such small hands

New York Proposes Rapid Organ Recovery Ambulance

Better post on this initiative in New York to expand opportunities for organ donations before all my friends start forwarding it to me in e-mails.

Also, please read the valuable Q&A sidebar that gives further detail on the RORA crew’s procedures. Sounds like many rules are in place to prevent even the appearance of a conflict of interest, so that no potential donor is rushed into the organ-preserving procedures before actually being declared dead.

Naturally, as an organ recipient and next-of-kin to two people who have expressed wishes to be organ donors, I think this is a good way to expand the donor opportunity to all those who wish to give their organs at death. It gives the families time ... so that if their loved one had always wanted to be a donor, their organs are preserved for transplantation. If not, then nothing is lost; the body is not "invaded." If it is true, as the article states, that a potential 22,000 donors could be considered under these guidelines, think what that would mean for the long transplant waiting lists.

Let’s look at what this does NOT mean:
• Paramedics will not be harvesting organs for transplant in the field (read the sidebar “Preserving the Right to Donate Organs” describing what procedures the RORA crew would do)
• The deceased will not become donors against the wishes of their families
• The next step is not the Soylent Green factory. Seriously, commenters should always remember to engage brain before typing!

Is It Trust or Foolishness?

Maybe I’ve been reading too many articles about the food riots last month in third-world countries. Maybe I read too much of Rod Dreher’s blog over at Beliefnet, where he often frets and fusses over the latest dark cloud on the horizon. In this post, he cites a Wall Street Journal article advising us all to stock our pantries with rice and wheat products. Sometimes Dreher reminds me of Chicken Little.

So, with all this percolating in my subconscious, I woke up at 2 a.m. one night last week with the crystalline thought that, from my perspective as a Christian at least, there’s something wrong with stockpiling 50-pound bags of rice and flour in my basement. I will not do it. I will just go on, planning the week’s meals and buying the groceries we need that week, as I always have.

In my day-to-day walk with God and in my reading and study of Jesus’ words, God has revealed Himself to me in real and personal ways as my Healer and Provider. To put it in the simplest terms, if God has provided a kidney transplant to sustain my life, is food too difficult for Him? If I have a storehouse of food in my basement, is my trust in God or in my stockpile?

This all put me in mind of Jesus’ parable about the foolish rich man in Luke 12:13-21. Jesus says, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And He told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself: ‘What shall I do? I have not place to store my crops.’ Then he said: ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”

Other Scriptures that seem to address this issue:
• Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth …but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do no destroy … for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
• Give us this day our daily bread.
• Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink … For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows you need them. But seek first His kingdom …

NBA Playoffs

So, the Lakers have moved to the next rung, as have the Magic. I see the Celtics and Wizards are all tied up too. But do I hear anyone saying the Celtics are coasting, or that they play down to the level of their opponents. What gives here?

The Return to Work

Really, I don’t know what I was so worried about.

Going back to work really hasn’t been bad at all. Actually, it’s been rather nice.

Maybe it was the big “Welcome Back, Lee Anne” sign that greeted me when I got off the elevator to my office. Maybe it’s been because everyone has been so doggone nice, telling me how glad they are that I am back, how much they missed me, and how great I look now that I am healthy.

I’ve worked with some of these people since 1996; others are more recent acquaintances. But all of them seem just as thrilled and amazed by the miracle of this transplant as Ken and I have been.

I’m certainly not bored — or idle. My first day back was spent mostly dealing with the 400+ e-mails that had accumulated in my inbox. But I’m also working on a few items for the Ford salesperson magazine, which is helping me get up-to-speed on the wonderful world of Ford.

It’s been like coming back home.

What a Great Game!

Saturday afternoon, Ken and I headed out to our favorite little par-3 course, Glenlore Golf Club in Commerce Township. It has just enough challenges to keep the game interesting, and small greens to give your short game lots of practice.

And I made par on two holes! On one of them, my tee shot hit the flag stick and bounced about 3 feet from the hole. Ken and I looked at each other in delighted wonder and amazement when my tee shots hit the greens. Wow.

Compared to my score when I last played the course in the fall, I improved my score by 28 strokes. So the lessons really are doing some good, I guess. I sometimes wonder, and think maybe I have some kind of athletic learning disability that prevents my body from doing what my mind is telling it to do.

Besides, it was such a nice day to be outside, finally enjoying the Michigan springtime.

And did I mention that I made par --- twice?

Has It Been That Long?

Yes, my 3 months of medical leave are over. I'm returning to work today. Your prayers are most appreciated, especially because I have mixed feelings about going back.

LOLz for a Caturday

see more crazy cat pics

This look --- it is so familiar to me.

A Man for All Seasons

Last night, Ken and I finally watched "A Man for All Seasons," the story of Sir Thomas More and his conflict with King Henry VIII. While there were many memorable speeches and lines from Thomas More, this was Ken's favorite, and an excellent one it is, too. More is speaking to his daughter, Margaret, about whether he will take an oath swearing that the king is the head of the church in England (an oath that would require him, against his faith, to agree to the king's divorce and marriage to Anne Boleyn).

"God made the angels to show Him splendor, as He made animals for innocence and plants for their simplicity. But Man He made to serve Him wittily, in the tangle of his mind. If He suffers us to come to such a case that there is no escaping, then we may stand to our tackle as best we can, and, yes, Meg, then we can clamor like champions, if we have the spittle for it. But it's God's part, not our own, to bring ourselves to such a pass. Our natural business lies in escaping."

Season's First Golf Round

Thinking it was going to be the last warm dry day in a spell, Ken took yesterday afternoon off from work and we played our first nine holes of the season.

I’d like to say that it was great, but, typical of golf, it was only sporadically so. Partly to blame were the conditions: A strong wind and a course that was so wet and soft, it was nearly like playing in a bog. Balls would hit the fairway and instead of bouncing, they would embed themselves an inch in the mud. Hitting a divot only seemed to slow down the club head as it dragged through the muck. I’ve never gotten so dirty playing golf; mud splattered on my pant legs, shirt and once even on my glasses.

We were joined in our round by a very congenial retired gentleman who was very patient with my beginner’s golf skills. However, at times his presence made me nervous, as I’ve never played with anyone but Ken and felt a bit self-conscious. It only became worse when I flubbed several shots in a row. At one point, it became so frustrating, I just skipped playing a hole until I could calm down a bit.

But the day wasn’t a total loss. By holes 6 and 7, I was hitting some pretty good tee shots and even made some good contact on the fairway. Lost one ball in the water (which was completely surrounding the green). Tried to hit another shot over a bunker and almost made it; the ball bounced to the lip around the bunker’s edge. With a combination of luck and using advice I’ve picked up from Golf Digest, I managed to strike it nicely out of the bunker and onto the green.

By the time we dragged our pull carts to the clubhouse, Ken and I were both pretty wiped out. Don’t let anyone tell you golf isn’t exercise when you are walking the course.

The thing about golf is, as bad as it was, we can’t wait to get back out there and try again.

Transplant: 10 Weeks and Counting

My, how time flies! It’s already been 10 weeks since my surgery and I’m looking at going back to work on the 21st of April.

I’m feeling good, and according to my last clinic visit, everything is progressing as it should. My labs have been within the normal range for the last several weeks. Now I can go two weeks between labs and 4 weeks before returning to the clinic. Soon I’ll start seeing my regular nephrologists and checking in with the clinic at 6-month intervals.

The doctor told me I could drop the Protonix, which was to protect my stomach (if I notice heartburn or acid reflux, I can start taking it again, but so far there’s been no need). By April 23, I can drop a couple more prescriptions; these were an antibiotic and an anti-viral.

These changes will leave me taking only four medications daily — my three anti-rejection drugs and one to lower blood pressure. Of the four, I take three of them two times a day. Really, not a bad schedule at all.

Feeling better and pain-free, I have been trying to get in more physical activity, so as to build up my energy and stamina (and for weight control as well). So I have been taking a brisk walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes every day. And I am getting back into the schedule of golf lessons and practices. Temperatures this weekend are heading into the 50s and even 60 on Sunday, which sounds like a good excuse to hit the driving range for the first time this season. It still may be too wet and early for most courses to be open, but I can’t wait to get out there and just have some fun playing 18 holes.

How Inspiration Worked

see more crazy cat pics

Just for fun on a Saturday ... um, I mean a Caturday.

Not Christian After All?

In this published report, Gorbachev denies he's converted to Christianity and remains an atheist. I like the quote at the end from the Russian Orthodox spokesman, "He is still on his way to Christianity. If he arrives, we will welcome him." Sometimes our paths to Christ follow some crooked ways indeed.

Buddy, Can You Spare a Kidney, Liver, Pancreas or Heart?

A couple of friends e-mailed me a recent Washington Post article, “A Third of Patients on Transplant List Are Not Eligible,” about the inflation of waiting lists for organ donations.

The article makes it sounds as if the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the agency that runs the organ transplant system in the U.S., is doing something shady and manipulative by including inactive people when they publicize the number of people waiting for transplants.

For example, 50,408 people are on the active waiting list for a kidney nationwide (not me any more, may God be praised!). And 24,226 are on the inactive list. They may be inactive for a number of reasons, perhaps they have an infection that makes transplant surgery unsafe for a time, or they have had cancer and have to be cancer-free for a couple of years before they can have transplant surgery.

Being inactive, however, means the person is still accumulating wait time. But if an organ becomes available that may be a match for them, they will be skipped over for the time being. They aren’t de-listed.

The article says some patients may be “languishing” on the inactive list. I’ll tell you one thing about people waiting for organs … if they can be actively listed and transplanted ASAP, that’s what they want more than anything in the world. They don’t want to remain inactive any longer than their doctors say they have to.

What puzzles me is how the Washington Post seems to feel there is such a big difference between these numbers that potential donors may decide against donation because, oh, they’re being deceived.

Are 75,000 people waiting for a kidney so very much more motivating than 50,000? Even at the lower number, there still aren’t nearly enough donated organs to go around. Are 50,000 people on dialysis, basically life support, OK with you? Because, let me tell you, it’s expensive. It’s expensive for insurance companies and it’s expensive for taxpayers because dialysis is covered under Medicare. Not to mention that it’s no way anyone wants to live for very long.

So, go ahead and tell people the true numbers. Because, man, if we were able to get all 67,000-some organs that the active listed patients needed, well, that would be a great day.

Another Secret Believer

Although he's not so secret any more. Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev revealed that he is a Christian, during a recent visit to the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi in Rome. One has to wonder how much Gorbachev's faith may have contributed to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Books: Secret Believers

“Secret Believers: What Happens When Muslims Believe in Christ”
By Brother Andrew and Al Janssen, Revell, 2007.

“Secret Believers” may be the most haunting book you will read all year. It will haunt you when you watch or read news from the Middle East. It will haunt you when you read Scripture passages about persecution. It will certainly haunt your prayers.

Brother Andrew, author of “God’s Smuggler,” no longer slips Bibles behind the Iron Curtain. From his home base in the Netherlands, he reaches out to Christians in Islamic countries, strengthening the churches and witnessing to the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Muslims in those countries.

But this book isn’t really Brother Andrew’s story. Three quarters of the book is taken up by the stories of real men and women in Islamic countries, Christians and Muslim converts to Christianity. Their names and the locations have been changed to protect their safety, but the stories are true. They are so compelling, you will find yourself moved to tears and to prayer. You will find it difficult to stop reading.

For Muslim converts to Christianity like Ahmed, Salima, Mustafa and Hassan, their decision to follow Jesus is extremely costly. At the very least, they are cut off from their families and everything they knew about their former lives. They are watched by the secret police. If arrested, they face torture and beatings. They face abduction, forced conversion to Islam and even death.

At the end of the book, Brother Andrew issues four challenges to Christians in the West. He calls for us to see Muslims as people for whom Jesus died, rather than as enemies. He challenges us to forgive rather than seek revenge. Not for nothing does he call these challenges, because they certainly aren’t easy for many of us in the American church, but they give us much to think about and pray for God to give us changed hearts for a changed world.

If you want to know more, there is a Web site, SecretBelievers.org. There you will find links to news headlines, more stories of secret believers in Islamic countries, ways to give and help.

Disclosure: I was provided a copy of this book for review purposes.