Story of a Kidney - Part II

- Link to Story - Part I - My Story

- Link to Story - Part II - Aunt's Story

- Link to Story - Part III - Uncle's Story

- Link to Story - Epilogue

When my uncle’s family came back from Africa after having cut their trip short to get back to Grandma, it took a bit of time before I could meet up with them. But I finally got to sit down and have lunch with them a couple Sundays ago. My uncle was giving a testimony at church about the mission trip in Africa, but I got the whole version first, from both my uncle and my aunt M.

What I didn’t know, was that this story began years ago.

My Aunt’s Story

Three years ago, Grandma K and my aunt went on a missions trip to Uzbekistan. She did work all day with no problem; at 78 she was in very good health and even complained about how younger people got sick and were skipping days.

“I never get sick. I’m 78 and I’m still so healthy.”

Inwardly, my aunt thought to herself ‘oh no.. why would you ever say that..’ and was concerned something bad would happen.

Later that year, a powerful message was preached at church, and the altar call was for those who were committed to truly going all the way for Christ, whatever that entailed.

As a senior, K had a seat in the front row. When my Aunt opened her eyes from prayer, she saw that her mother was the first one at the altar, responding to the call. Inwardly she rejoiced, because Grandma K had only recently become very serious about her faith. But she was also concerned, because she felt that this was no ordinary altar call. Something really serious could happen. But it was good to see her up at the altar.

One month later, her creatinine levels were faltering and she was diagnosed with kidney failure. This was two years ago.

The journey begins, and the provision begins

As Grandma K’s body began to deteriorate, somehow her kidney held on at 20% function. Enough so that she did not need dialysis, but was seeking a variety of treatments.

One of the treatments was acupuncture and eastern medicine. K took a car by a driving service to get acupuncture. Somehow, along the way, the driver found out that K was not an American citizen and was telling her that it was irresponsible for her to continue to rely on my aunt and uncle to support her medicine.

This is America! The government will pay for your medicine!

So the driver took her to some sort of center and filled out all the paperwork for her to become a citizen.

When my uncle and aunt found out, they were like, what the heck? Who on earth does this guy think he is, taking our mother to random places?

So they let the paperwork sit. But as K’s condition became worse, she told them to file the papers. So they did.

And within 2 months she was a citizen with Medicare B. And what my aunt and uncle didn’t know was that right around the same time, K’s premium would’ve spiked to around $700 a month for private insurance.

The word

Early on, Grandma K’s body became a living husk as she went from 125lbs to about 95lbs. Simply not knowing what to do, my aunt prayed. And she received a word from God.

Ezekiel 37 - That dry bones would become living flesh again, and that it would become a great and exceeding army.

She was shocked but, she had received a word and a promise from God that her mother, who was a pile bones, would be restored and be a great testament. She shared this with my uncle, who at first was skeptical but then received witness that this was a true word of God.

And so with faith, my uncle and aunt proceeded, even boldly enough to tell people that they believed that God would do something miraculous with Grandma K, that it would be a great testament. Even though she was 79.

This was two years ago.

The journey continues

My aunt and uncle believed that K would be restored. But there just was no sign of it happening. Her body would deteriorate, plateau, then deteriorate further until they had to consider dialysis as a treatment option.

They were at first adamantly against dialysis. It was almost a death sentence for a woman of 79, as it was a great strain on the body. But there were no other options left. So she started dialysis, and her condition continued to deteriorate.

Decision to go to Burundi

A couple months ago, my aunt and uncle had just about lost hope and given up. My uncle asked my aunt is she really did receive that word from Ezekiel. I mean, he had been sure at the time that it was a true word, but there was just no sign or any reason to believe that it would come true. Grandma K was dying.

For my aunt to go to Burundi was an absolutely illogical decision. She was her only daughter, and she would be gone for three weeks. My aunt was wrought over the decision because she felt she had been led to go, but that direction didn’t make any sense.

But then God told her,

“You go take care of my people, and I will take care of your people.”

My aunt is K’s only daughter. After her father passed away, she was the only family they had. While K didn’t get in the way of my uncle and aunt’s marriage, she was living with them. My aunt was the person K relied on the most.

There were two things that needed to happen here. My aunt needed to trust K to God, and fulfill her role as wife and follow her husband, and leave her mother for the first time since she was married. And K needed to lose the last person she trusted in, so the only trust she had left was in God.

So having received this, my aunt went to Burundi.

Checkup

Before she left for Burundi, my aunt was dotting her i’s and crossing her t’s and had Grandma K checked with various specialists that vetted her to be okay for a possible kidney transplant, including a cardiologist. My uncle thought she was wasting her time, but my aunt is a very thorough person.

So having everything in place, hired hands, helpers for dialysis, and her nephew to take K to church, my aunt left with the family to go to Africa.

The day of the transplant

I did not know this part of the story, because it happened after I left.

I had asked the transplant coordinator if it was okay for K to eat, and she said it was so K ate something. This in turn delayed the surgery because they had to wait for the food to digest before they could proceed.

But at the same time, the head surgeon had serious concerns about some of K’s heart issues. My mom didn’t know what to say but my younger aunt immediately thought to call aunt M in Africa. Because they had to wait anyway for K to digest her late dinner, they managed to get in touch.

What proceeded was a series of international phone calls that decided whether or not K, after all this, would get the kidney. The head surgeon was not going to operate. But my aunt finally got the cardiologist she had checked up with to get on the phone with the surgeon. After speaking to the cardiologist who OK-ed K for surgery, the surgeon agreed to do the surgery.

Afterwards, when my aunt returned to the states and later spoke to the surgeon after the transplant, she asked if that phone call had been the deciding moment as to whether or not K got the kidney.

He said it was. If the phone calls had never happened, they would not have done the surgery. And K would not have gotten the kidney.

The word fulfilled

My aunt spoke w/ Grandma K after the transplant. K had accepted that she was dying and had given up hope.

But with all these brushstrokes and pieces in place, God fulfilled the word that had been given to my aunt two years ago. And Grandma K was being restored to living flesh, to become a powerful and exceeding army.

Yet still, the story does not end here.