I am so excited to say that I am finally closing the chapter on ESRD. If you want to know how this all began you can check out my last post concerning my kidney disease here. This has been a long and trying journey that we have been on as a family but God has been faithful through it all. I do not deserve the goodness that has been shown towards me and this just goes to show how much God cares for us.
On Wednesday, August 28th I received a message from my transplant coordinator that I needed to call her back ASAP. When she calls me it’s because she wants to make sure that I am getting all my monthly testing and labs done. So I did not immediately call her back. After she called me she called my wife immediately and said I need to call her back ASAP. She has never called my wife right after calling me so we thought something serious was going on in my blood work. When we called her back she was ecstatic and could barely form the words but she said “we have the perfect donor for you!” my mouth dropped open and my heart started to pound through my chest. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing on the other end of the phone. I was prepared to wait years for a kidney because during my orientation in 2018 they told me I could expect to wait 5 years for a kidney. They placed me at the bottom of the list of recipients because I’m young, healthy and my body was functioning as if I did not have any kidney issues so when we received the call I was in belief.
I hung up the phone with my coordinator and called my wife. I excitedly shared the news that they found a kidney for me. We shed some tears over the phone, thanked God and shared the news with our family. My preop appointment was scheduled for September 4th and it was a success. During my preop, they told us my surgery was scheduled for September 11th. I couldn’t believe how fast it was going, it was all a blur. September 11th came, the day of the surgery, the day we have prayed for believed God for and the day we thought was years away was finally here.
The surgery was a success with no complications. The doctors said it couldn’t have gone any better. So I am closing this chapter of my life. I was able to overcome stage 5 kidney disease (the final stage of kidney disease) only through the power of the Holy Spirit who sustained me through it all. I want to thank everyone that went on this journey with me. Your prayers. phone calls, emails, text messages, facebook posts, cards, flowers, gift cards, edible arrangements, and all other expressions. I am well on my way to recovery and during this process, I have been reminded two big things about God.
God Is A Strategist
The journey to Florida started back in early 2017 when one of my best friends called me and asked if I would be interested in working with him at a church in Florida. At this time I was working for Pre-Born a national non-profit located in Indianapolis as their Director of Communications, running The Aspire Group, the youngest professional on the board for our local Black Chamber of Commerce, and serving at my local church. It was going great in Indiana for myself and my family. So when he called I was reluctant to say yes but I got a check in my Spirit. You know that check that says HEY!!!! So I said yes, flew down for the interview and had a good time but I was not convinced that I should take it. When I flew back home I was not sure if I should take it. For some reason, though I couldn’t shake it, I felt like I had to be down here. I was not sure why but it felt like it was crucial for me to take this opportunity. I sought counsel from people that I trust and prayed about it a lot! So against the wishes of my wife I took the job and on October 17th, 2017, I took the job. Then on February 9th, 2018, I ended up in the hospital in Florida where I was diagnosed with stage 5 kidney disease. If I did not take the position I would have not had the insurance to cover the millions of dollars that it has ended up costing. Come to find out Florida has one of the fastest rates for receiving kidney transplants. God was planning my recovery way back in 2017. It is amazing to think about it.
Faith Is Trusting God Even When You Do Not Understand
This whole process was a faith walk. It took faith for me to move down to Florida from Indiana, to move my whole family just because I felt that God was leading me this way. While I believe God was talking to me not too many people around me thought the same. I’m one that takes council from a few trusted people and while speaking with them they did not say don’t do it but they did not say do it either. They all said, “if you believe God is talking to you then you should do it.” I was looking for confirmation but it never came, the only confirmation was that still small voice in my heart telling me to trust God. I think back to the day I decided to do it and all the tears and intense discussion moments my wife and I had. I couldn’t explain it to her but I just knew we had to make the move. If I never made the move I wonder if I would be here today. While I was doing great in Indiana I did not have insurance so I probably never would have gone to the doctor that night on February 9th while I was in Indiana. [bctt tweet=”There are times in your life when God speaks only to your heart about something and you must trust his voice and move even when no one else understands it. ” username=”daronjgeorge”] Moving to Florida saved my life and kept us from financial ruin, there is no way we could have afforded the numerous doctor visits, the medicines, the labs, and the plethora of other things we had to do. Just for an idea the medicines I am on now post-transplant cost $5800 a month without insurance.
As I said earlier I am closing the chapter on this part of my story. It has been an amazing, faith-filled journey but I for one am glad this part is over. Looking forward to the next adventure.
