Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.
Mike's story - Most of you know that Mike has courageously battled Crohn's Disease for the past 30 years; one of the unfortunate consequences of the Crohn's and related surgeries has been nearly constant dehydration. This took its toll on Mike's kidneys and he has been on dialysis for over 2 years, waiting for a kidney transplant. We got the call for a kidney on Monday evening, Aug. 22nd after 8pm. We packed up quickly, and were on the road by 9:30pm, arriving at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison, WI around 4am on Tuesday, Aug. 23rd. By 8pm that night, Mike's kidney transplant was complete and he was back in his hospital room! Mike was blessed to receive a very healthy kidney that was nearly a perfect match for him, and he has been receiving outstanding care at U of W. Once discharged from the hospital, we plan to spend a few days at the Restoring Hope Transplant House in Madison where Kim has been staying. It's a wonderfully comfortable and supportive environment for transplant patients and families. We know that we have boundless love and support from friends and family at home, as well as all over the country, and we can't begin to express how much we appreciate your prayers and positive thoughts. Please pray for the donor and his or her family who had the courage to give this gift of life to Mike. UPDATE - Mike is being discharged from the hospital Saturday afternoon, Aug. 27th. He will be recuperating for a while at the Restoring Hope Transplant House just outside Madison, Wisconsin. HOW TO HELP - Mike will be under some pretty strict food safety restrictions for the rest of his life, so although many of our friends will want to bring us meals, a better way to help might be grocery store and other gift cards. Once we return home, we may need some assistance with things around the house, and we will keep you posted on that. There may also be a need for family and friends (who are healthy, of course) to come and stay with Mike for a few hours during the day so Kim can get in to school a little bit. Keep checking this site for updates. HUGE THANKS to Cathy Chiles (Kim's baby sister) for setting up this helpful site!! Thank you ever so much!!Love,Kim
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