New Year; New Kidney!

tldr: I got a kidney! It fits perfectly in me and in our circle of friends.

On Monday, January 1, 2024, Marek and I went for a walk through the woods, next to our library where placards of nature quotes, instruments to play, and a monthly book you can read on your walk dot the paths. I’ve seen the quotes a hundred times – nice little reminders of people’s thoughts. On this walk, and reflecting on the last year and the year to come, the quote from John Muir, who shared his love of nature with everyone, even Teddy Roosevelt, and who fought to protect that which he loved so much, really struck me.

Perhaps it was the new year. Perhaps it was that I was scheduled to get a kidney on Wednesday. Perhaps it’s many years evaluating the flow charts of how interconnected the immune system is. Perhaps it’s my fascination with the immunological and philosophical concepts of self vs. non-self. Hard to tell, really.

But, it struck me that I’ve always been a little bit of a loner. I’ve always enjoyed being around people. I’ve always enjoyed learning about other people’s experiences, thoughts, perceptions of themselves and the world; learning what makes them them. But, I’m not always the first to share about myself. I’m not always the most forthcoming about the thoughts or perceptions in my head. Not because I’m not willing to, more because I’m with my thoughts all the time and that it’s more interesting to look outward and learn about other folks.

But, it also strikes me that people accept that about me, and when I reach out, they reach back. It continues to amaze me, like a little baby playing hide and seek – I’m giddy when their face pops up. I’m not sure where I expected them to be, but it’s so nice when they reappear.  

2023 was a year in which I leapt from my comfort zone and reached out to you with all my might, and you all reached back with the weight of your worlds. And, together, we made it happen! A wild kidney found a home (me! I'm the home!). In fact, due to the generosity of many folks, four wild kidneys found new homes. A string was pulled, a cascade of scientific and social phenomena were set into action to make amazing events transpire.

Today, as I was thinking what to write for my first post-op blog post, I was looking at Instagram and saw a very apt quote as well. It’s uncited, so perhaps it’s just a bot or Meta reading my mind, but it encapsulates my thoughts on starting this new adventure with you all.

This is especially true in my case in which you all have known me not only through different versions of myself, but also different versions of my organs 😊, and loved me and my organs all the same.

Thank you for doing that, thank you for reaching back, and thank you for being part of my universe at just a little tug of a string. All my organs and I are forever grateful.

I’ll keep updating the blog with more details of the procedure, post-op, and recovery, as well as some thoughts what it's like to get a kidney, so stay tuned.

With all my love and fresh urine, carolyn