Far sooner than I thought!

As Sarah has reported, we all get to come home together on Thursday! Having resigned myself to staying in Madison for at least a month, this came as amazing news.

My labs look good, I have recovered from this transplant far more quickly than the last and I think my surgeon has more confidence in the doctors in Seattle now that he has had several patients from the area. When I had my first transplant, no kidney-panceas transplants had been done in Seattle and only 4 in Portland. It is now a far more common procedure and they do them routinely at Swedish.

So I get to travel home with Katie and Sarah and recuperate in my own bed.

I will be discharged on Tuesday, check my labs on Wednesday and fly home on Thursday. Amazing!

See you all sooner than I thought.

Running Laps Around the Hospital!

We just got back from our adventure to the Transplant Center. Soon, Katie's name will be added to the big wall (we're guessing it will show up once there are enough names to cover a tile). They gave us (FREE!) bumper stickers and pins and bracelets (oh, and peppermint lifesavers...Katie got 2 because she looked so good after giving a kidney only 4 days ago).

Then we went by the 24 hour (but no open on Sundays) mini mart and got some ice cream. I got another incredible hot fudge sundae and Katie got a single scoop (which is only 85 cents less than the sundae...I say, bring on the toppings!) and Paula was boring with a diet Dr. Pepper.

We also stopped by the gift shop, where Katie and I each bought cute lanyard things to hold our school IDs. They have brightly colored beads and fimo beads with (10) children's faces -- maybe now I'll actually wear my ID.

Tonight I think Katie and I are going to dinner with Reid and Amy, and Paula will enjoy one last dinner in the hospital.

Paula's Coming Home!

Katie and I made the long trek down to the cafeteria to bring some lunch back up to the room, so that we could eat with Paula. Katie got turkey, green beens (that she really must find delightful, based on the vast number of time she's eaten them in the past few days), and red potatoes (which describes as having salt-lick qualities). I got a cheeseburger and onion rings (with a little ranch to dip in), and we got a lovely giant m&m cookie to share.

While we were eating, Paula's surgeon came by, and gave her the choice of being discharged today or tomorrow. She's decided that she wants to stay through tomorrow, giving her more time to practice walking around and becoming more independent. The best news of all, is that he wants her traveling home with us on Thursday (because, as he put it, she has access to doctors in Seattle and would rather have her traveling with "the youngsters"). So she's on the phone right now with Northwest, annoyed at how difficult it is to get handicap seating arranged (because while you can select your own seat online, they do not allow you to select handicap seating).

Monday Monday.

Good morning everyone!

It's pretty dark and gloomy here in Madison this morning, but the little sprinkley rain didn't keep Katie and I from walking from the hotel to the hospital. She did great!...even though the hotel elevator was being serviced, so we had to walk down the stairs from the 3rd floor, not something we'd expected. Once we got to the hospital, we plopped Katie in a wheelchair (a very cute one that looks a lot like a grocery cart -- they even stack like grocery carts!) and scooted down to the cafeteria just in time to get some oatmeal for breakfast, before they switched over to lunch.

It looks like it may be raining harder out now, and every once in a while we hear what sounds like thunder (though it's possible that someone is just doing something awful to the dumpsters). The flowers are certainly adding a needed bit of cheer to the room today.

After a while, we're going to take a stroll down to the gift shop and the transplant center (so that we can see the wall of all of the live donors and get Katie's picture in front of it).

Katie's belly is still quite swollen from all of the abuse it has received, but the swelling is going down, so her clothes (that were quite loose before surgery) are fitting much better today.

Good Night.

Glass Nickel Pizza is good! We enjoyed a large cheese and pineapple pizza (a favorite of Katie and I), and with a little help from Reid and Amy, demolished the whole thing!

The only real technical difficulty about leaving the hospital is that Katie no longer has the benefits of a power-driven bed -- a real problem for someone who can't easily sit up on her own! Thankfully, my friend Julie once told me about how she had to roll herself out of bed after a non-elective c-section with her first son, and we have utilized the technique, given the similar nature of the incision. Katie is starting to get the hang of it, but the hotel bed is awfully high above the ground (and Katie is not awfully high above the ground), so there is an added degree of challenge.

Our goal for the morning is to walk the two blocks from the hotel back to the hospital. The fresh air will be good for Katie and we plan to take our time. Also, we'll plop her into a wheelchair immediately upon arriving at the hospital because we don't want her to overdo it, and it is a BIG hospital. Tomorrow, after breakfast, Katie and Paula want to show me the transplant center, where they have a big wall with the names of all of the live donors. Soon, Katie's name will be on that wall! Also, we've been told by Paula's surgeon that we should take a walk through their new Children's Hospital, which disturbingly enough seems to be named after an insurance company (American Family...you know you've heard their jingle...), who probably gave a huge load of money toward building it. The surgeon suggested that the problem is that it is lovely, build like a hotel (with long hallways), but slightly impractical for treating small people who often can't walk and have IVs and other equipment requiring ongoing staff attention.

Katie's Been Discharged!!!!!

It's been a long, exciting day, with no time to update the blog.

This morning Katie and Paula were both allowed to take showers, much to their delight.

Katie had a good night, so this morning they decided to discharge her! Getting back to the hotel from the hospital was no small feat (though it's only two blocks away)-- Katie (riding in a chair), myself, a 2nd wheelchair full of stuff. Thankfully, a very kind nurse helped us to the door, and our lovely hotel had a wheelchair for Katie to ride in once we arrived. Of course Katie can walk all around on her own (or they wouldn't have let her out), but discharging took a lot out of her (not to mention, the hospital is huge). After spending a bit of time resting in the room, Katie and I headed back to the hospital to hang out with Paula, which is where we're at now.

To minimize the amount of baggage we needed to haul back to the hotel (and because we plan to spend time with Paula while we're here), Katie and I moved all of her lovely flowers and her balloon into Paula's hospital room.

Paula has had a relatively good day overall, though the morning started off rough with a bit of a scare when she started hyperventilating. No need to worry though, the nurses and doctors here took great care of her and think it was probably an anxiety attack (she'd just been talking about how worried she had been that something bad might happen to Katie during the operation when the hyperventilation occurred). Just to be safe, they are doing many tests as part of a cardiac workup, and so far everything is fine. The only real change is that they are having her lay low for a bit and put her back on the oxygen, but with luck, she'll be back out of bed by morning. Paula's major joy is that the water retention in her legs is gone (for the first time in the time the nearly six years that I have known her, and from what I hear, a very long time) -- see the picture above!

At the moment, Katie and I are awaiting the delivery of our pizza from The Glass Nickel, which was recommended to us by the lovely nursing staff here at the University of Wisconsin Hospital.

Want to see how they harvest a kidney?

Here are Katie's war wounds in all of their glory. The only way she can actually see the big incision is by looking at the pictures, because bending isn't really a possibility at the moment.

Supposedly everything will be all healed up and the pain with be completely gone within the next couple of weeks (as early as 2 weeks, we hear).

Saturday Afternoon.

Saturday was a big day. Katie (and Paula) received another bouquet of flowers and many (4) visitors. First came Polly and Andrea, and after a while Amy and Reid came to join in the fun. Katie's belly was all boated from the gas they pumped into her the other day, which gave her a slightly pregnant appearance, especially when she held onto the bottom of her belly and paced around the room and unit. She needed to pass gas before going off of the all-liquid diet, so with all of these forces put together, we laughed a lot about how she was in labor with Walter the Farting Dog (which is a children's book, for anyone who is confused). Hence the inspiration for the photo where Polly and Andrea are holding Katie's stomach. The great news is, shortly after that picture was taken, Katie passed gas! Which meant that shortly after that, a big tray of spaghetti with green beans and a chocolate chip cookie was delivered to the room.

Katie hasn't sat down much today and may have over exerted herself a bit. Getting back into bed tonight at 8 pm (13 hours after getting out of bed), we had a bit of a scare when she felt lots of pain, then started shivering uncontrollably. Luckily it passed, and the nurse was happy with all of her vital signs, but she needs to take it easy for the rest of the night. That being said, we're off to watch an episode of LOST (on the computer's DVD player, of course).

Katie's Dressings Come Off!

The urology doctor just came by and took the dressing off of Katie's belly. It looks great. All of the stitches are internal and will dissolve on their own. There are steri-strips covering the incision on the outside. Perhaps, if Katie's feeling brave (and we can get one that isn't indecent), we'll post a picture later.

Cruisin the Halls

Katie wins the prize for walking the most of any patient in the transplant unit. We just returned from another walk. This time we made it all the way to the gift shop! She's been out of bed since 7 this morning and up and walking frequently throughout the day.

On the way back, I bought what I thought was a diet Pepsi from the vending machine (the bottle label was turned to the back. Sadly, it was a diet vanilla Pepsi, but it isn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Katie ventures to the 2nd floor!

Katie is having a great day. She's eating saltines (with toast on order) and ginger ale. She's also so tired of walking around the 6th floor, that we ventured down to the second floor for a change of scenery.

In other news, Paula has been released from her bed and is allowed to walk around! She just popped by for a visit.

In other other news, we have made all of the arrangements with security that should Paula's mother follow through on her threat to fly out here (despite interventions from assorted family members, including Paula), measures will be in place to prevent her from finding the room, and should she make it up here on her own, security will escort her from the building. This does mean that should any of you call the hospital, you will receive absolutely no information about either Paula or Katie (or even that that are or are not here), but you can still reach us directly (because clearly, if you're reading the blog, you have the inside scoop on how to do that).

The inside scoop on Katie and Paula's whereabouts (for those of you who missed it earlier this week):

Paula Raschko: room B4/676; phone number 608-267-8484
Katie (Kathleen) Raschko: room B4/654; phone number 608-267-8474

48 hours ago they were in surgery!

As you probably know by now, Paula felt good enough last night to get on the computer to write on the blog. This morning she is still doing well, and is awaiting permission to get out of bed and go for a walk.

Katie has been walking up a storm, but is still quite uncomfortable from all of the gas they pumped into her during the surgery. She's been enjoying a breakfast full of liquids and now some saltines. It sounds as if she will now be allowed to eat anything she feels like eating! I'll post a picture once she's eating "real" food.

In other news, Katie has been spending her whole morning between walking and sitting in the chair, so I have taken the liberty of sitting in her bed. I'd hate for it to feel unloved! More importantly, the room is so small that if someone isn't in the bed it's very cramped. My other option would be to sit in the corner (behind the bed, with no view of the TV) or behind the door (where I might get hit by a giant swinging plank of wood)!

Katie is about to have a bath from a bucket (she's hoping for a regular shower soon) and put on some normal clothes (pajama pants, underwear, and a t-shirt). And I'm enjoying a lovely yogurt parfait (that I assembled myself down in the cafeteria this morning) and watching I Love Lucy.

Two days ago at this time I was sitting down in the surgery waiting area, waiting for updates, and Katie and Paula were both in surgery. Now they're both looking great and getting better each day.

The First Post-Op Day

If you are reading this entry, you know that Sarah has been doing a great job of keeping this blog up to date and full of pictures and wit. Now for somethiung more clinical.

Katie is having a harder time today than Paula. She is still reabsorbing all the gas they infused during the laparoscopic removal of her left kidney. She is up and walking and is confident that things will work themselves out, but is pretty miserable today.

Paula, on the other hand, is doing quite swimmingly--pun intended. I have been up and walking, went to transplant class, visited Katie 3 times and have been enjoying sumptuous repasts of popsicles and tea. My creatinine went from 3 to 1.4 overnight and everyone is astounded at the volume of pee this lovely new kidney is producing. They have me on tiny doses of insulin, but this was expected due to the steroids and stress of surgery. Immediately after the kidney was implanted, before closing the incision, they did a biopsy and it showed no signs of rejection; we are told that when that biopsy is negative, they have seen no episodes of acute rejection. We are very hopeful that we will not spoil their track record.

This whole experience has been so amazing. Katie has been such a trooper and so willing to go through this whole ordeal. And it has made me so grateful to Katie and for the expertise of the doctors and nurses and the whole medical staff here in Wisconsin. They are so confident and professional and at the same time friendly and helpful. I think we are fortunate to be here.

We are enjoying your comments on this blog and we will keep you up to date on what is happening here in Madison. By the way, it was sunny today with a high temperature of 42. But I think we are expecting more snow this weekend.

Thank you for following along with us.

Paula and Katie and Sarah

FLOWERS!

This afternoon, both Katie and Paula received deliveries of some beautiful flower bouquets! They smell fantastic and really cheer up the rooms.

Paula's flowers are on the left (one has a balloon attached to it) and Katie's are on the right (and came with a box of candy).

Friday Afternoon.

Katie and I are watching Calendar Girls on her laptop (because unfortunately, the rooms are not equip with DVD players). She is feeling quite miserable at the moment and drifting in and out of sleep.


New Cafeteria Discovery:
For about $4.50 you can get a HUGE (and very tasty) portion of boneless barbecue ribs, a giant scoop of stuffing, and a massive mound of macaroni and cheese...enough food for 2-4 people. Once I was done eating, it hardly looked touched! Thankfully, Paula's nurse showed me how to mark my container and which fridge to use so that I could save my leftovers for later. Speaking of later, I think it's about time for a snack!

Mmm...Mmm...Good!

Katie wanted everyone to see her in action, eating some chicken broth. She is REALLY looking forward to real food, which she will hopefully get later today or tomorrow morning.

We are excited, because tonight's Mariners game will be broadcast on TV here in Wisconsin!

One day since surgery.

As of this morning, Katie and Paula are both allowed to drink clear liquids (which includes jello and frozen liquids), as can be seen on Katie's extensive tray of liquid products. Also, Katie and Paula are both up and walking again. Today it is going much better than yesterday. Both Katie and Paula have been able to walk to one another's rooms to visit! Katie is exhausted, as she didn't get much sleep last night, but is having a difficult time sleeping today as well.

In the light of day, we have been able to confirm that we do in fact have a view of the helipad from Katie's window. Last night we assumed that was what it must be because there was this one large, rectangular chunk of building that was surrounded by evenly spaced red lights, not located anywhere else along the rooftop.

Katie's second "meal" consists of a cherry popsicle, some chicken broth, a mug of tepid tea, a small bowl of green jello, and two cups of cranberry juice. She seems to be enjoying the chicken broth.

First Steps!

Katie and Paula are up and walking! Well, they aren't running marathons (or sitting up independently, or running laps around their wing of the hospital, or walking without assistance), but they're doing great!


During Katie's walk, she climbed into a wheelchair for a ride down the hall to see her mom!

Errands.

Katie and Paula are both doing better. Neither can have anything but ice chips, but they can both feed themselves the ice, give themselves the medicine, carry on normal conversations, and are more upright in the bed. Katie was just told that she can have clear liquids beginning at 5 am. Thus, I have promised to be at her bedside at 5 am with 7 up in hand.

I went back to the hotel this evening to move into the new room and bring Paula and Katie's bags back to the hospital with me. The walk wasn't bad at all, but I was lucky enough to get a ride back to the hospital by the shuttle. Then, after delivering the bags, I had to go back down to security to get my ID badge (allowing me to remain in the hospital after visiting hours are over).

Katie is currently being fitted with an "abdominal binder" to help make her more comfortable, and it sounds like they're going to try getting her up and walking soon!

Still no beverages.

Katie is off of the oxygen! And ready for more Dilauded. And very ready for something to drink. Not ice, actual liquid substance.

It's rather funny to see the medical students in the room. They just follow the doctors around (in groups of 1 or 2), saying nothing, ostensibly pretending they aren't there. But it's strange, because they are there, staring, saying nothing.

And Polly is here, visiting!

We are awaiting Paula's arrival on the 6th floor.

Room B4/654

3:10 pm Central Time --

Katie is all settled in in her room (well, we have been for quite some time). It is a private room, but the smallest hospital room I've been in. We've been joking that it must be intended to keep the overweight relatives away. We've already dodged one call from her grandmother (and by dodged, I mean we hung up the phone). The hospital is taking care of that (and by taking care of that, I mean they will be able to neither confirm nor deny to anyone that she is here at the hospital).

Currently, Katie is awaiting the start of pain medication, which they promise is on the way. It sounds as if she'll probably have to stick to ice chips for the rest of the night, and tomorrow might get the clear liquids. At least she doesn't seem hungry like she did this morning.

**Update: 3:38 pm -- They just brought the Dilauded in, and within a few seconds, Katie could feel the difference.**

Polly and Maggie have both called and Katie managed to talk with Maggie briefly. Polly is going to come by and visit later this afternoon/evening.

If you're ever visiting the hospital, I recommend the "California" sub sandwich.

How to contact us

The number of Katie's room is B4/654.

Her phone number is (608) 267-8474.


The number of Paula's room is B4/676.

Her phone number is (608) 267-8484.

I had a visitor!

Katie's friend Reid (in the picture, taken prior to surgery) just came by the surgical waiting area during his lunch break to check in on how everything was going. Thankfully I had nothing but good news to share!

I'm still waiting for news on when I can see Katie and to hear that Paula is out of surgery. It's really hard to believe that her surgery won't take much longer than Katie's, but I suppose it's probably a bit faster and easier when you open someone up, rather than doing it through little laproscopic holes. I'm off to the gift shop to look into getting Katie a balloon from Grandma and Grampa.

Surgery Update #3: Katie's in Recovery!

Katie is officially out of surgery and has been moved to recovery. Dr. Moon said that the surgery went well (no excessive bleeding or any complications). I won't be able to see her for another hour or maybe a little bit longer (he said the anesthesiologist decides that), but it's very good to know that she's out of surgery.

By the time I made all of the requisite calls and went to the bathroom, they received an update on Paula too. They're already finishing up on putting in her NEW kidney! It sounds as if soon I will receive a call from her surgeon, when she's off to recovery.

Transplant Update #2

Katie's kidney is out! They are going to be closing her up soon, then Dr. Moon will be down to talk to me. This is good news!

Katie's IV

Katie was very brave this morning, but she really did not like her IV.

It's now about 11 am. I am due for another update on both Katie and Paula soon. Hopefully they will say that Katie's out of surgery and that things all went well. Once they move her to recovery, it will be another hour or two before I'm allowed to see her.

Surgery Update #1

They took Paula away at about 9:15 this morning. The doctor said that once they got her back there it would be at least half an hour before they began surgery, so they should be starting about now (it's now 9:50).

I found the surgical waiting room and checked in. I have a big round pager like the ones they give you at restaurants, that vibrate and flash red lights. The hospital layout is a bit confusing, but I've encountered no problems thus far. I'm actually looking forward to more meals from the cafeteria. They have a great selection, including a sub place that looks really good. No lunch food was available yet (except for the premade stuff that doesn't look nearly as delightful), so I had cheesy potatoes, part of a crossaint, and a carton of chocolate milk. The cheesy potatoes were fatastic! I think perhaps they are to ensure a plethora of heart patients in the future.

A few minutes ago I got another update on Katie. Things are still going well and they're continuing with the surgery.

I got to meet just about everyone doing Katie and Paula's surgery. They're all very nice.

As I was leaving the transplant surgery check-in place, one of the nurses (the one who checked Paula in and hung out with us for a bit), told me that I have the most beautiful smile. I sure do like these people!

9:55 -- Another update: they've just begun Paula's surgery and things are going well thus far.

Surgery day

We sent Katie off to surgery (modeling the height of hospital fashion) about an hour ago and have nearly and hour to go before Paula heads back. Katie went off smiling (likely due in part to the happy drugs they were giving her through the IV). Everyone here has been very nice. They've been bringing Paula and I updates on Katie and say that she's "doing great". Paula and I got a good laugh when one very cheerful nurse came to tell us how my "sister-in-law" is doing...we don't really know where she got that one. I have the all-important job of eye glasses keeper.

As soon as Paula heads back, I'm going to go check-in with the people in the surgical waiting room, then head off for some much needed food. Katie says they have good cream of wheat and oatmeal...but I really hope they have lunch items available early, as it may only be 8:40, but I've been awake for about 4 hours and am really thinking lunch at this time.

Katie was really hungry when they wheeled her away, but we're hoping that has passed by the time she wakes up, as they aren't going to let her eat today, just clear liquids...which at Swedish includes gummi bears and lemon drops, so hear's hoping!

Katie's friend Reid came by this morning and will come back later this afternoon. He works at the VA hospital, which is attached to this hospital. It was nice to have another friendly person come keep us company.

We are ready!

It's Wednesday evening and we are both into the clear liquid phase. Since we have to be at the hospital at 5:30 tomorrow morning, it will be OK to be a little while with nothing coming in.

We had to have one last cross-match done after we got here. They have evidently developed a new test since February. We had to wait until this afternoon to get the results, but they were good and people are optomistic about our cross-match being a very good one!

Sarah will keep the postings going tomorrow and we really appreciate all the prayers and good wishes.!

Love to you all, ---Paula and Katie

The Last Supper...

...consisted of some yummy sushi, about 2 and a half hours after the last lunch (beer battered onion rings are fantastic)! This afternoon Katie and I went out for a nice walk down to State Street, while Paula rested at the hotel. We discovered a Landsend store (that is really like an outlet, since most of the things are catalog returns or "not quite perfect") right off campus, which made for a fun afternoon of browsing. We're now all hanging out in the hotel room, getting ready for the morning's events. Katie is quite pleased that gin and tonic constitutes "clear liquid". In support (and exhaustion), I too am only having liquid (of the slightly carmel colored Diet Pepsi variety). We head into the hospital early tomorrow morning. The expectation is that the surgery will go very well. I will have my computer and will keep everyone updated as to how things are going.

We appreciate all of the phone calls, emails, and comments people have been leaving for us--keep up the good work!

Sarah Arrives in Madison!

Well, I made it, but it was certainly a long haul to get here. The red eye flight is tiring, but I did have the benefit of a lovely exit row seat, giving me all of the leg room I could want. Plus, the guy sitting next to me was pretty friendly (and seemed quite appreciative when I shared my chocolate with him). Contrary to what I had heard, the Detroit airport was quite nice. I guess it used to be awful, but was remodeled. At 5:15 Eastern time (2:15 brain time) I had a yummy first breakfast of breakfast sandwich, hashbrowns, and fresh orange juice. Then I tried unsuccessfully to sleep until my 9:10 flight. Thankfully I was able to sleep for a bit during the hour and a half flight to Madison, as the plane wasn't full, so I moved to an empty row.

The driver for the hotel was nice. He took me on a tour of the UW campus on our way back to the hotel and told me all about the buildings and places around Madison. Of course, when I got to the room they were just beginning to clean it, so I dropped off my things and went down the hall for second breakfast. Then I took a shower and figured out how to log onto the internet. Now, I'm watching TV and clearly, I'm on the internet. Katie and Paula should be back from the hotel soon. Hopefully I'll manage to fall asleep for a bit first.

I seem to recall seeing some weird (CNN) news broadcast twice while I was half asleep in Detroit, about some man who claims to be pregnant. I'm going to go google it.

Monday in Madison

Hey, there!

We made it safely to Madison yesterday. The flights were on the uneventful side. In Minneapolis, we stopped for a little lunch at a place called Ike's which harked back to the "50s (they even provided a cracker basket with Paula's soup!). Katie's roast beef sandwich was great. Paula's "minestrone" was another matter. It was a greyish color and the consistency of wallpaper paste with some UFOs in it (unidentifiable floating objects); we think the orange ones were carrots and there were pieces of either chicken or turkey and maybe some barley. But the other brown flakey things--we have no idea. When the server came back, she asked if the soup was OK and we said we were used to minestrone with more broth. She admitted, "oh, that's not minestrone!" and brought a new bowl with soup more closely resembling what we expected.

When we arrived in Madison, it was snowing, bringing their annual total for this season to over 100 inches, a new record by over 25 inches and more than double their annual average. We had a lovely dinner with Polly, Katie's roommate from Lawrence.

Today we reported to the hospital at 7:30 and spent the morning with nurses, pharmacists, social workers, doctors, blood drawers, xray techs, EKG techs and the admissions folks. It did go very smoothly and we were able to accomplish quite a bit in a small amount of time. We go back this afternoon for one more doctor for Katie, and then we're done until tomorrow when Paula gets to do the Grand Circle Tour. Of course, we both go back on Wednesday for good measure.

Love, Katie and Paula

A little more information

Today is Friday and we have a little more information. We will be spending most of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at the hospital, getting to meet an incredible number of people. At this point, we expect that we will both be admitted to the hospital on Thursday morning, the day of our surgeries.

If you are wondering, why Wisconsin?, the answer is that Paula had a kidney-pancreas transplant in 1989 (18 October) which brought 25 years of diabetes to an end. At that time, and still today, the experience and superior results that had been acheived at Univ of Wisconsin were remarkable. It has been over 18 years and the kidney is giving out but the pancreas is still working. Since they need to take out the previously transplanted kidney--it is causing my blood pressure to go through the roof--and I want them to take good care of the pancreas, we are going back to where they did a good job before. I will have my same surgeon and it just feels right to be going back there again.

This time honestly feels so much simpler than the last time--though maybe not for Katie!! In 1989, Katie and her sister Maggie were 4 and 7 years old and I received my transplant from a young man who died in a motorcycle accident, and so had to literally drop everything and go when they called. This time, we have been able to plan the procedure for Katie's Spring break from school. We are hoping that Katie will be able to return to Seattle by April 3 or 4. It is hard to know when Paula will be back, but hopefully by mid-April.

Thank you for looking in on our blog and we look forward to letting you know that we are both through the procedures and doing well.

Love, Paula and Katie

We are leaving on Easter!

To all our family and friends--

We will try to keep you all up to date on how things are going in Madison. We are leaving in the morning on Easter Sunday.

Our surgeries are scheduled for Thursday, 27 March, at the University of Wisconsin Hospital. The address there is: 600 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53972.

We don't have most of the details yet, but when we do, we will post them here.

We appreciate all your positive thoughts and prayers!

Katie and Paula