I am a 61 yr old woman.  My style is simple and straight forward.  I would not know what to do with riches.  I am rich in my family.  They mean everything to me and  they are my life. 

We have a 37' 5th wheel and love to go camping with family and friends.  We have our family reunion every June in Des Moines Iowa.  We have 6 camping units and many kids to have fun with.  My husband and I bought a 15' above ground pool and the grandkids love to come over and help us splash all the water out.  What more could you want from life besides good health.  

Every day I thank God for my life.  In 1995 I underwent a kidney transplant after going into failure due to IGA Nephropathy.  My 21 yr old daughter at the time was my living donor.  (My special hero) !  Just two short years after my transplant I was diagnosed with reoccurring  IGA.  In May of 1995 I lost my kidney, having kept it for another 11 yrs after I was told I would lose it within 6 months.  At this time I was preparing for dialysis. 

My husband of 8 yrs asked me if he would be possible for him to be a donor.  We contacted Mayo clinic for testing.  After days of physical tests we were told he was a match.  After 5 months of dialysis our surgery date was set.  September 29th 2006.  we were at Rochester Mayo Clinic on September 26th when we found out we no longer matched.  I had to under go A Furesus where they take out all the anti bodies good and bad and replace it with artificial plasma.  After several days of this treatment lowered my antigens enough so we were again a match.   We now could continue our plans for the surgery on Friday the 29th. 

My husband, thank God, went through the surgery so well he was out in three days.  Mine was a little more challenging this time. Unlike my first transplant I had complications. Evidently when they filled me with fluids it was to much pressure on the artery leading to the kidney and it let go causing me to lose over 8 units of blood.  While the surgeon was announcing to my family I was doing fine the nurse was advising him we had to go back to surgery.  They fixed the damaged artery and since I was breathing only 4 times a minute they had to put me on life support.  (it is so surreal to actually say that)  life support.  Never in my wildest dreams did I expect complications like that!  After 3 days on life support they finally put me in a room.  Still I am doing A Furesus till it is time for me to go back to our Hotel after 9 days  with a working kidney.  We were in Rochester for another 30 days with daily testing. 

Thanks to my heroic 21 year old daughter Melonie and my heroic husband George I have a wonderful life to enjoy!  How many people in their lives can say they have a true hero (not a sports hero but a real life hero) let a lone two.  I am so blessed and so thankful two have two such heroes I am happy to have the chance to write it down!

Now I have the strength to enjoy my grand kids, Delaney 4, Tessa 6, Jonathon 11, and Elizabeth 12.  They make my like so much fun and interesting.  The three older ones are in sports and I especially love to watch them in swim meets.  They all compete and are quite good for only two years of competing.  They play soccer, basket ball and cross country.  This summer my 12 yr old granddaughter competed in her first triathlon.  What a blast to watch.  Oh yes my 4 yr old  granddaughter was in blast ball this summer.

I paid half of my daughter's Mastiff's (Dewey)  medical bill after he ait something that made him very ill and they had to hospitalize hime for two days while being treated.  I donate to the Humane Society of the United States and to our local shelter on a regular basis.  

Cheryl Humphreys