The Family Update

Friday, July 29th, Pop sent out an email:

"Well, I am up again.  They called me at 1 pm and said I am #1 for a kidney available later today or tomorrow.  They have to test it and make sure it is ok and then will let me know when to show up.  The last time they did this was June 4th, I was #3, and that kidney ended up with some sort of congenital defect and it wasn't transplanted.  My prayer is that if this is the right kidney for me, God let's the process move forward successfully.  If it happens, I will be in the hospital for about 5 days.  Patrick, Shelby and Nathan are supposed to visit us in Greenville next week but we may be at the hospital and not home!  And Kathleen plus kids is on her way to Ghana Africa tonight to visit Megan for a week.  Debbie or I will let you know how this develops later today or tomorrow.  Love  Tim "

It turned out the kidney belong to a smoker with hypertension and was not considered a good option. 

Still, that email is short encapsulation of what's going on within the wider family right now: A lot!

Pop's kidney function has been stable at 11% for the past 8 months. He went on the deceased donor's list after Nana's kidney was deemed "not good enough." So far, this was the second time he received a call (The first call was June 4th). The doctors seemed hopeful that another kidney would become available before not too long. Right now, Pop's in a stable spot and doesn't require dialysis, but if his kidney function declined he could lose the ability to be choosy about what's available. 

And none of that stopped Pop from working hard when Matt and Renee moved into their new house! I wrote about that last week, so I won't belabor the point here. Nana texted Matt to text me a video Renee had posted on Instagram of everyone hanging out and playing on the back porch. So far, they really like the new house!

Patrick, Shelby, and Nathaniel are due for a visit to Nana and Pop's. Nana and Pop didn't rent a beach house or travel this summer due to Pop being on the wait list for a kidney. When the doctors call, a timer starts, and they have to be ready to show at the hospital. 

Megan's family is back in Ghana. She posted a picture of B and Sammy after his first COVID vaccine shot.

Kathleen is with her! Ka and Stu drove up to MD to visit his side of the family, but Ka and the kids hopped on a plane and headed to Accra, Ghana.

Megan's posted a ton of pictures online.

It looks like they're having a ton of fun.

Shane is jealous. He's repeated multiple times, "I wish I could be in Ghana with them..."

It does look like a party! Unfortunately for him, what we could've spent on travel went to veterinarians and there's no way Carrie could manage for a week without me.

One of the reasons Shane's been so motivated to finish his chores early is to call the cousins overseas to play Robolox before they go to bed! There's a 4 hour time difference between there and here.

If you want the full story, you'll have to ask a twin. This is really their tale to tell!

I don't know of any other big happenings in the wider family currently going on. Jama is still in NOVA with Ed and a social star at their community. Dennis, Kevin, and Jim are all still in the Carolinas. Kevin was retiring soon and possibly moving closer to Nana and Pop. My cousins are off in the wild world working here, there, and everywhere (The Carolinas, Texas, Colorado, Nebraska, and...I think that's it). 

We're a big family all things told. Our farm is just a small Virginia branch of the greater whole. Nana is my main source of news from all the goings on.