Maribel's Kidney Story http://maribelskidneystory.com/home "A Life Saving Journey" Thu, 29 Apr 2010 01:29:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 SB 1395 – Alquist Altruistic Living Donor Registry http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/04/28/sb-1395-alquist-altruistic-living-donor-registry/ http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/04/28/sb-1395-alquist-altruistic-living-donor-registry/#comments Wed, 28 Apr 2010 17:15:15 +0000 Maribel http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/?p=260 Last Tuesday, April 20th I got to experience Lobby Day for the first time at the state capital building with Donate Life – Golden State Donor Services. It was a great day met several senators to encourage their support for SB 1395 – Alquist Altruistic Living Donor Registry  which was presented to legislature on Wednesday, April 21 and passed! The Summary provided by Donate Life states:

The intent of this bill is to increase altruistic living kidney donation by amending existing law to authorize the creation of an Altruistic Living Donor Registry for the State of California. This bill will also increase deceased organ donation by strengthening the partnership between Donate Life California and the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Conceptually, the Altruistic Living Donor Registry will capture the intent of potential altruistic donors among California residents, provide reliable and accurate information about living donation, and facilitate the process of evaluation at a transplant center.

Thanks to our partnership with the DMV, 6.4 million Californians have enrolled in the Donate Life California Registry. However, this number is equivalent to only 23% of licensed drivers.

The current DMV form has a ‘Yes’ checkbox only; so if the box is not checked, DMV clerks are not authorized to ask if the customer meant to leave the question unanswered.

I also sat through & supported extended medical bill for anti-rejection medicine coverage. This was a great experience & blessed to be apart promoting the quality of care and organ donation for patients like me!  It was neat to see the process of a bill being presented into legislature and to be able to  testify on its behalf. I broke the rules and said more than I should have but needed to explain that I was 8 week post transplant right there is a miracle for me to be up there. This shows how Organ Donation saves lives!

This bill is definitely near and dear to my heart since one altruistic live donor started my chain of 8 that ultimately gave me my gift of life. This bill would create more of an awareness to the choices for organ donation. My participation in these 2 bills  with donate life – GSDS definitely meant a lot to me since it has a personal effect on my life! This  only gives me a vision in what God’s cotinued purpose for my life!

Press surrounding these two bills:

www.huffingtonpost.com
When a generous stranger decides to donate a kidney to save a life, their decision is often met with skepticism from medical staff. This was the case when a young woman who barely knew David Jacobs volunteered to give her kidney to save him.
SB 1395 presentation with Apple’s Steve Jobs backed by Governor Arnold Scwarzeneggar on March 19:

www.aroundthecapitol.com

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST AB 998, as introduced, John A. Perez. Medi-Cal: organ transplants:anti-rejection medication. Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, administered by theState Department ..

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]]> http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/04/28/sb-1395-alquist-altruistic-living-donor-registry/feed/ 0 Donor Reunion Slideshow http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/04/19/donor-reunion-slideshow/ http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/04/19/donor-reunion-slideshow/#comments Mon, 19 Apr 2010 23:32:33 +0000 Maribel http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/?p=224 Donor Reunion at UC Davis March 31, 2010

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]]> http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/04/19/donor-reunion-slideshow/feed/ 0 Donor Reunion at UC Davis http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/03/31/donor-reunion-at-uc-davis/ http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/03/31/donor-reunion-at-uc-davis/#comments Wed, 31 Mar 2010 23:23:49 +0000 Maribel http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/?p=208 Today I met my donor, she is a beautiful woman in and out that I will forever be connected to. This amazing reunion had huge press coverage since it was the first donor swap that UC Davis has preformed. All coordinated by Sharon Stencil & the transplant team, big thank you’s to this amazing team. My kidney donor’s name is Sandra, she is a mother of 6 and has called me her 7th since she has also given me the gift of life. Her husband recieved a kidney the day before me and is also a strong individual. He totally motivated me to get up and moving after surgery because he was on his feet doing marathon rounds throughout the transplant ward. Right away I felt a special connection towards Sandra since for the last month I had to learn to truly accept the gift she was giving me. A sacrifice that will definately touch my life forever. I will write more about this special reunion as I am writing the whole transplant experience. Here is the news coverage from the reunion in the mean time.

CBS Channel 13

 

http://www.cbs13.com/video/?id=70489@kovr.dayport.com

KRCA channel 3

http://www.kcra.com/video/23019691/index.html

Enjoy! Thank you everyone to share this experience with me!

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]]> http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/03/31/donor-reunion-at-uc-davis/feed/ 0 1 Month Anniversary – 4 weeks post transplant! http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/03/24/1-month-anniversary-4-weeks-post-transplant/ http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/03/24/1-month-anniversary-4-weeks-post-transplant/#comments Wed, 24 Mar 2010 20:38:08 +0000 Maribel http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/?p=145 Yesterday was my first month with my new kidney, 4 weeks post transplant! It has been a challenging & busy first month, loss of two beloved family members, weekly labs twice a week, weekly clinic visits, ER trips & I started back @ school last night (wasn’t going to but professor totally working with me!) I am resting a whole lot & just so thankful for the energy that I am already feeling. I know I am still healing & adjusting to everything so I am resting just as much as the activity I am doing. It’s a balance I’ve learned thorough my dialysis days but a little more challenging now that I feel better. I look in the mirror and see the person that I looked like before my kidney failure, very thin and that means I’m looking much younger, now my boys are really not going to want me at their schools. I’m very thankful each week that my labs have improved & all the little things that I wasn’t able to do before transplant and only know it will get better with time! I am thankful for the continued thoughts & prayers, I know my covering & protection to truly receive this gift of life is because of this, so my deepest gratitude! “The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts.”

~Romans 5:5 God is good all the time!

Have a blessed day its beautiful outside!

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]]> http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/03/24/1-month-anniversary-4-weeks-post-transplant/feed/ 4 First Photo Post 3 1/2 Week Post Transplant http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/03/21/first-photo-post-3-12-week-post-transplant/ http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/03/21/first-photo-post-3-12-week-post-transplant/#comments Sun, 21 Mar 2010 20:01:31 +0000 Maribel http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/?p=147 Family Photo taken at Auntie Belang’s Funeral Reception. We’ll miss you dearly and are thankful for the memories that will forever be in our hearts! 3 1/2 weeks post kidney transplant.

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]]> http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/03/21/first-photo-post-3-12-week-post-transplant/feed/ 1 Morning Devo http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/03/21/morning-devo-2/ http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/03/21/morning-devo-2/#comments Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:45:30 +0000 Maribel http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/?p=173 Our first instinct is not to look for God in the midst of our circumstances. “Why can’t I have all the light I need right now, Lord?” we cry. However, God knows that too much light can be hard to take. It can blind and confuse us. He prefers to give us just enough to keep us dependent on Him. In that way, He can teach …us to take bigger steps of faith in order to prepare for what He is calling us in the future.

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]]> http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/03/21/morning-devo-2/feed/ 0 My Transplant on SacBee & SF Chronicle! http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/03/17/my-transplant-on-sacbee-sf-chronicle/ http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/03/17/my-transplant-on-sacbee-sf-chronicle/#comments Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:27:27 +0000 Maribel http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/?p=170 Oh wow this is my transplant story and had no idea 8 people was involved. This is soo amazing I can’t even express what I’m feeling right now!  Also, SF Chronicle in todays paper~

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/03/16/2609683/four-lives-saved-in-complicated.html

 

www.sacbee.com
When an altruistic stranger arrived at the UC Davis Medical Center with a kidney to give, it set in motion a chain of linked donations that would ultimately save the lives of four Northern California residents over two days.

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]]> http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/03/17/my-transplant-on-sacbee-sf-chronicle/feed/ 0 True Life: I Need a Transplant http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/03/16/true-life-i-need-a-transplant/ http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/03/16/true-life-i-need-a-transplant/#comments Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:50:04 +0000 Maribel http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/?p=164 Just watched True Life “I need a transplant” Watch the episode online http://www.mtv.com/shows/truelife/series.jhtml and preview another side of my kidney story and transplantation in general!

 

www.mtv.com
Free full episode videos, photos, full episodes and recaps of True Life on MTV.com.

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]]> http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/03/16/true-life-i-need-a-transplant/feed/ 0 Fun ER Visits http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/03/16/fun-er-visits/ http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/03/16/fun-er-visits/#comments Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:30:10 +0000 Maribel http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/?p=150 I’m here @ ER, twice in the past week. Adjusting to anti-rejection meds, one of them is making my potassium too high & prompts me to go to the ER, I know this is apart of the healing process of adjusting to my new kidney. A potassium scare, anytime it’s higher than 5.5 I’m at risk for cardiac arrhythmia. This is the 2nd time my potassium was lower than what it was in the morning labs so no treatment & was discharged!

Other than these lil bumps in the road, I can’t complain but stay on track with following God’s will. I’m thankful for no more dialysis, waking up energized & know it can get only better!

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]]> http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/03/16/fun-er-visits/feed/ 0 Morning Devo http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/03/13/morning-devo/ http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/2010/03/13/morning-devo/#comments Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:21:20 +0000 Maribel http://maribelskidneystory.com/home/?p=162 He wants you to reach up, take His hand, and walke every step with Him. He wants you to rest in the knowledge that the light He gives you, His light that is in you, is enough light to keep you securely on the path. “For You will light my lamp; The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.” Psalm 18:28

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