Last year I was placed on the waiting list for a new kidney. Over 92,000 people are currently on the list. Each day, about 74 people receive organ transplants. However, 18 people die each day waiting for transplants that can’t take place because of the shortage of donated organs. For more information go to http://www.organdonor.gov/

A year ago today, I got a call from the transplant center about a possible donor. I went into the hospital at midnight for tests, they were supposed to have the kidney at 4 am. It turned out that they didn't get the kidney until 4 pm. So I spent the whole night and next day in the hospital waiting. I could not eat or drink, missed a dialysis treatment and a dosage of medication, plus they gave me a laxative which had an explosive effect.

When the kidney came in (it was flown in from somewhere) they did a cross match test where they add my blood to some of the kidney tissue to see if my antibodies would attack the kidney, which it did, so they sent me home. It seems that due to my blood transfusion I have too many antibodies making finding a match very difficult.The hospital stay took quite a toll on my body, when I left I could barely walk.

Meanwhile, my father died as I was being admitted into the hospital. I wanted to go up to NY and go to the funeral when I got out but I let my mom and my husband talk me out of it. They were worried about my health, I was too weak to make the trip.

I had been to NY two weeks prior to this to see my dad in the hospital, we knew that he was dying and I am so glad I was able to go and say goodbye. My dad smoked for 40 years and died of lung cancer one year ago today and I miss him although I am glad that he is no longer suffering.

Maybe I'll get a kidney, or maybe I won't and I am okay with that, I just try to take care of my health and thank God for every precious day that I am here.

The title of this entry is a quote from a friend of mine which inspired me to compare the learning of history to the learning of religion.

When you are taught history in elementary school you are taught the facts and to succeed you most memorize them, For example, Abraham Lincoln was born on Feb.12, and he freed the slaves, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7., and you believe without questioning everything you are told.

When you get to high school you learn that there is more to it than that, that the civil war was fought for many reasons. You learn to look at it from the point of view of both sides, and learn that there are many contributing factors. You learn that the history of WWII is taught differently in Japan than it is in the US, and that you must consider the source and point of view of the author when you read something. There is no simple answer to who was right and who was wrong, and your teachers ask you to be able to present both sides of an issue.

Then, when you get to college, your professors want even more. They want your own opinion about what you have learned. They want you to question everything you read and form your own conclusions.

Now consider the teaching of religion. Most of us are taught the facts of our religion when we are of elementary school age. We are asked to memorize them and to accept them as facts. Whether we are taught from the bible, the Qur’an or whatever, we are expected to believe that is it true.

The problem is that many people never advance to the next school level. They refuse to consider that other points of view may also be valid. In the course on religion, too many people are stuck in elementary school, believing what they have been told, and never questioning. They use the word faith to hide their ignorance. They memorize quotes that they really don’t even understand.

In my opinion it would help if we actually were taught religion in high school, just as we are taught history, presented from different sides.

Personally, I spent quite a few years learning about various religions at the high school level, and I have recently progressed to the college level. I don’t believe or agree with everything that my minister says, I listen and form my own opinions.

My family has all gone home, although I’ll miss them, I enjoy the quiet and solitude.

This weekend I am going to spend some quality alone time with my husband.

I have been using glasses to read books for the last two years, and now I have finally given in and will be wearing them while using the computer also.

Yesterday my 15 year old daughter met a boy. I’m not sure I am ready for this.

I am so glad that I found Blogstream, you people are really great.

He had put his life in her hands, and so she had to make the decision. She took a deep breath and said to the detectives, “Okay. If he decides to cooperate, could we leave the state on our own, without being in the witness protection program?”

Luckily, Agent Goodman said that could be arranged. She figured they could go stay with his family in Florida for awhile, that way she could keep in touch with her kids, and hopefully they would be far enough away to be out of danger, they would have to take the chance, she could not bear to give up her children.

Over the next few hours, her husband confessed to two counts of armed robbery. He would be given immunity for everything else he had done with this crew and the detectives wanted as much information as they could get. There had been a dozen other smaller jobs that he had been involved in, including using stolen credit cards, passing counterfeit bills, burglary and drugs. Her husband answered question after question, it seemed to go on endlessly. Finally they were finished, he would be released the next day.

It was getting dark as she left the building, what a horrible evening. Freezing rain was coming down and she wasn’t sure where the bus stop was. She wanted to cry, or scream, but she didn’t, she was afraid that if she broke down now she would lose her mind, she had a baby to go home to, she had to be strong. Plus she had to face her family, they had never liked her husband at all. The last thing she needed to hear right now was “I told you so”.

Perhaps her parents had been right, she thought about when she and her husband had decided to have the baby, he had promised that he would hold a steady job, and give up drinking and drugs, That had lasted for almost three years, then he lost his job and got involved with some bad people. And now she had to stick by her husband, she felt she had no other choice and it spite of what he had done, she still loved him.

Her husband got out of jail the next day, it was March 9th, her birthday. The kids came over and they all had dinner upstairs at her sister’s apartment. She has a couple of pictures from that evening, but she doesn’t remember it, she doesn’t remember what she told the kids, or if they said goodbye. Thinking about it still makes her cry. After the kids went home, they had packed a few things, and lay down on the bed to try and rest, but they couldn’t, so they just held each other. Then in the middle of the night, when no one was around, they put a few belongings into their car and left the city.

Epilogue

Her husband flew back to New York under an assumed name several times to testify, he was threatened in the courtroom and kept in protective custody while giving his testimony. The man he testified against was found guilty on various counts and sentenced to forty years.

Jimmy Lorenzo also pleaded guilty and cooperated and was sentenced to five years probation, and. is currently in the witness protection program.

Her husband was sentenced to five years probation, they bought a house in a rural area, he got a job and gave up drinking and drugs. That lasted around three years, then a rich lady made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.

If you have been reading my blog prior to this story, then you already know what happened next.