Thankful and Hopeful

Today, during our year-end service at the church, I shared my testimony as follows:

I am grateful to our great and loving God for adding another year to my life and our marriage.  Bobby and I  have been together for 35 years and although the past year was full of trials and challenges in our faith, we overcame them because of the Lord's grace and mercy.

I'm 59 years old and I have a special part of me that is only 30 years old. I still see myself as a work in progress. The Potter is molding me into the person He wants me to be. 

As we approach the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, I hope Don Moen's song "Be Glorified" becomes a reality in my life.

"With every beat of my heart

Every song that I sing

Every prayer that I pray

Every offering I bring

In every thought that I have

Every word that I say

Oh, be glorified."

God is good and faithful at all times. May His name be glorified in all I think, say, and do. 🙏

Our 2-in-1 Happy Day

This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it! Yes, today is special as we are celebrating two important milestones. 

First, today is my 59th birthday. I'm deeply grateful to God for having reached this age. When asked how old I am, I don't hesitate to say my real age. It's a blessing to undergo aging because many have been denied it. And I always say that I'm a better version due to the lessons learned from the trials and various experiences I have been through.

Today is different from the past when we celebrated by the beach. Being by the sea never fails to relieve me from the day-to-day pressures of life as a working mom. Today, we are just home because the weather will not allow us to enjoy any beach in the province and nearby areas in the region.

Second, today is our 35th wedding anniversary. Wow, 35 years of God's faithfulness to Bobby and me despite our weaknesses through the trials, obstacles, conflicts, differences, and many other challenges that came our way. On our wedding invitation 35 years ago it was written, "You are not exactly what I prayed for. Apparently, you are the answer." I can now proudly say that he is the answer! 

So for the 2-in-1 celebration today, we just went to a flower farm in our town, had a quick tour of the greenhouses full of various colors of chrysanthemums and the open field with sunflowers, and savored the simple binalot meals of popular local dishes. Simple celebration yet cherished with loved ones. Thank you, Lord!

Six Months Post-KT

All my life You have been faithful. All my life You have been so good.

It has been six months since Cyd's nephrectomy and my transplant. Time seemed to fly so fast and I believe we've come this far by God's grace.

My nephrologist told me that the first six months after transplant is the critical period. It is at this time that common signs of rejection are manifested. Hence, medicines such as antiviral, antibacterial, and prophylaxis are orally taken by the recipient for the first six months to ensure that any infection will not occur within the period. Stopping my prophylactic meds means I have to be more careful because antirejection meds that are also immunosuppressants will be taken for a lifetime.

My nephrologist is confident that our case will succeed because the donor is my son. Though doubts and worries fill my thoughts sometimes, I'm often reminded of God's promises and how He has been faithful and good to me all my life.

Dear family, relatives, brethren, and friends, thank you so much for your prayers. May our Great Healer continue to keep us in the palm of His hands.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Fear Not

My morning devotion today is about courage or conquering fear.  It says "fear not" was mentioned 365 times in the Bible. Why so many? Because we tend to be afraid, discouraged, and worried about many things.

What's up in my fear list? First, I have an acrophobia or fear of heights. My knees tremble and I always get chills when I'm in a situation involving heights. I went up to the observatory of the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center in New York City, rode cable cars and Ferris wheels, and tried zipline rides but the fear remained though not as intense as before.

During a snorkeling escapade in Pangasinan where giant clams were cultured, I realized that I also fear depth. This was proven when we swam in the Enchanted River in Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur. The river is so deep and has a cave at the bottom. Since the water was clear, I felt drawn to the funnel-shaped entry to the cave as I swam.

I also fear snakes, confined spaces, and more, but these things top my fear list.

Fear says, "What if". What if I fall, what if I drown, what if I collapse, what if I get bitten, what if... Faith says, "Even if". Even if I get dizzy, even if I can't breathe, even if I get poisoned, even if I panic...

Indeed fear can paralyze us but God reminds us of His promises to fear not. I  claimed Psalm 23:4 when I was waiting for my kidney transplant. Isaiah 41:10, Joshua 1:9, John 14:27, Psalm 46:1-3, and many more.

"I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Project 82

As stated in My Mother's Daughter, I got my love for traveling from my mother.  I was in grade school when I started to have school break vacations outside the province. That vacation meant staying in my maternal grandmother's house in Las Piñas or my relatives' places in Batangas. I also joined a regional Girl Scout encampment in Mt. Makiling, Los Baños, Laguna.

I have just created a new photo album on my social media account entitled "Project 82".  As you may know, there are now 82 provinces in the country and I would like to share one photo that represents my visit to a province.  Unfortunately, I had no pictures to share about my travels from the 70's to the 80's.

I have now visited 61 provinces and wish to visit more when I am physically fit to travel again, Lord willing. 🙏

Errata: I checked Google Maps and found that we did not pass Kalinga and passed almost near the boundary of Apayao.

Born To Live For Christ

Today is my 45th spiritual birthday. As the Papuri song goes, "Nasa'n kaya ako Hesus kung wala ka, Di ko na malaman kung sa'n ako pupunta..."

As a kid, I believed I had to be good and do good deeds to go to heaven. As stated in my testimony when I was born again, Ephesians 2:8-9 changed my perspective and personal conviction. 

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Being good and doing good deeds will not save me. I was saved by the grace of God, through my faith in Him.

Through these years, I had ups and downs. I had sinned and been disobedient many times but God is faithful. He is a promise keeper. He is true to His words despite my unfaithfulness to Him. 

My life's purpose is to love Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I will continue to serve Him as my personal Savior and Lord. 🙏

"Thank You, Lord, for saving my soul,

Thank You, Lord, for making me whole,

Thank You, Lord, for giving to me,

Thy great salvation so rich and free."

Living Well With Higher Purpose

Recently I finished a documentary entitled "Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones". I don't aspire to live to 100, but spending my remaining days here on earth with purpose and fulfillment tops my priority.

What is a blue zone? It is an "area where people live longer than average, seemingly without strict diets, expensive supplements, or rigorous exercise routines."

Author and National Geographic explorer Dan Buettner summarized their secrets after visiting five blue zones: Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Loma Linda, California, USA; Ikaria, Greece; and Nicoya, Costa Rica.

These secrets are:

• Move Naturally: By Hand, Garden, Walk
• Outlook: Unwind, Faith, Purpose
• Eat Wisely: Plant-based, Wine, Moderation
• Connect: Family First, Partnership, Right Tribe

Live well. Live healthy. After all, our body is the temple of God (I Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19-20).

Father's Day

To Amyel's first love and Cyd's first hero, Happy Father's Day! You are loved, blessed, and truly appreciated as the pillar of our home. May the Lord grant you good health and all your heart's desire as you continue to delight in Him.

First Month Post-KT

Home sweet home!

It felt so good to be home after 10 days in the hospital. My nephrologist advised me to strictly observe isolation for at least three months. So I stayed in the master bedroom, masked even when I slept, and ate my meals in the adjacent family room. I stayed on the second floor all the time. Drinking water is strictly distilled water even for brushing my teeth. Good thing, my daily water intake goal this time is 2 liters.

Though I had to isolate at home, I had to go to NKTI for my weekly labs and consultations with my surgeon and nephrologist. How ironic! At NKTI, I'm exposed to people thus I have to take extra care. The weekly labs are part of PhilHealth's Z package. For my donor son, it was just one set of labs. 

The weekly lab results guided my nephrologist in prescribing the medicines I needed to take and the schedule. So every week I had a revised prescription and medicine reminder (alarm is the key!). This is critical because of my immunosuppressants/antirejection meds. Also, it has been challenging to wake up so early to be at NKTI by 5 a.m. for the Tacro Trough test. Blood sample extraction has to be done before I take my Tacro (antirejection med) at 6 a.m. 

Eating my meals had been a challenge too. I was used to having small but frequent meals even before undergoing HD. I had been following the Japanese practice of eating meals until 80 percent full. My surgeon told me my metabolism is fast to repair the surgical area and I shouldn't be surprised to lose weight. This time, my meals are loaded with protein-rich and high-caloric food.

Happy "monthsary" to me and Cyd! Thank you, Lord, for sustaining us through our first month after KT. I'm deeply grateful to Bobby for his love and patience as our chef, nurse, "drug dealer", driver, helper, housekeeper, etc. God bless you more! Thanks, too, to our remote nurse in the US, the owners of the condo unit in Makati where we stay when we have a two-day engagement at NKTI; family, relatives, churchmates, and friends for continuing to pray for our healing and recovery.  

All praises to our Great Healer! 🙏

My KT Journey

This is it! I was admitted to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) in the afternoon of May 2, 2023, two days before my kidney transplant. My donor son followed the next day.

The nurse on duty informed me that I would undergo dialysis on my first night. When I told her that my AV fistula was no longer working, my nephrologist was informed, and a surgeon confirmed it after the scan. I was brought to the operating room, and an IJ catheter was made. My HD was scheduled at 10 p.m. but pushed through at past 2 a.m. At 6 a.m., I took my first set of antirejection meds. The HD was repeated in the afternoon because my BUN was still high.

At around 5 a.m. the following day, I and my donor son were wheeled to our operating rooms. I was reciting Psalm 23 while the team was preparing me for the surgery. My son's nephrectomy started at past 7 a.m. and the transplant followed once the kidney was ready. From the recovery room, I think I was brought back to my room at past 4 p.m.

Thank God for seeing us through the operations. Special thanks to my sister-in-law, Glenda, who assisted me during my confinement, my doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff. 

This journey made me experience a lot of firsts:

• used a wheelchair

• got inserted with an IJ catheter

• underwent two dialysis sessions in one day

• transfused with 6 bags of platelets a few hours before KT

• started taking immunosuppressants and antirejection meds as well as other anti-meds and a whole lot more

• transfused with 1 bag of blood because my hemoglobin dropped to 5.3 g/dL

• used a catheter for peeing

• required to drink at least 3 liters of water per day (while on dialysis for 1 year and 8 months, my goal was 800 ml per day)

• stayed in the hospital for 10 days

My donor son was discharged three days after his nephrectomy. I was allowed to go home on the 7th day after KT but left the following day.

Thanks be to God for giving us the strength to overcome all the new experiences and receive His provisions while we were at the hospital. 

God is good all the time! 🙏

Goodness of God

God's goodness never fails. He is ever faithful and true. 

Road to Kidney Transplant

My HD sessions were smooth at the start. We would wake up at 4:00 am and leave the house 30 minutes after to be at the HD center at around 5:00 am for the first batch. As time went on, I began to experience its complications.

After more than a year of HD, my chest x-ray revealed heart enlargement (cardiomegaly) most likely due to exerting too much pressure to push around 2.8 liters of blood into the machine for cleansing. The echocardiogram showed mild regurgitation in three of my heart valves.

I was prescribed to take an anticoagulant even before I started my HD. Heparin, also a coagulant, was often injected during HD but through time, my platelets significantly decreased.  In March this year, flushing of saline solution was done every hour to avoid blood clotting and clogging the bloodline and dialyzer.

For one month, I experienced swelling due to fluid retention. I had to undergo HD three times a week to remove excess fluids then onward, the volume used for flushing was added to the total volume of blood for HD.

Because of these problems, I started to pray for a kidney transplant and a donor in June 2022. During our weekly online prayer meeting, I also requested our newly designated church Pastor to pray for it. When the plan was discussed with my family, my daughter immediately volunteered to be my donor. I said I would wait for her to finish her Ph.D. degree as a scholar in the US in December 2024. However, my vascular surgeon, the one who did my AV fistula, advised me to go for it while I was still stable and strong. Hence, I planned to enlist myself in the deceased organ donor program of NKTI-HOPE. Whichever comes first would be alright, I thought. When I went home after my initial consultation and discussed it with my family, my son said he would be my donor. What a blessing to have the full support of my family!

My donor and I started our workups on December 19, 2022. We were supposed to do the crossmatching, blood typing, and tissue typing first before we proceeded to the other lab tests but I firmly believed that we were matched and advised my donor son to do the other required tests to maximize our stay at NKTI. Yes, we are matched and then resumed the other tests in the second half of January. My son got cleared first but I was delayed for one month because of my UTI. Yes, there were delays but we believed that these happened to ensure that I am fit to undergo the transplant surgery and my donor son is fit to donate his kidney. Finally, we both got cleared by the first week of April and then applied for the Z package of PhilHealth. Our operation was rescheduled for another week because of some issues with its approval. We finally got the approval on the scheduled date of my hospital admission.

The worst HD experience happened in my last session before KT. My machine malfunctioned during the last hour of my session before the scheduled flushing was done. I had to transfer to another device. This resulted in a blood clot that clogged the bloodline and the dialyzer. The nurse tried to manually return the blood that just entered the bloodline but it was already clotted. Poor me! I lost so much blood and even worse, my AV fistula failed to bruit the following morning. Oh no! 🙏

📷 Google Image

Bali, Indonesia

From dialysis to dialysis. It was my first ever international travel since I started my dialysis treatments. My schedule is Tuesdays and Fridays. We're at the dialysis center before 5 a.m. and my session usually ends by 10:30 a.m. Thus I have three days off until the next session after Friday's treatment.

We were blessed to find a tour package that fit my dialysis schedule. So after my Friday session, we proceeded to the airport for our 6:45 p.m. flight to Bali, Indonesia on January 6, 2023.

On the first day, we were surprised to know that ours was just like a private tour. Bobby and I were the only passengers together with our car driver. Wow! We had been used to joining other people on bus tours. We visited the arts, cultural (centers of gold and silver works, woodcarvings, and Balinese paintings), and religious sites. 

The second day was a visit to the famous Bali swing. I am not a fan of swings due to my motion sickness so it was Bobby who got to enjoy the tallest swing and I just joined to try the other swings, minus the actual swinging but just for photo ops. Then we proceeded to a famous temple by the sea but we did not get to enter it because of the high tide. Besides the weather was too hot then.

After resting in the hotel in the afternoon, we walked a few blocks to a public beach. Plastic wrappers, used plastic cups, and empty water bottles scattered on the beachfront disappointed us. 

The morning of our last day was a visit to Tanjung Benoa Beach for some water recreational guides. Bobby got to experience the banana boat, flying fish, and jet ski. I forfeited my vouchers because I did not want to force my right arm where my fistula for dialysis is located.

Then it was time to proceed to Denpasar airport for our return flight before midnight to Manila. We got out of the airport at past 4 a.m. and I was able to sleep at home for an hour before heading to the dialysis center for my treatment.

Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to travel, your guidance, and protection.