s now been over 3 plus years living life with the regular routine of dialysis treatments. I have experience with hemodialysis peritoneal dialysis-manual and night exchanges. The first treatment is provided through a venous catheter for temporary access. Since I needed treatment right away, they didn’t have time to get a permanent vascular access so I could start hemodialysis treatments. They surgically inserted an access port catheter tube into my vein in my chest, Other areas they can do it is the neck, or leg near the groin. The cath has two chambers to allow a two-way flow of blood. Once the catheter was placed it gave me direct access to the machine and a needle insertion was not necessary.

Catheters are not ideal for permanent access. They can clog, become infected, and cause narrowing of the veins in which they are placed. But if you need to start hemodialysis immediately like I did, a catheter will work for several weeks or months while your permanent access develops. So this is why they call it temporary. I had my catheter for the first 9 months. I got used to it being there but I grew accustomed to it and my nephrologists recommended since I had a couple of live donors that I shouldn’t get a permanent access. But after 9 months and a non responsive transplant team and the wait for the evaluation process being 2-4 year I decided for a permanent access. I really wanted to do PD home treatments at that time but didn’t see how I was going to do it with my 2 young boys and having them climbing into our bed each night. I didn’t want to take the risk. I did all my research PD verses hemodialysis. The pros and cons and they both had them.

So I decided to go with Hemodialysis . I was scheduled to form the AV fistula. Basically the surgeon creates an AV fistula by connecting an artery directly to a vein, frequently in the forearm but for me it was placed on my right upper arm. The Connected the artery to the vein so it can cause more blood to flow into the vein. As a result, the vein grows larger and stronger, making repeated needle insertions for hemodialysis treatments easier. For the surgery, I was able to get local anesthetic. The surgery was performed on on an outpatient basis. The recovery is a few weeks. It required 4 months to fully develop and be ready to use. This is because they like to see the fistula properly formed since it is less likely than other kinds of vascular access to form clots or become infected. Also, properly formed fistulas tend to last many years—longer than any other kind of vascular access.
I probably experienced every symptom and effects from dialysis. I’ve had some really scary moments. From cramping in my legs to my stomach. Uncontrollable urges to vomit, swelling in my arms.. Which has broken me down so many times. There were some days I just felt like I couldn’t do it anymore. I did learn a lot during my time on treatments. It was always unpredictable from day to day. A balance and a jugle to maintain everything. I started to have many problems with my fistula which required many different sugeries and procedures, stints and and revisions. I will share a pix soon to show what it looked like it it’s worse state and continued to grow uncontrolably. Living with this deformity also was quite an experience. Not only physically but emotionally it was taking a toll as well.

After 2 years I decided it was time to switch. My fistula access was becoming dangerous for me to have and painful to use. I had to come to another point in my life to make the life treatment decision. I could have had another fistula placed, a graft in correction of the current fistula or Peritoneal Dialysis. I decided the boys were much older now and I knew they could now help me more with keeping up with things. I felt it was worth trying PD home treatments and it ended up being a great decision. So in no time I was training with a PD nurse and on the road to doing PD. I had another surgery to place the catheter. A technique was performed with only local anesthetic. A small cut, below and a little to the side of your navel (belly button), which made a guide for the catheter through a slit into the peritoneal cavity. I had to wait about 4 weeks for the access to fully heal. This break-in period allows the stomach to build up scar tissue that will hold the catheter in place. During this time I started to train almost daily on technique and they stressed the most about being careful because PD is all great but the downside is the worst ever. You can get a nasty infection called peritonitis and trust me I was trained thoroughly and somehow caught it still within my first couple months.

Please visit the following weblinks below and will be in my links page as well for more information on the treatment options available. I wanted you to share a summery of my personal account with dialysis. I also will talk about my day to day and update you on how the treatment is treating me these days in my story category. Please feel free to ask me any questions regarding treatment options and it would be great if you ask on the comments below so everyone can learn from your question. This helps write this page more…

Thanks!

Kidney Options

Life Options

Wellbound

Davita

I’m finally back and running this website with full force. You are probably wondering what has been going on with this website. Why I haven’t been writing for the past couples months? Well after 3 years of sharing my story I lost all my work with a recent move. Even though it was devastating at first I became content and realized everything is restorable. I actually saved a lot of my work. Even though most of it is gone and the sad part is the postings from those who wrote comments on my website are now all gone. It taught now to have a back up to the back up, Always! So I have a lot ahead of me but nothing impossible for me to do. I will restore this website as much as my own life is being restored you will see how it is not hard to pick up where you left off. Determine what the mistakes are and move forward making better decisions. I’m actually really excited because this story of mine continues to change and develop during the course of time from one outlook to another. There is so much to share alot has happened in the past couple months. There have been some major changed which included the recent move to Sacramento and all these little events that have lead up to being where we are today. I have plenty to share so you will see I will not have much to ever run out of.

When I started this website a couple years ago I had all the right intentions in sharing my story in the best positive light. I wanted to share all the healing scriptures, motivation and great days I was having. I had to come to a place of realization that my biggest blessing was also going to be my biggest challenge. Not only was I going to share a message given to me but I was going to share this while I was going through hemodialysis 3 times a week being poked with the biggest needles anyone could ever bare, ever changing unpredictable events and I wanted to stay commited in going through all this with a smile on my face. So okay I learned to fake it pretty good. But that very practice is why I am here today. I’m telling you I would try with every possible way.. I would bring my bible to dialysis and the minute the machine would turn on the words in the bible would suddenly jumble, I would pray but the pain would be so unbearable that I could only tell you if faith was really there. The only thing I do know was there was something in me that kept trying despite of it all. Each day I had to ask myself how I was even going to be able to receive this life message with all the distractions and pain my physical body can bring. I couldn’t even make sense of it. Nothing natural made sense. I can say that I’ve been fighting hard and was determined to act in faith until the faith came and guess what eventually it has and it has in a mighty way!

I chose to speak life despite of it all. It did take a few setbacks; I am here to account that as my health had to take few hits and for a minute my faith was in jeopardy and old coping habits resurfaced. Anger, resentment, frustration started to plague me like a deadly disease and my body responded. As my body was adjusting to the routine of dialysis and always doing a balancing act with food and water intake my spiritual life was following this same pattern. At first I won’t lie this did not come easy for a stubborn person like myself. As I will share in this website through my testimony I had to learn things the hard way and little did I know I still had hard lessons to be learned. Most of you know my story, I’ve shared it openly, I put myself out there and I never knew why I was doing this. This wasn’t even really my personality. I was quite for the most part, reserved and kept to my own business. I always wanted to be bias and fair and I came to find this was not a weakness but became one of my greatest strength and ability.

Moving to Sacramento was all in faith. There really was no reason other than the door opened and we followed. Unsure what we were coming here for at the time it just felt right and it basically we moved in within a couple of months. It was sudden and most people just don’t upchuck and leave. For me and my family we already knew nothing was ordinary anyhow to begin with.. I realized my comfort can only be where God will lead me. I can’t say it has been all good because there is a natural for us to feel the change and the transition wasn’t all that smooth but we pushed through went through the motions just like any other family would. We have no special exceptions but we have learned to seize the opportunity and make the best wherever we are called to be. As a family we all had to do this and spiritually we had no choice but to lift it up all to God. I could only share so much in words what is happening but this change has brought so much new insight to our lives and a family as a whole. There is just so much that are eyes can see and I’m willing to open my eyes.. Things are much clearer these days and the balancing act is pretty stable. I know I am able to sustain this by keeping active and going out in the world to live life. Keeping this desire in my heart to seek the daily nourishment that is needed. Digesting only life and leaving anything that breaths death at a distance.

I will be working on this probably for the next couple days/weeks but however long it takes I am inviting you back to share in this endeavor and journey. Continue by reading my vision and my purpose so you can understand what lead me in creating this whole website and give you a little background of what I am envisioning for this site. In the meantime thanks for coming by. Feel free to check in and see what changes I’m making. I’m happy to be back up and running and ready for take off!

God’s Love Always!

An Act of Redemption
God, the Creator, suffers at the condition of His handiwork. The world as we see it today hardly resembles the perfect creation that God spoke into existence. Crime, hunger, death and disease were not present at creation, but due to man’s fall in the garden, adversity has found a home in every human soul.

God the creator incites all those who would be His to suffer with Him. We are compelled to bear our burdens with the purifying hope that suffering will not have the last word. Event the most timid Christian must stand on the promise that ultimate and unconditional triumph awaits those that love the Lord. Our faith must fasten on the fact that no matter how severe the suffering. God will redeem the situation and utilize it for our good.

Since suffering is inevitable for both God and man, God has created a redeeming value for suffering. The goodness of God will allow something positive to come out of a negative situation. God’s greatest demonstration of this redemptive process is realized in His son. The death of Jesus Christ resulted in the redemption of the world. His finished work at Calvary restored the broken fellowship between God and His most precious creation, man. God had rescued creation and mankind from hopelessness with His redeeming love. Christ suffered the loss of His life, but it became the seed of the world’s hope and joy.

Sooner or later suffering and sorrow comes to every home. No conditions of wealth, culture or even religion can prevent it. But the losses and griefs of life have been intended to leave behind an abundance of character and blessings that will make eternity richer. In a Christian home sorrow should always leave a benediction. It should be received as God’s messenger, and when it is, it will always leave a blessing.

Some treasures must be mined. They have to be discovered, realized. Blessings are often shrouded behind the veil of overwhelming grief. There are some tough places in this world, but nothing compares to the Intensive Care Unit waiting room where high levels of emotion and active grief can barricade any offer of redemption. Unfortunately, the only time requestors can approach a family about organ and tissue donation is in the midst of their grief and sorrow. Many people can only see grief as an enemy to whom they will refuse to be reconciled. They feel that they can never be comforted. For many families who consent to organ donation, it is a way of redeeming the loss of a loved one. In a situation where you feel victimized, the decision to donate gives the family a felling of being in control. It gives life to others. Organ donation has helped families deal with their grief by bringing something positive out of a seemingly negative situation.

Not everyone dies in a way that allows vital organ donation. In fact, only 1 percent of people who die can be vital organ donors. Vital organ donors must be “brain dead” (a legal definition of death) and their organs mechanically sustained by a ventilator. If the decision ever becomes ours to consent for vital organ donation, we should consider why God has allowed such an opportunity.

The sweetest songs that have ever been sung have come out of fire. Sorrows should not be wasted. We should yield our rebellion, accept our suffering and discover if it has some mission to perform, some gift to give, some golden fruit to enjoy, some redeeming value.

A Sweet Fragrance in the House
In Mark, Chapter 14, we have the marvelous account of a woman breaking an expensive alabaster vase filled with spikenard, a priceless perfumed oil, and anointing Jesus will all of it. Her extravagance was criticized by Judas Iscariot and others in the house. But our Lord praised the sacrificial giving of this woman and declared her deed a memorial. Suppose she had left the expensive oil in the unbroken vase? Would there have been any mention of it? Would her deed of careful keeping and self-preservation been told all over the world? She broke the vase, poured its contents forth, lost is, sacrificed it, and now perfumed incense has drifted into every home where this message has been heard. We may keep our life if we will, carefully preserving it from waste, but we shall have no reward. However, if we empty it out in loving service, we shall make it a lasting blessing to the world, and it shall be well spoken of forever.

By donating organs we unselfishly pour out the fragrant gift of life upon those awaiting a second chance at life through transplantation. The sweet fragrance of sacrificial giving will flow into the homes of transplant recipients whose lives were saved and/or improved through he gift of life.

The donation of organs should not only be regarded as a medical or a secular good deed but also as a religious, sacramental extension of Christ’s own life-giving sacrifice. Organ sharing is consistent with the beliefs of all major religions and is viewed as an act of charity, fraternal love and self-sacrifice.

In the St. Louis area, over a 22-month period, 55 percent of African American families approached to give consent for organ/tissue donation said yes. This percentage is significantly higher than the national average because of education and donor awareness programs in our city. Through this unselfish giving, the sweet fragrance of life is enjoyed by transplant recipients, their families and friends.

The cross of Christ is not only substitutionary, but it is also representative. His life of humility and unselfishness should become a prototype for those who bear His name as Christians. We should follow His example by giving the gift of life as that others may live life more abundantly.

The Liberating Truth
Unfamiliarity with the truth concerning the donor process will hinder the decision to choose life in the face of death. Misconceptions, myths and mistrust of the medical community will eclipse our perspectives and leave us fearful and ignorant of the facts. God tells us that His people perish because of the lack of knowledge. People are indeed perishing, particularly African Americans. A recent survey revealed that only a small percentage of ethnic groups are willing to donate their organs after death compared to 47 percent of Caucasians. Another truth is that other ethnic groups have an unidentified biological susceptibility to hypertension and diabetes, the major cause of kidney failure. Consequently, ethnic groups are 17 times more likely to develop kidney failure than Caucasians.

The misconception, “I need all my organs intact in order to get into heaven,” is totally nonscriptural. We are informed by the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 15:50 that, “…flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” In eternity we will not have or need our earthly bodies. Old things will pass away and all things will be made new.

There is also some mistrust of the medical community. The myths that one could be declared dead prematurely just to gain organs or that you won’t receive top medical care if you have signed a donor card are flights from reality. The fact is that no one becomes a donor until all life-saving measures have been exhausted. An open casket funeral is possible with any type of donation. There is no cost to the family for organ and tissue donation. If we would seek the truth about organ donation, the truth will liberate us not only to accept, but to give the gift of life. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)

Through Christ’s spirit we are all baptized into one body whether we be Jew or Gentile. In sharing one body, we cannot isolate ourselves from the hurts of humanity. We are called upon to “bear ye one another’s burdens.” While we can’t save the world, we can sign up to become organ and tissue donors. To become a vital organ donor is to give life to as many as eight recipients. A tissue donor can help as many as 50 people.

Should you decide to give the gift of life, discuss it with your family and friends, let them know your wishes. Death, especially your own, is not something that we love to talk about, but in the last 2000 years no one has been able to escape it.

Death need not be the final comment of our lives. Instead of one stone marker at the head of our grave, there could be living memorials, real people with real families whose lives have been put back together the gift of life. This is Christianity at its best: sharing one’s own life for the purpose of helping someone else.

God, the creator of this world, has placed us as stewards of His creation. Being stewards, we cannot ignore the imperative to heal found in Matthew 10:8, “Heal the sick…freely ye have received, freely give.”

Give the gift of life; it’s the chance of a lifetime.

I was 22 years old when they discovered that I had problems with my kidneys.I was pregnant in my first trimester when I started to have preaclamtic symptoms which
was unusual for someone to have twice this being my second pregnancy. They
discovered that my right kidney was smaller than the left. They wouldn’t be able to
do any type of testing until I gave birth. The duration of my pregnancy seemed
pretty normal. My pregnancy was high risk and I decided to stop working but I
continued my last trimester of school. I was being closely monitored and everything
seemed to be going good. I graduated with my AAS degree in Computer Software
Applications in the beginning of July 2001. I had planned to really take it easy for
the last trimester of my pregnancy.

A week after my graduation I had went to a normal follow up appointment, come to find that my creatinine levels and blood pressure were real high and it was dangerous for the pregnancy and I was immediately hospitalized. After almost 2 weeks on bed rest my creatinine levels worsened and they made the decision for me to induce labor. I delivered emergency c-section, to my youngest Marquez Anthony at 30 weeks gestation, 2 months early weighing at 2 pounds and 13 ounces. My kidney function immediately became better. At the time my main focus was my miracle baby. It was very hard to your baby so tiny fighting for there life. With many prayers and full faith he did real well and was able to come home after a little over a month.

For the next couple years I was overseen by a kidney specialist, nephrologists . They tried to do several test but it was challenging having one kidney smaller than the other. They didn’t want to do biopsy on the good kidney with the chances of damaging the good kidney and they wouldn’t get a good biopsy on the bad kidney. They weren’t able to pin point what was going on with my kidneys. It seemed that my creatinine levels & blood pressure was good. So I continued to live a pretty normal life.I worked full time and was managing a household and raising a family. The nephrologists and doctors continued to oversee me periodically and thought I was in great health. I watched just about everything I ate and started to make lifestyle changes. They never talked about dialysis or even the chances of my kidneys totally failing. So that was something I just didn’t even think of or could ever imagine happening to me.

Than in 2004 at the age of 24 years I started to get kidney infections which put me
in the hospital several times. They noticed my good kidney started to loose its
function. This became a pattern.. Getting hospitalized with a kidney infection
abnormal labs with high creatinine levels.. Get treated.. and my health stabilized.
This went on for the whole year… It was a very hard year. It put a lot a stress on me and my family and especially my husband who ended would have to work, manage the household and tend to a wife in the hospital. He had to rush me into the
hospital a total of 5 times just in a year.. Each time being hospitalized 3 days to up to
a week. These were the hardest times especially with 2 young sons. It was hard for
them just to see me getting hospitalized over and over again. A lot of
uncertainty and I had once again came to point in my life where I was face to face
with my life and spirituality. I chose to fight and not let the sickness take
over. I know this was what prolonged my kidney function.

In February 2005 we moved to Fairfield into a house. It seemed like a whole
new beginning… a fresh start. We were moving into a bigger space and I was going to
only be minutes away from work. During the move I started to get sick. I went to see
my doctors and they noticed my blood pressure was real high so I was put on blood
pressure medicines. I still continued to feel sick and this became a day to day
struggle. I would go back and forth to my nephrologists and doctors and they
continued to tell me it may be the side effects of the medicines or all these other
things but not my kidneys. My labs would come back normal. I didn’t know if it was
from the stress of moving and getting settled into a new place, managing family life
with work.. I thought of everything but my kidneys failing. Still something at this point I didn’t think about.

Than just a little over a month.. I woke up and I had pain all throughout my lower
back. I called the an advice nurse and they told me to take Tylenol and to see if that
would help. I remembered that weekend I just continued to do as normal.. I went to
family parties… went to work… But the pain just started to get worse and I
remember talking to a coworker and he mentioned that I should really go to the
doctors.. So I called in for an appointment and insisted to be seen. When my doctor
examined me. He started to tell me in could be some type of syndrome.
Even as I mentioned my kidney history they gave me other diagnosis. He prescribed pain meds, gave me a lab slip and sent me home. That same day my sister came down for my uncles wedding. I remember that night.. It was what would be considered my last night of normalcy. We went out for take out, went to a couple of stores came home and watched a movie.

The next morning I received a phone call.. It was my doctor.. We all heard the
message off the answering machine saying that I needed to go to the emergency right
away. He told me my labs shown that my kidneys were shutting down. My
creatinine was at 8.5, my red blood count & hemoglobin count was dangerously low
and I would need a blood transfusion right away. I just remember that day so
clearly. I couldn’t believe what was happening… I just knew that my life was going to
forever change from that moment on…

I wanted to share some amazing healing and intercessory verses. These are words that has helped me each day. This spiritual word is as effective as any prescribed medicine. I can tell you while I await for God’s miracle I stand firm on these words. I trust God is working in my life and as long as I stand on these promises I know I am headin right into God’s plan. If you have any present ailments please meditate on any of these following verses. Speak to God through prayer and ask Him to give you His insights to how these words speak to you. Proclaim them and stand in victory as this penatrates your soul so strong that your spirit will take over your body and soon the health and restoration will follow.

I will continue to add more as I run into scriptures:

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. ~1 John 5:14-15

“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?” ~Jeremiah 32

Bless the LORD, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word. Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His pleasure.” Do you want to put the angels of God to work in your behalf? Then begin to boldly proclaim the Word of God in prayer. It activates the heavenly hosts to minister effectively in the situations that concern you. ~Psalm 103:20-21

Jesus said: “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” ~Luke 10:19

Jesus said: “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” ~Matthew 18:18

“But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” ~2 Corinthians 4:3-4

“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” ~Mark 11:23-24

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses.” ~Ezekiel 36:26-29

“My, son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not
let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they
are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.” ~Proverbs 4:20-22

Combination of Scriptures:
“I will live and not die, and I will declare the works of the Lord” (Psalm 118:17
4:20-22)

“He sends forth His Word and heals them and rescues them from the pit and
destruction” (Psalm 107:20)

“Who is own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead
to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed”
(1 Peter 2:24)

From the Book God’s Creative Power for Healing:

To be spoken by mouth three times a d day until faith comes, then once a day
to maintain faith. If circumstances grow worse, double the dosage there are
no harmful side effects.

~Jesus is the Lord of my life. Sickness and disease have no power over me. I
am forgiven and free from SIN AND GUILT. I am dead to sin and alive unto
righteousness. (Col. 1:21,22)

~I am FREE from forgiveness and strife. I forgive others as Christ has forgiven
me, for the love of God is shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Ghost. (Matt.
6.12; Rom. 5.5)

~Jesus bore my sins in HIS Body on the tree; therefore I am dead to sin and
alive unto God and by His stripes I am healed and made whole. (1 Pet. 2:24;
Rom. 6:11, 2 Cor.5:21)

Please add your favorites in the comment box.

RELIGIOUS VIEWS

A common question that arises when people are asked to donate their organs and tissues or those of their loved ones is: “Is my decision compatible with my religious beliefs?”

A recent Gallup poll found that less than 10 percent were aware that their religion has laws and doctrines governing organ and tissue donation.

Though answers may vary from one denomination to another, research has found that a majority of religions do support organ donation. The following link provides these findings:

The day will come when my body will lie upon a white sheet neatly tucked under four corners of a mattress located in a hospital busily occupied with the living and the dying.

At a certain moment a doctor will determine that my brain has ceased to function and that, for all intents and purposes, my life has stopped.

When that happens, do not attempt to instill artificial life into my body by the use of a machine. And don’t call this my deathbed. Let it be called the Bed of Life, and let my body be taken from it to help others lead fuller lives.

Give my sight to a man who has never seen a sunrise, a baby’s face or love in the eyes of a woman.

Give my heart to a person whose own heart has pain.

Give my blood to the teen-ager who was pulled from the wreckage of his car, so that he might live to see his grandchildren play.

Give my kidneys to one who depends on a machine to exist from week to week.

Take my bones, every muscle, every fiber and nerve in my body and find a way to make a crippled child walk.

Explore every corner of my brain.

Take my cells, if necessary, and let them grow so that, someday, a speechless boy will shout at the crack of a bat and a deaf girl will hear the sound of rain against her windows.

Burn what is left of me and scatter the ashes to the winds to help the flowers grow.

If you must bury something, let it be my faults, my weaknesses and all my prejudice against my fellow man.

Give my sins to the devil. Give my soul to God. If, by chance, you wish to remember me, do it with a kind deed or word to someone who needs you.

If you do all I have asked, I will live forever.