Finally some snow!

Whoo Hoo! Finally some significant snow (when I was home)!! Well it isn't our first snowfall this year but it is our first with a working camera. We have about a foot on the ground now so its very 'winter' looking outside. I personally am hoping for a record snowfall this year, it can never snow too much for me. It snowed all day and we got the little snowmobile out for the kids. They are riding the heck out of that thing so far this year. Even little Max has figured out how to drive it all by himself. Of course he doesn't say his S sound yet so he says "Dad, it nowing outside I want to ride the nomobile" very funny to say the least. For anyone who isn't familiar with kids snowmobiles, it has a little one cylinder engine in it and a governor so it only goes about 5-6 miles an hour but the kids love it. They've figured out that it will drive over snowbanks and up and down ditches, now they want me to build them a jump. They do roll it over sometimes, but its all at such a slow speed and a snowy landing that its no big deal. To be honest they get hurt a lot more falling of their bikes. I got some pictures of Nick and Max and then Hatteras licked the camera lens so no pictures of Alex today but he was certainly out there riding it as well.

Now if it would just snow enough for me to get the big snowmobile out things would be great!!

The surgery is just a distant memory. I feel no different, except for some lingering irritation at the incision site, and that should continue to heal and feel better. I've been working out, not at 100% but getting there slowly. Kevin is also doing great and enjoying being able to eat whatever he wants.

Things are busy here as usual. We are having Thanksgiving dinner with another FedEx family plus an old Navy buddy of mine will be in town to join us also. Then in Dec we have all sorts of Cubscout activities leading up to Christmas. After Christmas we are all traveling to St Louis to see Kerry's family. It should be a great visit, plus who wouldn't want to indulge in some air travel around the holidays with three young kids! I think that about does it. I'll try to hit this blog a little more often now that we have a camera again. Nikon said it was a "Moderate Level repair with Major parts required" Why any of that is necessary on a pro level camera that is only 6 months old is anyones guess. At least it was under warranty. Talk to you soon, Storm

Not a lot happening

Hello to anyone still reading. We haven't had any entries lately for several reasons. We're lazy, we have nothing to report, and our stupid cameras aren't working so we don't have any photos and thats what makes it fun.

So hopefully the camera situation will be resolved soon. In the meantime, I'm still healing up so I'm not working out or anything like that. It is killing me to not be more active, but I know its the best thing for me so I'm trying my best to be patient.

Things here are the standard (that would be chaotic) we've got some swimming lessons for the kids and all sorts of school and community events to attend. Staying busy isn't too hard. Plus KM is working a fair amount and now that I'm healthy again I'm on call quite a bit as well.

Trick or treating went well (no pics) but Nick was a fireman, Alex was a NASCAR driver and Max was a bug (or as he says "I'm a beetle actually"). Lots of candy and No Snow so that was nice. I would say that about covers it for now. Kevin is doing great and getting back up to speed now that things are healing up, and I am just dying for it to snow so that I/we can go play!! Take Care, Storm

Wow!

Well so much for getting some good photos. We are having some technical difficulties and at this point I would not recommend a Nikon to anyone. It works great...when it actually works.

Unfortunately both of our Nikons are NOT working at the moment so taking any 'good' photos is out of the question. Calling up Nikon and screaming at the customer service rep is not out of the question and is moving up the list quickly. If anyone is thinking of buying, buy a Canon.

Anyhow the picture is of my Birthday/Thank you gift from Kevin. It is soooo freakin cool!!! "It" is a Yamaha Apex RTX snowmobile. I'm trying to figure out how to get in the house rather than the garage so that I can stare at it all the time instead of having to go downstairs. Plus then I would be a lot more comfortable at night when I sleep next to it. It is torture not being able to ride it, it's actually a good thing that we don't have any snow because if we did I'm sure I would've torn some stiches out of my incision by now. I attached a link if anyone is interested in what it actually looks like.

http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/products/modelimagelib/427/2/1/0/image.aspx

Kevin, THANK YOU!! I absolutely love it. Totally over the top and not necessary but Awesome!! Now if I could only ride it right away, hmmm the grass probably would work pretty well....

KM is working today. Yes it is her birthday, but it was her idea to go to work not mine. So the boys and I have been taking it easy and just lazing around watching football and NASCAR. It turns out that its a lot easier to heal up when there aren't 3 boys around who want to wrestle all the time. It's amazing how quickly they 'forget' that Dad is hurt and come jump on my lap. It is also amazing how hard it is for me to just laze around for several days on end. Thank goodness I will back in action soon.

Apparently my thrill seeking is wearing off on the kids because we were watching some idiot on TV jump off a 50 cliff on a snowmobile and I asked the boys if that was a smart thing to do. Alex replied 'No Dad, but it is cool'. Its a good thing we make them wear helmets when ever they are outside.

That's about it for this edition. Now that things are calming down a little bit we won't blog as often and it will mostly be about the kids with pictures so that all their far away relatives can see what is going on. Everyone is invited to visit the blog whenever they desire and comments are always welcome. Thank you to everyone for thinking of us during the last two weeks, we very much appreciate it. Talk to you all again soon. Storm

Storm's Home!!

Hello Everyone, I made it back safely, and on time which has been a rarity for airtravel this week. I want to thank Kevin and Vera for taking such good care of KM and me in LA. We really enjoy their company and can't wait for all of us to spend more time together soon. Plus it is so awesome to see Kevin looking so good and healthy, it makes me smile everytime I talk to him.
My trip home was uneventful, except for when a sneeze took me off guard in the LA airport and I almost fell over from the pain. Oh did that suck, I forgot about my 'condition' and put my hand over my mouth instead of pressing on my incision. Most things I can do fine already but sneezing and coughing are going to take a while longer. By the way if you want people to avoid you in the airport I suggest taking one of those big X-ray film envelopes that say CHEST or ANGIO on them and carry it around, and then just cough every once in a while. No one got within 10 feet of me all day, it was great. I just brought the X-rays home to show the kids and put in my files, unfortunately I don't have one after the surgery that shows just the one kidney. That would be pretty cool.
Kerry had the opportunity to go to a camera class tonight so 20 minutes after I arrived I was taking the kids to swimming lessons, and then Max developed a mild fever tonight, so on and so forth... But it is great to be home. I missed KM and the boys a lot and Hatteras too. LA was much more boring after KM left. But there is nothing boring here when the boys are around so I'm off to catch up on bills and emails and to play with my new Ipod! Thanks KM!! I'll post some pics this weekend, and they should be good ones since KM is taking a photo lesson tonight! Talk to you all again soon, and thanks for all the comments and B-day wishes!! See Ya, Storm

What the ....?

Good Lord! I leave him alone for three days and he is already posting half naked pictures of himself on the Internet!!! He is obviously feeling fine; and apparently he has received more than enough letters of encouragement and support...

Have a safe trip Babe, cannot wait to have you home. Happy Birthday!

Love, KM

Some pics

Well, here are a few pics as promised. First the scars, 4 little 'bullet' holes on the left side for instruments to go in and a 2-3 inch incision just above my shorts where the kidney was removed. The picture of me in the UCLA sweatshirt was taken 6 days after the surgery and the other picture was taken just before the surgery. Of course I haven't shaved in 3 days in the 'after' picture so I don't look so good, but I think Kevin looks great and that is awesome!

I had a nice visit with my Mom today, she had to drive back already as she is headed for Maui tomorrow. Seems to be a very rough life she is leading.

Later this afternoon I am hoping to meet up with Kerry's cousin Kirk who lives in LA. Also later today I have my follow-up appt with the surgeon to make sure that I am healing on schedule and then assuming all is well I depart tomorrow for AK. It will be very nice to be home. Its been a really wild 10 days here in LA with results that are even better than we had hoped for, so that has been very satisfying. I think that is about it for the moment. Just more walking today and feeling more comfortable all the time. Thank you to the many people that have called to check in, I really appreciate all of you taking the time to make sure that I am okay. Its very humbling to be on the receiving end of all this actually. Until next time. Take Care, Storm

Still in LA

Well, this post was supposed to have some new pics on it. Some of Kevin and me post surgery and maybe a picture of my new scars (I have been advised by someone who's initials used to be KM that no one wants to see that, is she right?) Nothing gory or close up of course, I just thought that if I was reading this I would want to know what kidney donation scars looked like. Anyhow its all a mute point right the moment since I have been foiled again by digital picture technology, maybe I'll get it sorted out tomorrow.

More walking today and less pain so things are progressing quickly, I am able to walk pretty briskly now so that is good. We all walked down to get some pizza tonight, it was nice to get out of the hotel to eat.

Kevin is able to walk about a mile or so before the incision site gets too irritated so he is making decent progress. His lab numbers look awesome so he will be able to leave the hotel and go home on Friday. He will visit the doctor twice weekly for a month or so before they cut him down to less frequent visits. It is so great to see him looking and acting so healthy. Able to walk around without getting tired, able to eat whatever he wants without getting sick, able to actually sleep at night, it is really cool and makes me feel great as well. I knew that giving Kevin a kidney was the right thing to do and that it would have all sorts of positive results; but even so, sometimes I would have second thoughts like "what if something goes wrong?" or "what if the kidney gets rejected?" and most often "am I really a sane person if I volunteer to undergo major surgery when I am perfectly healthy?". Even with the doubts I knew it was the right thing to do. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing while watching Kevin's quality of life go down the toilet. I possessed the solution to his health problems at a minimal risk to myself. Additionally, I am sure that had the roles been reversed Kevin would have done the same for me. So now to be done with the procedure and recovering quickly; it is such an awesome feeling to see Kevin rapidly returning to his old healthy self. Kevin is my cousin but he is also someone that I consider to be one of my very good friends and to see him healthy again is truly priceless.

I'll work on some pics in the morning and tomorrow afternoon my Mom is coming to visit from San Diego now that she has returned from Alaska and her babysitting duties!! THANKS MOM!!!! More Later, Storm

Bored

Hello Everyone, I hope that you liked Kevin's guest blog. He would've written more but his incision started to hurt so better to quit while you're ahead.
There is absolutely nothing going on around here. Its a very boring place with KM gone. She is now back home with the boys and my Mom is back in San Diego at her house. Yesterday, my friend from college Steve Christman came by to see me which was great. It was really fun to catch up, the only bummer was he kept making me laugh and it still hurts to laugh! Today my other college buddy showed up, Max Wettstein. It was great to see Max and catch up with him as well. Hopefully in the next year or so the three of us can get together and do a quick ski weekend somewhere. It has been way too long since I did something like that.
The healing process is continuing. Everyday there is a little less pain and I can walk a bit faster. I've walked 3-4 miles a day yesterday and today. The doctors said walking is the best thing that I can do so I'm giving it my best shot. I wish that I had more to report but I don't. With any luck I will be on my way home Thursday morning. Hopefully I won't get stuck in Seattle for several hours like my wife and Mom. That's about it, I hope everyone reading this is doing well and I'll blog again before I leave here. See Ya, Storm

Kevin's Story

Well after many promises of getting out of the hospital they finally let me go at 10 pm Sunday night. It was great to at least get back to the hotel and get some sleep. Hospitals and hourly blood pressure checks tend to cut into the sleep cycle. What can I say about this process...well first is a giant THANK YOU to Storm. Thank you does not even begin to start to say what this means to me. I knew I was sick but really had no idea how sick until the new kidney started working ( which was about 1 minute after they put it into me!). I have not felt this good since I was 20! It has been a long process for me. I was originally diagnosed with genetic disease called Polycystic Kidneys from my moms side of the family. Basically starting at about age 20 thousands of cysts started growing on my kidneys and squeezing the kidney until it stopped working. 1 year ago, they finally had less than 10% function left and I began 3 times week dialysis - not fun. Even with dialysis, you are at about 15% kidney function so basically you are carrying around toxins and extra fluid in your body. Storm and I have been friends since were little kids but talking to him about donating a kidney was very difficult and uncomfortable for both of us. Fortunately for me Storm is the wonderful, caring generous person he is and he agreed to get tested and was a match. I could write about this all day but bottom line is I am eternally grateful for the kindness and generosity and for the support of all our friends and family. The prayers and words of encouragement have been tremendous. I can't begin to tell everyone how great it was to have Kerrys support, my wife Vera's support, the visits from freinds and family. I have my life back again...never actually believed it would happen and that I would feel this good :) If anyone has any questions please fire away. Once again THANK YOU Storm. Gotta go lay down now...stitches still hurt a bit :)

Kevin Spence - luckiest guy in the world

Day 3

Hello Everyone, well its my third day after surgery and I'm feeling a lot better. I'm able to walk around very well and the incisions are healing up nicely. In fact I don't even need the pain meds anymore which is nice, because the side effects of the pain meds can outweigh the benefits sometimes, however that is probably not a subject that is 'blog' friendly.
Today we had several visitors, we saw Kevin's parents, Jim and Marjie, and his sister Kelly. We also saw our neighbor from San Diego, Larry Megan and my parents stopped by again as well. So it was fun to catch up with everyone and talk. Kevin is looking GREAT and will be released tomorrow in the early afternoon. He should make a guest appearance on the blog tomorrow or Monday to give his thoughts and experiences.
Tomorrow morning KM leaves to go back to ANC. That will be a total bummer as it has been great having her here. Not only for all her help and support but just so that the two of us had a chance to hang out with few distractions for the first time in a long time. I will definitely miss her for the next few days while I am here by myself, and I'm sure I will be bored out of my mind in about 36 hours. I will stay through Thursday. On Wednesday I see the surgeon to get the final okay to leave the area. Unless my progress suddenly stops or takes a serious turn for the worse I don't see any problems with the final check.
I think that is about it for this one. Thanks for reading and I'm doing great and just about ready to get out of here myself. Love, Storm

Friday Evening

Today went very well. We woke up, went downstairs to get some breakfast and then took a lap around the block...Storm slighty bent and shuffling and me turning my entire upper body to look at him because the 8" tall, hard foam, hotel pillows have fused my entire C-spine. If we would have been wearing little paper crowns we could have been mistaken for a couple celebrating their 75th wedding anniversary! :) After that arduous outing we hit the sack for a nap....how pathetic, Storm and me in bed in the middle of the day, in a hotel in So Cal, no kids and NO ACTION!!! Man, we are lame! :) (Yes, my mother does read this blog....and she laughed, so loosen up.) After our big nap we headed over to see Kevin. Kevin keeps thanking Storm for the kidney but says "all I needed was a kidney; not a Ferrari!" Kevin's told us his muscles do not ache anymore, his vision has improved, his skin does not itch and his creatinine (I can't spell this today) level has fallen to two. (Normal is below one and he was a three 8 years ago increasing to eleven since I have been married to Storm.) He told us today that he did not realize how sick he was until he started feeling this great...and it only gets better from here.

Many, many, thanks to our Alaskan extended family. Pat (Storm's mom) has been caring for our boys and she told us that our friends and neighbors have come over to walk Hattie, gone to the store to pick up food, dropped off homemade dinner, called to check on her, had kids over to play, and Mrs. Quiroz (Nick's teacher) and Ms. Sylvia and Ms. Tara (Alex's teachers) have all invited Pat and the younger siblings into their classrooms to help keep Pat and the young boys entertained and involved. Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking care of our family. You have taken away the worry of those left behind and that is a heavy burden lifted. We owe you big!! Here, here to the Last Frontier, you guys are top notch! More later, much love to all of our family and friends; your support has been the bedrock. -Kerry

Hi everyone, its Storm. I'm continuing to feel better and better. The CO2 gas in my system is the thing causing the most pain, I hope that will go away soon. The walking helps a lot and that's what I'll continue to do. That's about it, thanks to everyone for all the help and support. Talk to you tomorrow. Storm

Some Pics

Hello again everyone, I'm feeling a lot better oh wait that's the vicodin. Just kidding I am feeling a lot better, mostly due to a 3 hour undisturbed nap in a comfortable bed. Its amazing to me that anyone makes any progress in getting healthy in that place(the hospital). Glad that part is over. Well the bad news is that KM's D70 seems to be TU so we have limited pictures. Yes, I did buy her new D200 for Mother's Day/Anniversary but its safely in a drawer at home so not helping us right now. But we did get a few pics before the surgery so here they are. See Ya, Storm

Storm's Back!

Hello everyone, I am back in my 'hotel' room and feeling better. I am really sore and my midsection is a little bloated but now that I am out of the hospital I can actually get some rest and start healing up. I don't know how anyone thinks you can get well in a hospital, that place is a nightmare. I think I got about 2.5 hours of sleep total last night. The Foley catheter was a total drag and once they took that out this morning things rapidly improved in my life. Then I was able to get up and walk around (slowly and slightly bent over) and things started to feel a lot better. I even walked the block and a half home from the hospital! Apparently on the OR table they had me on my side, bent in the middle with my arm over my head, so now my shoulder hurts worse than the incision and my lower back was absolutely killing me on the crappy hospital bed, it was a long night to say the least. But now that its quiet and no one is dropping things in the hall or barging in the room in the middle of the night I should be able to get some rest. Poor Kevin has to spend 3 or 4 more days in that hell hole. But the good news is that he feels better than he's felt in years, and looks a lot better too.

It hasn't been a cakewalk but seeing Kevin like that has made it worth it, and in a few weeks I'll just have a few scars (if you're wondering I have 4 small pencil hole scars on my left side and one 3 inch incision in the center below my belt line) and some memories but no lasting ill effects. Thank you to everybody that has called, written, blogged, visited or helped out in any way. You have all helped us work our way through this journey and we could not have done it with out you. I want to give a special thanks to my wife for supporting me in countless ways through this whole process and to my Mom who at this moment is in Alaska taking care of Nick, Alex and Max. Without either of you this simply could not have happened. It is very humbling to see how many people truly care about our family's well being. This has been an amazing experience, and it has taught me a lot about myself, a few years ago if someone would have told me that I would voluntarily step in the hospital for any reason I would've told them to go smoke another one, yet here we are.

A quick note about the surgery and then I'm getting some rest. It took about 3 hours and they actually inflated my midsection with CO2 so they had more room to work, now I look all bloated as that CO2 gets absorbed back into my body. The worst part has been going with out food from Sunday at midnight until 1030 on Thursday, I definitely lost some weight! I'm also out of energy so I'll write more later. Take Care, Storm

Good Morning

Just a quick note to all of our friends and family out there...THANK YOU!!! I am not sure if I can describe how much it means to both of us to hear from you. I had forgotten about the comments part of this blog and when I got back to the hotel last night and logged on there were several to read; you all are amazing. It is so comforting to know that people are taking the time out of their busy lives to send us a little strength; it truly does lift the spirit. Thank you for all the cards and pictures, Storm and I are really enjoying them. Your support has made all of this much easier. We look forward to catching up with all of you once we are back home. Happy Birthday to my brother Kevin today (not Storm's cousin Kevin, it can get confusing). It was Vera's birthday yesterday, so in celebration of that and the transplant we had a (A, one, uno, single) glass of wine at the Olive Garden right across the street from the hospital. When we walked back to see the guys I of kissed Storm hello (of course) and the first thing he says to me is "Have you been boozing it up?" :) Yeah, me, Kerry Carl "boozing it up". Storm has so many narcotics on board the Feds are going to be sniffing him out for weeks! So as I stumble around UCLA today I will keep you posted. Storm is "supposed" to be checked out around 1100 (read 14-1500 if lucky) and we go from there. Thanks again for all the love, you may never know how much it is appreciated. Stay safe, I'll be in touch. -KM

Honestly, as much as I love this technology....my Nikon D-70 keeps corrupting my cards (I only brought two) so no pictures from me and then I just tried to download another file photo (for your viewing pleasure) and was denied twice. It just chaps me a little. When this stuff works it is wonderful, and when it doesn't I am too stupid to get around it and it is extremely frustrating!!! SO, I will try again. :)No joy....well, off to the showers and then hospital, see ya' soon.

Things are looking up

I am finally back at the hotel....from 0445 to 2130 I was at the hospital (there was a break in there for dinner...). Storm looked like he got hit by a freight train for most of the afternoon. He was in a lot of pain and still very drugged. After I returned from dinner I saw a huge improvement. He has managed to joke a bit and even smiles. It is really quite painful to see Storm in that much discomfort. I never got anymore information about the surgery, although I did finally meet the doctor on evening rounds. His (Storm's) medical staff has been attentive and competent, so that is all I can really ask for. Kevin did not get to his room upstairs until 1715 (his surg started at 0830): but when he got there he looked awesome! (In pain as well, but still awesome!) His bloodshot sclara were already white and he was putting out 2 liters of urine an hour! That is the best news ever. What is really telling is that Kevin had just been to dialysis the night before and he should have been "clean". Dialysis is only 15% of a normal, healthy kidney function, so Storm's kidney got in there and started cleaning house! Vera and I tucked in the guys for the night and headed back to the hotel...no staying over night in shared rooms. It has been an amazing experience to see Kevin so happy and on the road to health, Storm will catch up fast and all of this will be a great memory. I just want to say that I am in awe of what Storm put himself through today for the benefit of another, he is an incredible man and I am blessed to call him mine. Good night Stormin', I love you with all that I am...sweet dreams Babe. -KMC

AWAKE!!!!

I FINALLY got to see my sweetheart! And boy is he ever bent out of shape about that Foley cath. Storm is awake, rough voice, and sore throat due to the breathing tube, states he feels like he has been kicked in the stomach, but the biggest discomfort is the foley. He is cranky and dropping the "F" bomb about that thing....very unlike my very mellow and curtious husband....maybe the drugs are bothering him as well. So surg is over, he is doing great (by their standards) and Keving is in the Recovery Room. The scary part is over. Now with enough pain medication we can start the healing process. The docs said that Storm's kidney began working the moment it was connected to Kevin, great news!!!! Thanks for checking in, we love you guys!! -KM

In the PACU

Storm is in the recovery room and already awake....his doctor, whom I have never met, called me on the phone and said everything went well. He told me nothing more and that was sort of a bummer. "Everything went well" is not a lot to go on, but I am thankful that there were no difficulties. I am supposed to check with the little lady in a pink coat in 90 minutes to see if Storm has been transferred to a room....6 west apparently. Waiting is not easy. Dick & Donna Carl are here with me and Vera (Kevin's wife). Dick brought along his notebook (laptop) and I am sitting here in the surgical waiting area writing this wirelessly....how cool is that?? Maybe Dick has some cool photos in his files?!?!? Do I dare even look? :)

So far so good. I will write more as the information comes in. I love technology, it is so great to hear from everybody and be able to get the information to you. As always, thanks for the support!!More in a few hours.

Kevin has about two more hours of surgery to go, but all is well at this time. Love, KM

In the OR

Well, today has been interesting to say the least. As one would expect Storm and I did not sleep that well last night. I was up at 0300 and that was the end of that. We left the hotel at 0445 and walked over to the med center only to find out that the first two entrances we tried were locked....but they want everyone there by 0500. (Storm called in yesterday and was told he was slated for a 0630 surgery.) Made it to admissions where they had no idea who Kevin and/or Storm were or why they would be there....lost the paper work. This might be shocking if it did not happen 98% of the time. If you are ever asked to do a "pre-admission" for a hospital, don't bother (especially if you are flying in from Anchorage), it is a complete waste of every one's time!!! So while "they" are trying to recreate the wheel, an admissions clerk tells me that I have to put away my camera because I might be a terrorist. I am NOT making this up. Do you think for one second that if I even slightly resembled a mid-easterner that she would have said that to me? Not a chance!!! She told me that I could be plotting to place a package by taking pictures of the lobby. Honestly, she just could have said it was for pt. privacy, but terrorism? Anyhoo....so we are in pre-op and the nurse tells us that Storm's surg is not until 0830 and then as the recipient....Wait a second!!! Eight-thirty?? Recipient??? Try again. The confidence was a little shaken. BUT we got it straightened out and everyone else we met seemed very cool, competent and most importantly; sober. Storm is in surgery right now, I expect to get an update in about two hours. Kevin goes in around 0830. Thanks again for every one's good thoughts, prayers, cards and Karma....whatever it takes; you all have been very empowering and we cannot tell you how much that means to both of us. I'll get back to you all as soon as I can. Love, Kerry

Here is a lovely file picture for you. Storm has no family pictures on his lap top yet and since I was unable to document the days events, you will have to meditate over these peaceful flowers.

Tomorrow!

Hello Everyone, we are here in the hotel room at 2200 on Tuesday. I am scheduled to arrive in the OR tomorrow morning at 0630. Its about a 3+ hour surgery so you should start looking for updates in the early afternoon tomorrow Pacific time.
Today has been pretty boring, when you can't eat you realize how much of our lives revolve around eating. So I'm starving and 'cleansing' my bowels thanks to some really nasty tasting drinks. So its been a less than enjoyable evening but not too bad overall I guess. Wish me luck and I'll be in touch soon. I'll write you an update once I'm out of the hospital on Thursday, KM will keep you updated in the meantime. Take Care, Storm

Hello everybody. KM and I are in LA. It was an uneventful flight down here, although KM had to sit next to some dude that kept picking wax out of his ear and looking at it. For a minute I thought that she was going to kick his ass, but luckily for him he went to sleep and the crisis was averted. I am about to pass out from starvation so you'll have to excuse any typos. This clear liquid diet stuff blows, I don't know how I'll make it through tomorrow, and there is no doubt that I'll feel terrible after the surgery since I won't have eaten in almost 3 days. Anyhow, no pics tonight but we'll keep doing small posts to let everyone know what's happening. Right before we left AK our email stopped working so I apologize if we've missed any msgs lately. "They" at customer support claim that it is fixed now but I have my doubts. We'll know in the morning I guess. I'm afraid that a bunch of msgs will be lost in cyberspace without us ever seeing them... nothing is ever easy. That's about it, the boys are happy and healthy with Grammy and we are sitting around LA not eating. Talk to you again soon. Storm

So it begins....

Good Morning....are you enjoying a clear liquid breakfast? A little jello, Gatorade, water perhaps? That is what Storm is on until Wed evening. No chewing food until Wed night....honestly, I do not think I could do this....and I am not sure I can do this with Storm either. Have any of you ever been around him when he hasn't eaten?!?!? It is not pretty. Luckily for us we have great friends and over the past two nights we have been fed well! Thank you Steve and Jamie, and Mike and Sue. The picture was taken last night (tonight still for me) at the "Kidney Party"....dig the shirts? The kidney shaped, red velvet cake that Sue made said "Here's looking at you Kid (ney)!" :) We had kidney bean races with the kids, kidney beans in the salad....thought about chili, but I thought the plane ride would be painful at best, so we skipped the chili and went straight for the KING crab! Gotta love Alaska. SO, I have got a ton to do....we are off to LA at 10:00am and am I packed? Have I cleaned the kitchen counters? Does anyone want to risk their lives and check out the master bathroom? I don't want to either. Thanks again for all the support, kind words, good thoughts and prayers. All are greatly appreciated. Please stayed tuned for up coming events. Do you want the blistering details of the Go-lightly day? Well, you think it is bad for you...I have to share a hotel room with him!!! :) Thanks again. I will be in touch. Much Love, Kerry (KM) P.S. We do have the kidneys on the back of the shirts, but it does not make for a great picture....

School Pics

The kids got their school pics today so here they are for all to see. All the effort that day got KM a front page picture and article so its only fitting that the kids photos turned out pretty well too. I also put in the pics of Nick and Alex on their summer soccer teams. With any luck this blog will come out better than the last as far as word and picture placement. I put it all how I wanted it, I previewed it and it looked great, then you post it and its all jacked up. Sometimes you just can't win.

After this the kids are off to bed and then I get to read about being a cubscout den leader, because I felt that our lives just weren't quite busy enough.

5 more days until I lose an organ! See Ya, Storm

Getting Closer

Hi, wanted a few more pics on here but I was foiled by the system. So you get pics of Max and Alex at the Nature center and a pic of Dad and Nick on 'walk to school day'.

Hello Again, well next week at this time I will only have one kidney, and with any luck everything else on me will still work normally. It will be a relief to have it over that is for sure.

Things here are spiraling out of control as usual. On Saturday we went to the ski swap and got boots and skis for all the kids and for KM, I did manage to suppress the urge to buy a snowmobile this year but it was really close. So now we are set, we just need some snow. The kids are very excited about skiing again this year so it should be a lot of fun. Who ever thought I would be looking forward to hanging out on the bunny hill all day. Although at the rate the kids seem to pick things up we won't be on the Bunny Hill for long. I am personally all set-up to do some back country skiing this year, the only things that I still need are an avalanche beacon and to take a 3 day avalanche class to learn about snow packs and what is dangerous and what isn't. I think that an avalanche would take all the fun out of the ski day experience so I'm taking all the precautions.

Today was National walk-to-school day so this morning we asked Nick if he wanted to walk to school, he looked at us like we had 3 heads and barely concealing his belief that both his parents had lost their marbles asked 'why?' . We did in fact walk to school, its only a mile and its all downhill, of course we saw exactly NO ONE else doing the same thing, so much for 'walk-to-school' day.

The boys are excited about Halloween and Max has been wearing his costume around for the past 3 days. He is going to be a beetle/bug I'll attach pictures soon.

We have about 100 things that need to be done before we go, yet everything we do takes 5 times longer than it should for whatever reason. Of course the only time that we have to be really productive is after the kids go to bed and then we are too exhausted to actually get going on any of the projects. I guess that's why we only 'blog' once a week or so. I think that we will catch up sometime after all the boys are in school.

I think that is about it, the rains have stopped for a few days and the weather is awesome, clear and crisp with a lot of color. The leaves are coming off pretty fast though so winter is just around the corner. Thank you to everyone who has called to offer their support, be that physical or emotional. I really appreciate everyone keeping me in their thoughts and we'll do our best to keep you all updated. That's it for a few days, or at least until something exciting happens around here. Take Care, Storm

Nick's First Race!!!

Hello everyone, we are just checking in as the count down to the kidney donation continues. Today there was a Fun Run Jamboree for the kids and Nick wanted to enter so off we went. He ran 1.1K (thats about .7 miles for you non-metric types) in the kindergarten and 1st grader group of about 75 kids. He finished 4th! He was thrilled and told me ' Dad it was uphill almost the whole way'. Its fun to watch them grow up and become so much more capable. In fact the other day KM saw that the mtns had disappeared behind the clouds and she said 'hey kids look, the mountains disappeared.' Nick replied with an exasperated 'Mom we're Alaskans we know that mountains don't disappear'. Yes, they keep us laughing all the time, at least when we aren't beating our heads against the wall and screaming at them.

Its strange I feel like our lives are so full and busy, yet when I sit down to write about it I have nothing to say, at least nothing that I think anyone will want to read. So I'll keep it short. Its a typical AK fall. Lots of rain, gorgeous colors from all the leaves so the whole valley is yellow with some oranges and light red up high. Its cooling off quickly highs are around 50-55F and there is snow on all the mtn tops around our house. We still have lots of sunlight, almost 11 hrs and 50 minutes today. But winter is coming and I can't wait, I even bought some new ski boots yesterday!! Tomorrow we are going to a ski swap to outfit the kids and my neighbor is already tying to set up snowmobile (in AK they call them snowmachines, I always thought that a snowmachine was something that made snow, but what do I know) trips with me.

I hope that all is well in your world and we'll 'blog' again soon. I promise we will have much more timely updates during and after the surgery. Take Care, Storm

KM's day of fame

Hello everyone, we woke up this morning to the phone ringing off the hook and all of our friends calling to tell us about the paper. Kerry's picture made the FRONT page of Alaska's largest daily paper. I scanned it in along with the article which is hilarious. KM has been a great sport about the whole thing. It is pretty darn funny, KM talked with the reporter the whole time but had no idea that she was actually being recorded and photographed for the center of the front page. Other than that it was just your standard day, nothing exciting. We'll post more soon. Take Care, Storm

Hello Everyone, its Storm. I guess that its my turn to 'blog' so here goes. Alaska has been a ton of fun so far. At right are a few pics from this summer, Alex holding one of the Iditarod sled dog pups and the bounty that Doug (Kerry's Dad), Dick (My Dad), and I caught on our fishing charter. The fish are Halibut, Silver (Coho) salmon, one Goldeneye rock fish and one Lingcod. The fishing up here is out of this world and I highly recommend it to everyone who even remotely likes to fish. Its not really fishing its more like 'catching'.
Our summer was filled with learning to fish, visiting all sorts of parks, sights, and animals, and enjoying all of our guests. It was really awesome to have so many people come visit us and we had a great time seeing everybody. I like to think that everyone comes to visit just because we are so cool and fun to hang out with, I guess in reality it might have something to do with where we live and all the activities available, but I choose to believe the first reason!
By now if you are reading this blog you are aware that I am donating one of my kidneys to my cousin Kevin Spence. His kidneys have failed and in fact have been removed so he is currently surviving on dialysis. Luckily in his situation a new (donor) kidney will not be affected by the ailment that damaged his own kidneys, so he should be feeling a lot better after the surgery and can expect the 'new' kidney to last around 20 years or so. Anyone who has spent any time with me knows that I really don't like hospitals so I am not really looking forward to that part of this whole evolution. If things go well, and there is no reason to suspect that they won't, I should have to spend about 36 hours in the hospital for the donation procedure. Then it will be a few weeks of minimal activity to recover from the surgery. Its going to be done laproscopically, which means using cameras and small incisions so the recovery time should be faster. Living with one kidney is not supposed to be a big deal. One is plenty to handle the body's needs and I shouldn't be restricted in any way. They did recommend that I avoid heavy contact sports so as to minimize the risk of damaging my remaining kidney. So I guess my dreams of playing on an NFL team or becoming a freestyle motocross rider are shot but I don't suppose those were too realistic anyhow. A question that I get a lot is what if due to some stroke of extraordinary bad luck my remaining kidney were to fail due to injury or disease? Well then I would automatically jump to the top of the waiting list for a donor kidney and most likely have one in a few weeks. I won't lie to you, its a scary prospect undergoing a surgery to remove an organ when nothing is wrong with me. However the risks are extremely low and this way my cousin will be able to live a normal life rather than the less than optimal existance on dialysis 3-4 times a week. Truth be told I would much rather help someone by jumping out of a helicopter and swimming through miles of freezing water or being stranded in a mtn pass and having to hike home, but that's not the sort of help that my cousin needed so here we are. I for one will be very happy and relieved when its all over and I'm out of the hospital, and I'm sure that Kevin will be too. And as much as I am not looking forward to being cut open, it does feel really good to be able to help my cousin and good friend who is in need.
I believe that is all for now, thanks for looking and we'll post more soon. See ya, Storm

From the Beginning

OK, for those of you with some questions....Storm is PERFECTLY healthy!!! He is a textbook case of health, and we are extremely thankful for that; Storm's cousin will be receiving Storm's kidney on Oct 10th at the UCLA medical center. My brother Kevin is not the Kevin in question. He and his family are happy and healthy as well. (For which I am also thankful.) SO that is really all there is to it. Storm is the LIVE donor, not the recipient and we expect him to be equally healthy on Oct 11....but with some anticipated discomfort.

Here is a picture of the boys riding their bikes at Nick's school in June and one of our friendly neighborhood brown bears...just kiddin', they live at the conservation center; but we really do have a brown bear that lives around the house. He is more evasive than the black bear that I have pictures of walking through our neighbor's back yard. (Why don't I post them you say? I have to find them first.) Also, I know you think that I can't remember the bears' name and that I should call them Grizzlies, but Alaskans only say brown and black (and Kodiak, if you live on that island). I do not know why, I just do what I am told. :)

Have a good day! Love, Kerry

Update

Storm made it back from his second trip to LA to ensure that everything will go smoothly in Oct. He found out some new things and rec'd further instructions....like not drinking soda or any other carbonated fluid for two weeks prior to the surgery. It is a very good thing Kevin is not depending on me for an organ because the moment I hear "no diet coke" I'm out! :) The next great piece of news is Storm will be on a clear liquid diet for 48 hrs before surgery.Forty-eight hours!?!?!? (Not NPO after midnight?) Can you imagine traveling 6+ hours on a plane with no food?! I would go postal. I had pictured us going out for a nice dinner in LA and whooping it up a little; enjoying our two nights (before the donation) without the kids....but that is not to be. Clear liquids and Go-Litely (anyone familiar, anyone....Ferris?). I will not elaborate, just know that there is nothing "Light" about Go-Litely. Here is a picture of the kids...just to prove we have a few. Hope all is well, and here is a public shout out to Hank Belz for inspiring me to get this page started....of course I still failing to get the timeline on here....

Good Night, Kerry (KM)

Yes, there is a real cow hide on the back of the couch. My parents bought that for me in MT in 1993...the kids think it is funny. That is my Dad in the background. Alex (4), Nick (6), Max (2).

Info

You can click on the photos to see them in a full screen, then click on your back button to return to the blog page.

Termination Dust

Well, it is finally here...."termination dust" (snow). Yes, I too thought it was ridiculous to say "ter-mi-nation-dust" instead of snow; but I have since been told that when the first snow appeared on the peaks that was when the early Alaskan Railroad would stop the train service through the high mtn. passes. So first snow, termination of train services and supplies until spring, better stock up!! Today was a crystal clear, fall day; beautiful!!! Storm is off to LA to auto-donate blood for the surgery. It is not expected that he will need blood for this procedure, but if in case it is needed, they will have his very own, so that is good. He also has another appt with the docs to double check that all is well and another appt with admissions to get the paperwork out of the way. He and Kevin Spence are probably having a great time down there right now. I am going to try and get some pictures in here...let's see.

OK, that worked out. I am not sure these are the best pictures, I had to choose from 4cm pictures with no reference numbers...always learning. So there is our house, our back yard with the swing set that Storm and his Dad built this summer, a view of Eagle River Valley looking back at all of you; east! And one of the snow capped summits. This place is so pretty. Thanks for coming to see a little part of our world. Hope to talk to you all very soon.

Love, Kerry

Name Change

Storm thought "Northern Chaos" was a more fitting title to this blog....

Still working on it....

Good Morning! Thank you to Pat and Shannon for their notes! I am going to try and get a photo on here....how come every 13 y/o in the country can do this?

Hey I DID it!!!! I am sure you would rather see the boys, but the moose is appropriate too. More later. Much love, Kerry

Just getting started

Hello! I thought I would try and set up a "blog" and get up to speed with the tech generation. Man I am getting old; I thought I was still hip!! My main intent is to have a place for everyone to find out how things are going once Storm and I get to LA for his kidney donation. I have no idea if I will have access to computers, but most of the big hospitals do provide that now for families, so I bet our chances are good.

It is late, I have just returned from my second day of work; evening shift on the psych ward! Yesterday I drew a picture and today I played a game....they actually PAY me REAL money for this! Anyhoo, my point is that I will try and insert a picture just to see if I can....then I am going to bed. Tomorrow is a trip with Alex's preschool to the U-Pick-It farm and another evening at work for me. Maybe I can make a clay ashtray...

OK, I apparently cannot get a picture to work at this time. Who knows if it is me or the "system"....more later.

Love, Kerry