Home again

He's been discharged from the hospital and he's home again. Thank you to all who have been so helpful during this scary time. We truly appreciate all of you! 

Minor setback

He checked back into the hospital yesterday. His blood levels weren't changing the way the doctors wanted them to so they did a biopsy to check on things and thought it best to have him at the hospital to give him the necessary meds through an IV. The doctors have said that this is a minor setback and that they like the direction his blood levels are going. 

He convinced them to let him wear his own clothes this time. 

They're home!

Home sweet home on Friday, Aug. 28th, 2015. 

Sunday

Both attended church today wearing their "Happy Socks" from Bishop Brown. Recovery never looked so good! 

Note: Just a reminder to please keep your distance from Sanford. His immune system is extremely compromised to prevent the donor kidney from rejecting. As much as he wants to talk to each and every one of you, it's just not safe. Please don't take offense and help him out by staying a few feet back and don't touch him (no hand shakes, hugs, etc.). 

We're so grateful for all the love and caring we've all received during this amazing process. Thank you. 

Day 3

Here they are! Bob's up and about. Sanford is restricted to his bed for a little while because they just took his port out. 

Both are looking good! 

Up and walking!

He was up and walking last night, but I was too tired to post it. He says he feels this surgery more than the last one, but that the pain is still minimal. He and Bob walk to each other's rooms to visit :)

Cruising down the hall. 

Bob came by for a visit. 

Update #3

Sanford and Bob are both in their rooms recovering nicely. The kidney is already working! 

Update #2

They have successfully removed Bob's kidney and they're prepping it for Sanford. Bob is doing well and he should be in recovery in about 15 minutes and he'll stay there for an hour. Sanford's surgery will probably be another couple of hours. 

Update

They've taken him back and from phone call updates, we know Bob is also doing well. 

He made the crazy face. 

Update

They've taken him back and from phone call updates, we know Bob is also doing well. 

He made the crazy face. 

Surgery #2

Sanford and his donor, Bob, on their way to register for the transplant surgery. Bob should go in for surgery at 9:00am and Sanford at 11:00am. I'll update as I have more information. 

As always, thank you for your continued support, good vibes, and prayers. 

Transplant Update

The transplant surgery has been moved up because he's been healing so well, and because they didn't fix his second hernia. The new surgery date is August 25th. 

Post surgery he'll need to be careful about being around anyone who is sick. We all know he's a talker and very social, so please help him out by keeping a distance if you or someone you live with is sick and don't be offended if he doesn't stop to chat to groups of people. He'll still be fine to work and plans to be at church, but will avoid large groups of people. 

Thank you again for all of your prayers and love. Keep it up, it's working! 

Recovering at Bear Lake

He's out of the hospital and recovering nicely at Bear Lake. He's at the hospital in Montpelier receiving his second out-of-hospital dialysis treatment right now. He's been feeling great and he's just been taking it easy sitting on the beach. 

The Twins Have Arrived!

Better late than never... Announcing the birth of Pebbles and Bam Bam! 

Photo credit: Debbie Martin :) 

Dialysis Day 2

Just about finished with his second dialysis treatment and all is going well. They put the blood back in colder than what comes out to help lower blood pressure; thus the blankets. 

Dialysis Day

So, they were going to do dialysis last night, but he had an allergic reaction to one of the many things they were pumping into his body through his IVs. They post-poned the dialysis to keep a closer eye on him last night, but now we're up and running with the dialysis. 

He's doing well. Sometimes patients feel sick or get headaches, etc. with their first dialysis treatment, but so far none of that for him. 

Keep up the prayers and thoughts - they're working! 

Surgery #1

Surgery went well. We got here at 1:00pm to register, they took him back at 3:00pm, started surgery at 4:00pm, and finished up at about 10:00pm. 

The first kidney took about three hours to remove, but the next one didn't take as long. They didn't have to do a blood transfusion - yay! They decided not to fix the hernias because of the infection risk, but they did put in the port. 

Thank you everyone for checking in, visiting, and bringing goodies to the waiting room. You are all such a blessing to us! 

I'll continue to update you with more info as we get it. Keep checking! 

Pre-op picture. Just a few supporters. 

Sanford Surgery Update

The time has finally come! Although he still feels fine the doctors have given the green light to start surgery. The first of which is this coming Tuesday, the 28th, and is the first of two surgeries. This one is to remove his diseased kidneys, to fix two hernias caused by the giantness of said kidneys, and to put in a port for dialysis. This surgery will be approximately 4-6 hours and he'll likely stay in the hospital 3-5 days.

Post surgery Sanford will be on dialysis for 6 weeks while he recovers from the initial surgery. Dialysis is every other day for 4-5 hours each time. 

The second surgery is scheduled for September 8th and is the transplant surgery. He'll be receiving a wonderfully healthy kidney from his friend Bob.

Keep an eye on this blog for more updates. Thank you for your love and concern and feel free to contact Wendy or Lauren if you need us.