A Kidney for Carl

02/23/2025

Today is 4 years since Carl had his transplant. He is doing amazingly well with a few small sidetracks. Bloodwork has been very good lately although his blood pressure was a little high at our last annual transplant checkup. So he's gone from being on meds to raise his blood pressure to a high blood pressure med. Also, as a result of some of the anti rejection meds, he's been battling skin cancer. A recent change to his meds will hopefully eliminate some of the issues he's had. Once again, we are thankful, grateful and blessed to be here. Thank you one and all for your continued prayers and positive messages that we continue to receive. Our love to you all.❤️

02/24/2023

02/23/2023

Well, it's been 2 years today since Carl received his new kidney. We thank God every day for Anna, Carl's donor. Things have been going well. Have hit a few snags along the way with skin cancer issues. Seems the anti rejection meds have lowered Carl's natural ability to fight skin cancer. Been to the dermatologist several times and she's given him a few new scars. Starting a new med soon that will hopefully help with that. We will wait and see. Carl is back to work full time and for the most part, enjoying it. It's good to feel useful again! The race car is getting prepped for the season. I know he can't wait to get out on the track again. We continue to work on med adjustments to find the best program for Carl but all in all, he's doing very good. Thanks again to everyone who has sent prayers, well wishes and just plain old good thoughts our way. We sincerely appreciate it and send all of our love back out to you. May God bless you all.

02/28/2022

Just over a year ago on February 23, 2021, Carl received a new kidney from a living donor. Today he had his one year followup at Hershey Medical Center. He met with the nephrologist, coordinator and attending physician. His physical progress this past year continues to get better and the team is very pleased with all of his bloodwork results and the way the anti rejection medications are working to keep him healthy. Follow up appointments are set up for every 4 months with monthly labwork. We sincerely appreciate all of your continued thoughts and prayers for Carl's continued recovery and healthy future. Thank you so much.💚

10/09/2021

Organ Donor Hero: Anna
Honored by: Carl
Date of Transplant: 2/23/2021

Honor your own Organ Donor Hero: http://wshe.es/VwzeZcd2

"I didn't meet Anna until a day or so after my transplant. She was a friend of the son of one of my wife's coworkers. She donated her kidney out of the true goodness of her heart to someone she had never met. She was our angel in a time of need." - Carl

Honor your own Organ Donor Hero: http://wshe.es/VwzeZcd2

09/06/2021

We are a little over 6 months post transplant and Carl is doing very well. Labwork is down to weekly draws and his meds seem to be stable. We've added one new grandson, a great grandson, a great neice and a great nephew this year. We are also waiting for our next grandson in November. I am so thankful that he is still with us and able to see this new generation grow. We celebrate his birthday today feeling very grateful and humbled. He continues to work on his strength and mobility and has been doing some side work to stay busy. Didn't make the race last month but looking forward to an October event. Again, thank you all for your continued prayers and words of encouragement.

03/29/2021

We are a little over our one month post surgery date. I'm happy to report that Carl is doing well. He continues to get his strength back and is ready to be outside during the nice weather. The docs are still adjusting his anti rejection meds and he gets lab work done twice a week. This will continue through May and then the frequency will diminsh as time goes on. We are still working through a low blood pressure issue but there are meds for that! He has passed his physical to drive his race car and will probably be ready for racing in early fall. He is really looking forward to getting back out on the track. In the meantime, he's spending his time in the garage "tinkering" with the car. Thank you again to everyone who is keeping him in their prayers. We sincerely appreciate it and honestly believe in the power of prayer. God Bless You All.

02/24/2021

I am thrilled to report that Carl came through his surgery with flying colors! He now has a new kidney that he has named "Sparky". I'm really not sure what was behind the name but I'm going to go with him having a new spark on life! LOL. Seriously though, the surgeon, nurses, support staff and everyone at Hershey Medical Center were awesome. I can't tell you how grateful we are to our living donor angel. I had an opportunity to sit with her husband today and just talk about families, jobs, interests, etc. What an amazing young woman to give of herself (literally) to someone whom she has never met. We will be forever grateful for the positive power of social media and all of our friends and family who have shared our story and prayed with us for a successful transplant. Without all of you, we would not be able to celebrate this success story. We ask for your continued prayers as our donor angel and Carl work their way through recovery. It's not going to be easy nor will it be quick but oh, how it will be worth it for everyone. Thank you Lord for keeping all of us safe and watching over us on this very special day. Amen

02/23/2021

Please send all your good thoughts, prayers and well wishes to Carl, our living donor and the entire surgical staff this morning and through the next several weeks! 💚💚💚💚💚💚

02/12/2021

Just a quick update... our visit with the team on Wednesday went well. We spent about an hour and a half with the surgeon discussing the process and getting all of our questions answered. Carl will be pre-admitted to the hospital on Monday, 2/22 and will have a Covid test. Surgery should start around 9:30am on Tuesday and will take anywhere from 4 to 6 hours. I will be able to be in the hospital surgical waiting room for when he's done. He will be in ICU for 2 days so they can monitor his output and make sure the new kidney is working. After that, he'll be moved to a regular room until Saturday if everything is working the way it's expected to work. They are allowing 1 visitor (which will be me) while he is in the hospital so that makes me feel a lot better. Once he's home he'll be on anti-rejection drugs for the rest of his life but it's a small price to pay for being able to resume a "normal" life. I'm grateful to the staff and coordinators at Hershey Medical Center. We couldn't have picked a better place for his transplant surgery. The doctors have all been optimistic about the procedure and we don't expect any complications. Every question that we've asked has been answered completely and in a way that we understand. We are at T minus 10 days now and are ready to "git 'er done" (as Carl is fond of saying). Your prayers, love and support have meant a great deal to us over the past years. I look forward to posting very positive results after the surgery. Keep the prayers coming! We are not out of the woods yet but we can see the light through the trees! May God Bless you all and keep you safe. Pat and Carl.

02/02/2021

We are now in countdown mode. Eight days until Carl has to go to Hershey for his pre-transplant evaluation. Chest x-ray, EKG and, of course, bloodwork! Surgery is scheduled for 2/23. He'll have to be admitted on Monday, 2/22 so they can get everything ready. January seemed like such a long month so we are really excited to be in February and counting down the days. Thank you again to everyone for sending your prayers and best wishes for him. It truly means the world to us knowing so many people have him in their daily prayers. The snow the past couple of days has put a whuppin on us both with shoveling and using the snowblower but we'll get through this and persevere to get us to the 23rd. Then it's a new battle to make sure he stays healthy and the new kidney works like it should. Thanks again to everyone. We love you all! ❤🙏❤

12/13/2020

Well, 2020 hasn't been that great a year with COVID and all of the problems that have cropped up this year. However, I am thrilled to let you know that it's not all that bad! We have a living donor who has selflessly agreed and passed all of the medical tests to become Carl's living donor! We are beyond thrilled with this news and will be forever grateful to everyone who supported us in Carl's fight for life! Surgery is scheduled for late February. Let's send 2020 out with a good swift kick in the pants and when it's time, welcome 2021 into our lives. It is going to be a GREAT year and we can't wait to celebrate! Again, thank you to everyone who has liked and shared this page. It's because of YOU and your prayers that we can now concentrate on the next year and the healing and recovery process that he and his amazing donor will face. I will continue to update as progress is made so stay tuned and please keep everyone in your prayers. Thank you! ❤️🙏