A "Practice Run"

My son was knocking on the bedroom door. I woke up kinda groggy due to the side effects of some of my medications. All of the sudden the thought came to me: "I am late for work". But he told me: "Emory is on the phone". So I answered the phone, and the lady on the other side of the line asked me: "Is this Victor Delgado?", to which I answered, "Yes, I am". She, then, asked me if I could show up at Emory for an SKP Transplant. I was still drowsy, so I had to ask again what did she say. She proceeded then to say that it was for a simultaneous kidney/pancreas transplant. Also, she asked me if I could be at the hospital by 5:00 am. After recovering from the shock of the news, I asked for the time and she said it was 2:24 am. My instant response was that if it was possible to arrive at Emory around 5:30, close to 6:00. She mentioned the need to be there as close to 5:00 as possible. When I hung up the phone, my wife, Marta, was already calling my sister-in-law,Nancy, who is a vital member of our team and my official driver to Atlanta. She was already home within 20 minutes.
While those 20 minutes transpired, a comical chaos was taking place at home, trying to pack up the bare necessities needed for the surgery. We managed to leave my house around 2:50 am. Nancy turned the hazard blinkers on, which helped to put us in Atlanta at 4:18 am (it took us about an hour and 28 minutes to get there!).
We arrived at the hospital, I was admitted. and then a thousand questions followed my arrival (specially about my medical history).
Worth mentioning is the fact that since I was going to get prepped for surgery, I was already fasting--since 6:30, the evening before ( if I have known better, I would have pigged-out until midnight!).
Around 3 hours and 16 blood vials later, I was place in what it was going to be my recovery room. It was so exciting, specially when one of the recovery nurses would come from time to time to give us an update on the time of the almost taken place surgery. Different nurses would come in one from Kenya, another one from Pakistan...all to check my vitals (oh, I forgot to mentioned the X-Rays of my chest taken--during the which, I was trying to bribe the nurse into letting me hug the snack machine and get something to eat from it...however, it didn't work).
Amazingly, all throughout this time my wife, my sister-in-law, and I had just a sense of peace during this process that God only can provide.
Around 2:00 pm, the kidney surgeon came to tell us that another surgeon went to Macon to remove the organs of the donor that was on life support. He also mentioned that the earliest the surgery would take place would be 7:00 pm.We were patiently awaiting. But the hunger pangs was nothing easy to bear. Marta and Nancy had a small snack consisting of juice and crackers, while I was savoring a few packs of granulated sugar (my blood sugar became low during the wait).
Finally, around 5:20 pm, the surgeon came in indicating that he had a bit of
bad news: the kidney that he received was in good shape, but the pancreas wasn't. Therefore it was best not to proceed with the surgery. I believe that he was surprised when we reacted with such a sense of peace, even telling him that God is in control. He also said that I was on the top of the list, which at the same time was very exciting.
The fact of knowing that God loves us, he wants to give us the very best when we trust in Him, and knowing that He's in control of everything, made this journey, not only a good practice run, but also an exciting and hopeful one!

What's the latest...

It has been a while since I have posted anything. These last couple of weeks, however, I've been visiting my allergist as the last, I do hope, evaluation required by emory. As of now, I am on what they call INACTIVE transplant list, pending on the results of the allergist. This might change, though. The hematologist at Emory wants to find out why my eosinophil (white blood cells) count is very high, so this might mean more testing. The normal count is up to 350 per ml, mine is 1200. Anyway, the allergist nurse performed an allergy test on me. We found out I am allergic to almost everything, including allergic to myself. I told her that I am allergic mostly to medical bills, which I am sure most of the patients are too. Spring time is the worst with all the seeds and pollens traveling in the air. So, there it is.
INACTIVE means that I am on the list for transplant; I am even moving up on the list, but if a kidney and a pancreas becomes available, I cannot receive them due to more testings on my inmune system to make sure my body can endure the surgery.
So, please , keep praying for me. This means the world to me. Prayer works!!!
Also, if the Lord puts it into you heart to support me in whichever way you may desire to, I'll be inmensely grateful for it. God bless you!!!

Silent Auction

On June the 8th, the Shallowford plant of the Olan Mills, Inc., celebrated a silent auction. Over 160 items from kind people and companies were auctioned. They were beautifully displayed. There were items such as furniture, frames, jewelry, pictures, beauty items, and certificates to mention a few. The employees had so much fun writing down their offers knowing that they were helping me to get closer to my goal of getting a kidney/pancreas transplant. At the end of the auction, $2,000 were collected, which in my book, it is people's love at its best. God bless each one of you. You are wonderful people! My special thanks to Sue, Janet, Carolyn, Wanda, my wife, and all the people that made this auction possible. Images will be soon posted. Thanks!

Hot Dog Luncheon...

On May 21, 2010 my department at the Olan Mills, Inc. performed a fundraiser for my transplant, selling hot dogs, cole slaw, chips, sodas and pastries. It was a huge success! My co-workers and friends responded in a very giving way by donating more than the value of the meal. Thye amount raised was $1,279.30. My thanks, specially to Sylvia, Peggy, Tom, Jerry, Ken, Paul, and all other friends involved in the fundraiser.

JAMPcon, an unusual fundraiser!

Hey, everyone! Leslie here, Victor's daughter! I'm here to tell you about a most unusual fundraiser I did. Have any of you ever gone to a convention? There are all kinds of conventions! Wedding conventions, animal conventions, boat conventions, baby conventions, Star Trek conventions..... well, I attended a Japanese animation and comics convention! JAMPcon, here in Chattanooga, TN. As unusual as that may sound to you, it's also a creative way to get the word out there! I had my own table at the convention's Artist Alley, where I sold prints, buttons, coloring books, and pillow dolls, wares from last year's convention, and all of my own artwork. I even had copies of my husband's and my novel for sale. It was with this I was able to raise a donation toward my dad's kidney-pancreas transplant. The Lord has blessed us incredibly, and He doesn't seem to be done!

Are you interested in cartoons, comics, and videogames? If you do, be sure to check out Anime Weekend Atlanta in September; I'm headed there next!

Computer Giveaway...

...And the winning number was 592852, Ms. F. Juarez. Congratulations!

Thanks to all of you who participated in this event. The total amount raised was $2,100. To those who are praying for me, and to those who gave, God bless you!

A few more things...

In all honesty, the journey of getting a kindney/pancreas transplant has been, so far, a challenging one. After many medical evaluations and labs, the process continues. However, I am so encouraged by the amazing family and friends that are so eagerly working to help me achieve my goal. I want to take the opportunity to thank Perla Trevizo from the Chattanooga Times Free Press, who took the time to write my story and put it in the newspaper. After reading the article, people has responded so positively by making donations to help cover the cost of the surgery.
At the present time, I have completed all of my medical evaluations required to go into the transplant list. I am so excited about the prospect of having a working kidney and a pancreas, which means that I will not need to go through dialysis and my diabetes will be cured!