KSU Alum needs a Wildcat Victory

11/13/2025

**Six months ago, my cousin Craig gave me the gift of life.**

He recently got his 6-month follow-up email from UNMC and shared this message with me. It hit me hard—in the best way. Here’s part of what he said:

> “I had a rush of emotions. So much has changed in six months. I feel like my faith has grown in ways I never imagined. I’ve grown closer to my kids and watched their faith evolve and grow too. Caiden is thriving thanks in part to you and your family. I feel that the Beenken side of the family has grown closer with mine and that’s something I’ve prayed for.
> I’d never felt a calling to do something so strongly in my life. It was so overwhelming that I neglected to fully understand my wife’s feelings. I made some mistakes in how I communicated my feelings with her at first, and I’ve learned that I need to make sure she understands my ‘why’ all the time. It’s strengthened our marriage and helped, hopefully, make me a better person.
> I love you and your family and I’d do this all over again.” 💚

Reading his words brought a flood of emotions. I got my own 6-month reminder from OnePatient just last week, and I couldn’t believe how fast time has flown. It made me stop and reflect on everything that’s happened since the transplant.

Craig’s faith, courage, and heart through all of this have been nothing short of inspiring. To hear how this journey has deepened his relationship with his kids, strengthened his marriage, and grown his walk with God—it’s powerful. I truly believe this was part of a divine plan, and I’m humbled to have walked it with him.

Caiden thriving, our families growing closer, and the spiritual growth we’ve both experienced—those are gifts I’ll never take for granted. I also feel like I’ve grown much closer to Craig’s family through all of this, and I was so glad to finally meet them and feel such an awesome connection. Their warmth and support meant the world to me.

This journey has also brought new clarity and intention to my relationship with Jenny. Not that we didn’t have a good connection before, but we were both guilty of not carving out time for just the two of us. Since the transplant, we’ve been more purposeful about making space to connect, and it’s already made a difference. I’m so grateful for her strength, her love, and the way she’s walked this road with me.

Craig, I love you, man. You gave me life—literally—and I’ll spend the rest of mine trying to honor that gift. I’m proud to call you my cousin, my donor, and my brother in faith. Thank you for everything. I’d walk this road with you a thousand times over.

09/01/2025

08/23/2025

Wound care is complete, and have medical release to return to work this coming Monday! Improvements every week.

Go to a follow up appointment in Nebraska soon. Hope to learn more from them about how they feel I am doing and when possibly I can decrease my steroids as I am still trying to find the right balance with those meds side effects.

Thank you all for staying in touch and following my progress.

It is absolutely amazing as to the path I have witnessed that God has put me on. I am truly blessed!

Craig’s recovery amazed me as well and we are loving having his son Caiden down here attending WSU and being part of the Air Force Reserves at McConnell Air Force Base.

I will keep everyone updated as I continue down my journey.

07/30/2025

07/29/2025

After starting a new medication on Friday to boost my white blood cell count, I experienced excruciating bone pain, which led me to the ER over the weekend. My University of Nebraska care team had advised me to seek emergency care for pain management if it became too severe. Even with three different strong pain medications administered at the ER, the discomfort remained largely unrelieved, though the medication did help me get enough rest.

Yesterday, I was still achy and tired, needing pain medication twice. After a good night's sleep, I'm happy to report that the pain has significantly decreased today, rating only a 1 to 3 on the pain scale.

Despite the intense pain, the medication successfully increased my white blood cell count, achieving the desired outcome. Honestly, the pain from this medication was even worse than what I experienced after surgery.

07/27/2025

This is the last day for these meds. My white blood cell count was dangerously low due to one of my anti rejection meds.

The med I started on Friday for 3 days to counteract this issue and stimulate my bone marrow to make more white blood cells they said would cause pain that could be treated with Tylenol.

However I am one of the 15 percent that gets severe pain with this med so they gave me 4 different pain meds over the 3 hours I was in the ER and none really touched the pain, but made me sleepy enough to get some rest once released to go home.
Woke up a bit better. Did my last dose of the white blood cell medicine about 2 hours ago. I just took a hydrocodone a few minutes ago as I feel the pain starting to creep back in now. Praying to the Man above that I get past this soon. Getting stir crazy.

07/27/2025

Back in the ER this Sunday morning with side effects of a new med. Looking for some relief.

06/29/2025

As you may be aware from Jenny's post yesterday, we received news from our medical team that we could return home once we had arranged for post-transplant care to be transferred to the Wichita area. We successfully accomplished this by early Friday afternoon, which enabled us to depart the Omaha area yesterday morning.

I am still in the process of adjusting to my medication regimen and am experiencing various issues while trying to rest and adhere to a suitable diet to facilitate liver regeneration to the necessary size for my body. As a result, I have multiple appointments with a local team for continued monitoring and repair of my incision site as well as multiple appointments during the week for bloodwork to be drawn to ensure that all my numbers continue to look and trend in the right direction. Jenny and I are deeply grateful to be back home and appreciate the continued prayers and support from everyone. We are also thankful to my cousin Craig and his family for their sacrifices and assistance in helping me recover to a point where I can function and live life without the constant threat of liver failure.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR FOLLOWING US, PRAYING FOR US AS WELL AS POSTING UPLIFTING COMMENTS!!!

06/25/2025

Jenny and I took our normal walking route to the hospital yesterday morning so I can get my wound VAC looked at. On the way over we got into the first building and we're getting ready to get on the elevators to go up a couple floors and Jenny ran into a college friend from Iowa, but attended Highland with her who lives in the Omaha area.

We were gonna try to get together with them after my appointment and their appointment but it didn't work out so we're gonna try to get together on Friday before they leave town for the holiday weekend.

We got to the clinic to have my open incision assessed and how the wound VAC is doing to help treat it and when the physicians assistant and the nurse pulled off the wound VAC bandaging they are very happy with what they saw and decided to go a couple more days with the wound VAC.

Tomorrow I have a follow up appointment and they will pull off the wound VAC again and assess again if I continue with the wound VAC or go a different path with the open incision points.

On Monday, I went in for some bloodwork, and as a result of that bloodwork, they have changed an anabiotic to a different anabiotic, as some numbers were starting to trend in the wrong direction. I started those antibiotics yesterday and waiting for the bloodwork to come in from today to see if those numbers are trending back down .

After tomorrow's appointment, we should know a little bit more with regards to what the future holds for us in staying in the Omaha area.

Right now, I am focusing on trying to get enough walking in for rehab and trying to get my strength back. Still not sleeping the absolute best but that could be due to a lot of the medication I’m on and my body still trying to adjust that.

Still treating the blood clot that they found in my lungs. Still sleeping a lot during the day as my body is still healing up in between sleeping, we are going to appointments or running errands.

06/20/2025

It's official I've been bounced from the hospital. They gave me a take home wound VAC and I'm supposed to have a follow up appointment for it this coming Tuesday morning. Until then only sponge baths. I do have or I'm still on blood thinner and then on the 26th the blood thinner dose drops down a little bit and also on anabiotic for about another 6 to 8 days.

I have bloodwork that I have to do Monday, Wednesday and Friday this next week. And also have an appointment Thursday with the transplant team. I'm hoping to learn this Thursday what their approximation is as to how much longer I need to stay in the area.

Also, my white blood cell count has dropped down to within normal range at this point and believe it is or was raised as a result of the blood clot found in my lungs. All my other liver enzyme numbers are all looking really good and feel pretty good. Just didn’t get a whole lotta sleep last night as I was woken up every few hours for blood pressure temperature in pulse ox

06/19/2025

OK, so the latest update is that the surgeon came around with a team they looked at my open wounds and they have since put a VAC system to help wound healing for my incision points that are open. They also ordered a Doppler to be done just to ensure there's no Blood clots in my legs. As it stands right now, the surgeon and team are looking to try to get me out of the hospital tomorrow morning. Praying that everything goes well tonight so that we can be discharged early tomorrow morning.

06/19/2025

Today’s Featured Cupcake is The Bourbon Bacon a chocolaty cupcake topped with Bourbon buttercream drizzled in melted chocolate topped with a spiced sweet maple bacon piece and pipette filled with Jack Daniel’s 😍😋
Cupcake lineup with other delicious flavors are…
Lemon Raspberry
Melissa Etheridge Birthday Cake
Peach Cobbler
Coconut Cream
Butter Rum
Strawberry Delight
Strawnana
Grasshopper
Lemony Lemon
Carrot
Reese’s
Chocolate Cravings
Triple Chocolate
Red Velvet