June 7, 2023

It was exactly one year ago today we headed to OHSU for another attempt to receive a donor liver for Duane.  Our feelings were mixed, we had been down this road before and come home without one, so we were holding back hope but trusting God for His perfect timing.  They ran the blood tests, did the x-rays like before and then we waited.  We knew this time that Duane was the primary patient to receive this liver.  Dan visited Donna and Duane waited…playing cards can only do so much.  Later that evening Donna went home, just as we had done in the past. Both Dan and Donna came back the following morning to see Duane and we waited.  Tests were done and then Dan headed off to work.  Shortly after that, they moved Duane down to pre-op, we had never been here before.  Adrenaline was pumping now, shortly after we arrived there was a team of doctors that came in to see Duane, it was the transplant team.  It was then we realized this was happening. 

His transplant surgery began at 10 am Wednesday, June 8.  Updates were given to me every 90 minutes or so on how Duane was doing and then I texted Dan.  We did not know how long the surgery would last so I was waiting at home, I actually did get a nap in and a walk with Maddie. Got the call around 4 pm that he would be heading to ICU and the surgery went well. Headed back to the hospital and Dan met me there later.   I have never seen so much equipment in my life, he was plugged into every machine imaginable and the prednisone had already swollen his face. He was in and out and really didn’t really know we were there.

I came back the next morning and Duane was much more alert.  He wanted the breathing tube out because it was driving him nuts and it hurt to swallow and he couldn’t talk. But those ICU transplant nurses are amazing, they had him up and walking the next morning.

The next few days he got stronger each day and surprised all of us and was able to come home 5 days after surgery, one day before his birthday.

He came home with a bag the size of a carry-on, full of meds that he would need to take many times during the day over the next weeks and months. Our community group at church took care of meals and even came and mowed the lawn and pulled weeds. I organized meds, made charts, and set timers so we would not forget Duane’s meds. Dan came and mowed and put together a fire pit I had bought Duane for Father’s Day.

For the next many weeks, we went to OHSU on Mon & Thur for blood draws and Fridays for Dr visits. It was all-consuming but we knew it would be.

There were bumps along the way, medication changes, insulin changes, and even a biopsy when he started showing signs of rejection. There were also many celebrations, like when his prednisone level got low enough that he could get off insulin and then it went down even more and then he could drive again.

Through the Fall he continued to do well, and our Christmas celebration was especially wonderful this past year…getting news about another grandson on the way topped the list!

In late December Duane began to feel really tired and was sleeping a lot and the Dr reached out after seeing the numbers on his blood test from that week. Duane had contracted a virus that had weakened his immune system and his white blood count was extremely low.  He continued to rest and they gave him some injections to increase his bone marrow production of white blood cells.  It was a long couple of weeks, but by the end of January, he was feeling much better.

They continue to monitor him through the weekly blood work and adjust when they see a need.  He remains on 2 antirejection medicines and a few others for regular care but is so much better than he was when we first came home.

It really is hard to believe it has been a year.  What God has done is miraculous and the Dr and nurses at OHSU are amazing.

We are grateful to so many of you for prayers and gifts and time and meals and….the list goes on. We know we were not in this alone.

We are optimistic in the weeks ahead that Duane may be able to change the frequency of his blood work and meds will continue to be minimal.

He wants to get all his strength back …mostly so we can keep up with Ray, the highlight of our week is when he comes over.

With a new grandson on the way, this 1-year milestone means a lot.  The Baby is due just over a week from now.  Ray is going to be a big brother and we feel like him, sometimes it is a 2 popsicle day! Our favorite photo from last year, is the pineapple fountain in Charleston, SC.

We will continue to update as we can, but probably not as often but we thank you for all you have done for us!