Most commonly asked question...

"You look fine--why do you need a transplant?"  That's the most common response I hear when someone discovers that I'm on a kidney/liver transplant list.  Let me explain by taking you back to 1983...

While in college studying to be a medical assistant, our class was learning how to take each other's blood pressure the old fashioned way.  My classmate thought she was failing this lesson because she kept getting really high BP readings on me.  Our instructor confirmed that she was getting accurate readings & explained to the class that these were the BP numbers that should have medical attention. (I always liked show & tell--guess I tried to do it in college, too!)  So, after some doctor visits & tests, it was confirmed that I had PKD (polycystic kidney disease).

PKD is a condition where fluid-fillled cysts grow on kidneys & can effect their function.  I was familiar with PKD because some members of my family have it. At the time of my diagnosis, my kidneys were functioning fine, so BP meds & monitoring were all that was needed.  However, I knew that it was likely that my future contained a kidney transplant.

I can't say that I was looking forward to a kidney transplant.  However, it's a familiar process to me-- my mother & brother have had kidney transplants with great success. They are an inspiration to me!

So, what about the liver? Stay tuned...

~Belinda

(It's amazing that none of this was a surprise to God--"I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb" - Jeremiah 1:5)