Max's last night on dialysis! Please share, pray and send us your love for tomorrow!

By my calculations, tonight will be Max's 530th night to spend on dialysis.  Since June 27, 2011 he has spent 15-22 hours a night hooked up to dialysis.  He has struggled on it with discomfort, reflux, vomitting and feeling chronically full.  He has been such a trooper and waited so patiently and tomorrow his day is finally here! Tomorrow Max gets his dad's kidney and he gets to pee and be freed from dialysis! When we did this in May with Addie, we were not sure just how much better life with a kidney would be.  Now Addie has shown us just what an amazing difference it makes.  And so we are so pleased that Max's day is here.  We do ask for lots and lots of prayers to surround Max, and Al too tomorrow.  And of course in the days that follow. 

We are blessed beyond words that we were both matches for our babies and tomorrow we become a one kidney family- a process we have been working towards for a very long time.  It was one of the greatest privileges of my life to give Addie my kidney and I know Al feels the same about doing this for Max.  Al will go back for surgery around 7am tomorrow (which is 9am Houston time and 2am Melbourne time).  He is having his surgery done laproscopically, instead of open like mine was. Max being much bigger than Addie was has made this less invasive technique possible and although he will have a sizeable incision and plenty of pain, his recovery should a bit easier, especially for walking etcetera.  The surgery is also fairly long and the surgeon predicts he will be in surgery for around 5 hours.  Max will go back to get started before Al is done, probably around 10am (noon in Houston, 5am in Melbourne).  And he will also have a several hour surgery.  They will both come back groggy and riding some pain meds tomorrow.  Max will remain on a ventilator for several days. 

We would appreciate prayers for all the details of tomorrow, for safe anaesthesia and surgery experiences for both of them.  That Max would begin making urine on the operating table, as his sister did, and for protection over his lungs and heart in the days following surgery.  We would appreciate prayer for minimal pain for both of them and effective management of pain meds for them.  And while you are praying, please say one for those of us waiting... for me and Al's parents here in California and also for Addie and my parents in Houston.  It is a nerve-wrecking day for all of us and we will all be feeling better 24 hours from now to have this past us.

Please feel free to share the link to this blog or just their names on Facebook or at work or with your friends.  If you have not send a message for Max, it is definitely not too late and messages tomorrow would certainly encourage us or just knowing that people are praying for them and thinking about us. It is so different being on the caretaker side and not the donor side this time and I will definitely be anxious tomorrow and will appreciate messages and support throughout the day.

We saw what a wonderful miracle transplant was for Addie and we love seeing what life it has breathed into her.  So tonight we pray for Max's miracle and that tomorrow will be the start of so many new adventures for our little man.   Thank you to everyone who has and continues to pray for my precious babies. 

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