To Him Be the GLORY!

It has been less than a month since my dad I went into the hospital for the transplant surgery and already God is moving in incredible ways. Last week we got a call from a reporter from the Orange County Register. He had heard about our story from a friend and thought it would be a good "Holiday" story to run. After interviewing my dad, mom, and me, his story appeared in our local Aliso Viejo News this morning. Here is a link to the article if you wanted to check it out: http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/homepage/article_1386622.php

Apparently the news of our story traveled quick, very quick to be honest. As I was getting out of the shower this morning, my dad knocked on the bathroom door and told me that their was a news reporter outside wondering if we were available for an interview. I guess they had read the article and wanted to do a follow-up interview to be shown on the news! As you can imagine, our plans for this morning quickly changed as the reporter and her camera man came in our house and began filming.

I started this blog by telling you that God is already using the transplant to bring Glory to Him. As we sat on our couch, I was asked questions that enabled me to really pour out my heart. My dad and I talked some about the transplant but more importantly we shared what God has done in the past nine months. If you wanted to see the news cast, it can be found at www.kcal9.com and search the top story videos. I would encourage you to go back and read some of the comments left on my last entry. Some of them are from people who responded after seeing the story on the news today. I have never met some of them and probably never will but the Lord used this story to make an impact for His kingdom. How encouraging!

I am not really sure what is going to come out of this news story. I just keep telling myself that this is just another way that God is using an unfortunate medical condition to bring Him Glory. Some of you may recall that when this all began back in Feb. I mentioned that my prayer had been that He would use me in whatever way as a tool for His Kingdom. If that was sitting in dialysis talking to other patients, then Ok. If it is going through a transplant, then Ok. And if it is telling my story on the news, then Ok. This is my perspective. God is the giver of all things and this includes my life. I echo the words of the Apostle Paul as he wrote in 1Corinthians 10:31, "So whether you eat or DRINK or whatever you do, do it all for the GLORY of God."

-- I'M FREE! --

That's right. As of five-o-clock this evening I have officially been staple, drain, and dialysis catheter free! If you guys can't tell I am extremely excited about this. Not only are my kidney transplant related booboo's healing, but the "thorn in my side", or chest rather, has finally come out. If you guys are reading this and are totally confused, let me shed some light on it for you.

When I initially went into the hospital in late February, they installed a hemodialysis catheter in my right chest. This has been used as my access point when I have dialysis. As you can imagine, after having this thing sticking out of my chest for nearly nine months, it was becoming an annoyance. But I can surely say "Thank God" that this thing is out of me. My doctor seems to believe that the new kidney is working incredibly, so much so that he doesn't see a need to have the catheter anymore.

So what I thought was going to be a minor surgery turned out to be really nothing at all. I was admitted into the hospital late this afternoon and taken up to room. I waited there for almost hour while a nurse cleaned and prepped the catheter site. When the doctor came in, he gave me a few shots of Novocain to numb the area and then proceeded to tug at the catheter. After about a minute, the catheter simply slid out. They put some gauze on, taped me up, and I was out of there. I have to admit that it does feel strange, as if I am missing something. The truth is I am missing something, but I am so excited it is gone.

I felt wonderful again today. It seems as each day goes by I feel better and better. It is getting hard not being able to go out places and do things when I feel this good. But it is something I have to do in order to stay healthy, especially throughout this season.

Thank you again for your prayers and your comments. I really love reading them.

Forward progress!

This has been a good week for Nate so far. He no longer has to go to the hospital's lab every morning for blood work, just three days per week, now. The surgeon removed the staples from his incision, which allowed him to take a full-fledged shower!

But the best news to date: the chest catheter, for dialysis, will be removed tomorrow afternoon! The doctor would not order this unless he was totally confident in the function of Nate's new kidney. Pray that this "minor" surgery will go without a hitch, and definitely without any infection.

We remain grateful for your interest, support, and most of all, your continued prayers!

~ tr

-Transplant Post-Op Day #8-

Hello everyone!! All you loyal Blog readers, loyal prayer warriors, and loyal people who I have never met but in one way or another have been led to pray for our situation, I thank you.

I have literally been sitting in front of the computer for over ten minutes trying to figure out how to start this thing. It's not as though I have no thought or feelings, it's a matter of expressing them in a way that could be understood. I just have to sit back and marvel at this grand yet very intricate tapestry God has created and called Nate's Life. I can imagine stepping back, looking at the whole thing and then, and only then, seeing the whole picture. Yet, He sees it the whole time and still manages to make sure that those small intricate pieces align just how He intended it to be.

I am so excited to tell you that today is the eight day since the transplant! I really can't believe it. This past week has definitely been one of adjustment for everyone. It's kind of weird being told by your doctor, that even if you are feeling good, you still need to take it easy. "No strenuous activity. No heavy lifting (over 5 pounds). No straining of abdominal muscles." Do they realize that everything you do strains your abdominals, unless of course you want to be walking around like a zombie? They want me to call and report any abnormalities. What does that mean exactly? Uh oh, I put my right sock on before my left, is that a sign that the kidney is infected? I am obviously joking a little, but the precautions that they have us taking are for a reason and I am very thankful that they are so thorough, even down to the ounce of urine output.

I am keeping what the transplant team calls a Renal Transplant Daily Log. This is my little notebook where I record everything, my weights, temperatures, blood pressures/pulses, how much I drink, how much I let go, and when and how much medication I take. This is all in one day. Through this process I have really learned the importance of what happened last Saturday. It is one thing for the transplant team to tell you what is going to happen during and after the transplant, but to actually be on the other side is allowing me to understand first hand what they were talking about. I don't know if any of you have seen The Village, but there is a scene in which Ivy Walker must travel through a forbidden haunted forest in order to seek much needed help. The thing that makes it difficult is that she is blind and her guides have left her due to fear. Thankfully, I am not blind and my help have not ditched me, but I feel as though I have just entered into an unknown forest filled with questions, fears, and experiences yet to be had. But similar to Ivy Walker, who had incredible hope, I too have a hope and a confidence that I will make it through the forest and to that which I seek, a life directed towards God's Glory.

He is really the one that deserves everything. All praise, all thanks, all Glory. I have been really encouraged by reading the comments that you have posted. It shows me that a technology like this Blog can be used as a collection plate filled by praises and glory to be given directly back to God. I can't express how thankful I am that I am called one of His children. I am sure that most of you that read the Blog don't know most of the people commenting, ha I don't half the people commenting. But I just wanted to point out that God's hands are reaching all across the globe. There are people reading this from Ukraine, England, Denmark, Haiti, Japan, Canada, Uruguay, and I am sure more. This fact blows my mind. Not only do you read the Blog but you pray. I think this is a huge factor in why my dad and I are recovering the way that we are.

So after a medication allergy early this week, I have felt really well. It is hard to sit and do nothing when I am feeling this way, but doctors orders right. Since coming home from the hospital, I have had labs every day but today. It was nice to be able to sleep in a little considering my mom and I have been leaving our house around six-thirty to drive up to the Hospital. The reason it has been everyday is because they are trying to find a balance with my medication. Hopefully this will happen soon so that we can cut back on the amount of visits.

So I invite you to do something with me. Look at your life right now. You may not be going through a kidney transplant or another serious medical crises, but there are things happening. God is hand-sewing all of those little intricate pieces in your tapestry. You may not see or more likely know what He is doing, but you can have confidence that He Is In Control. He is the only one that is standing back and looking at the big picture that He is busy creating called "_____________'s Life".

Praise for daily miracles!

Last evening, our family (plus a girlfriend and a boyfriend) gathered around the dining room table, just like we did one week earlier. This time, however, our attention was focused on praising God for His miraculous provisions during the past week. It was so sweet to share the scriptures, songs, thoughts and perspectives that had filtered through our minds and hearts during the previous seven days. This whole saga has been astounding!

Nate's body is starting to adjust to the 15 pills he takes, plus the doctors are fine-tuning the various daily dosages. He has embraced the discipline of charting everything that goes into (and comes out of) his body. He has been assured, by other organ recipients, that eventually this whole process will become fairly routine.

I am still quite sore, but can feel incremental progress each day. I also feel slightly "out of whack" at times since my lower intestines immediately filled the void left by the removal of the kidney. That little revelation will probably elicit more than one barbed comment from someone out there! :) One exciting fact is that my pain is manageable with Tylenol only, without having to resort to stronger, narcotic drugs.

Many more miracles occurred throughout our two surgeries. We plan to share some of them in future posts. Overall, though, please continue to give glory to our great God for His marvelous grace and mercy bestowed upon us all.

~ tr

Prayer alert!

Nate is experiencing a pretty rough day today while his body is trying to adjust to the dozen or more medicines prescribed for his healing process. Specifically, today, until his body metabolizes one of the anti-rejection drugs, he is in a lot of pain, feeling like his hands and feet are on fire.

Thanks for praying!

~ tr

Amazing ... Nate is home!

How good is God's grace? More than good enough to have our son walk through the door into our home, just four days after receiving a kidney transplant!

We have all been praying fervently for miracles, yet when another one occurs, I must confess, I stand back in amazement. "To God be the glory, great things He has done"!

For the next several weeks, Nate will be a frequent visitor to the hospital's lab for daily blood-work. More details to come soon, including some posts from the recipient himself, but we wanted to quickly get out this great news.

On behalf of the Robertson family, thanks, again, for your intercessory prayers!

~ tr

Unbelievable ... Tim is home!

Although I am quite sore, and will be for several weeks to come, the surgeon discharged me this afternoon, approximately 72 hours after surgery to remove my kidney. This demonstrates the grace of God, the power of prayer, the marvels of modern medicine, plus the doctor's desire to get me back into the friendly confines of our home and away from the hospital that tends to harbor a lot of nasty bugs.

Nate is still hospitalized, but he looks fantastic! His new (my old) kidney is responding well so far. He and I took a couple of walks together earlier today down the long hallway between our rooms. It looked pretty funny, side by side, dressed as we were in our hospital gowns, both of us pushing our IV trees. My one regret: we did not get a photo!

The transplant surgeon stopped by my room Monday night to tell me, "You donated a strong kidney to your son. It's a little sluggish right now, but it will kick in shortly." Please continue to pray for Nate. The next three months are critical. His immune system has been suppressed, by design, so that his body will not reject the kidney. This leaves him especially susceptible to infections which could destroy the kidney.

I am anxious to read all the comments that have been posted to this blog. This is truly a testimony to the widespread family of God interceding on our behalf before our heavenly Father. Our family is so grateful! I will share more thoughts and perspectives via this blog in the next several days.

Thank you!

~ Tim

They Are Up And Walking!

Praise the Lord! Dad took several walks today. He is feeling better and was able to eat well today. He is also figuring out when to ask for his medications before the pain becomes too much. He has been in great spirits and is hoping to come home tomorrow. We will see what the doctor says tomorrow on his rounds.
Nate was moved out of ICU this afternoon and placed in a suite on the same floor as dad. He too is eating well and was able to take a short walk this evening. Tonight was the first time that the guys were able to see each other and it was great incentive for dad to make it all the way down the hall. What a sweet reunion!

I decided to "kidnap" mom this morning and took her to the beach for an hour or so. It was very good for her to have some alone time to pray and relax. Please pray for other moments to take time for herself.
We are all sleeping well -thank you for your prayers!

Please pray for continued acceptance of the kidney on Nate's part. These first weeks/months are crucial.
Please pray also for a good care schedule to be worked out if dad returns home tomorrow and Nate remains in the hospital.
Lastly, please lift up my sister Laurelle this week. She is facing a tough week at school with tests, presentations and papers due nearly every day. She is overwhelmed by it all. This evening she emailed a link to a song that was incredibly meaningful given our situation. I have included the link here http://www.passionforyourname.com/loops/Everything.mp3 as well as posted the lyrics below.

Everything by Tim Hughes

Verse 1:
God in my living
There in my breathing
God in my waking
God in my sleeping

God in my resting
There in my working
God in my thinking
God in my speaking

Chorus:
Be my everything
Be my everything
Be my everything
Be my everything


Verse 2:
God in my hoping
There in my dreaming
God in my watching
God in my waiting

God in my laughing
There in my weeping
God in my hurting
God in my healing


Bridge:
Christ in me
Christ in me
Christ in me the hope of glory
You are everything

Christ in me
Christ in me
Christ in me the hope of glory
Be my everything


being firmly, continuously upheld,
Alicia

A Quick Post And We're Off To Bed

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

This song has been running through my head since Thursday evening after our time of prayer. It has continued as I think of how great our God is! He is great enough to bring us to your minds when prayer was needed. As I was looking over all of your comments, I was overwhelmed by the timing of your prayers. We were covered in prayer from the time surgery started on Dad until we heard that Nate was being stitched up. How great Thou art!!!

We decided to tag-team it today and all of us had great visits with both Nate and Dad. It was so good to be able to spend some time with them, even if it was just to sit and pray while they slept.

A few prayer requests to keep in mind:
Dad has been feeling very nauseous all day and is eager to feel well quickly. Please pray that he would feel up to eating soon. Please also pray that he would get good sleep tonight. As a praise, he met his and his doctors goals of fulfilling his breathing exercises and walking down the hall tonight. Yeah Dad!
Nate was able to eat well tonight. Please continue to pray for balance as the doctor and nurses seek out the right combination of medications. Everything is so delicate right now. The kidney continues to function well today. Yeah Nate!

On a similar note: Please continue to pray for us as a family; that we would sleep well, drive safely and take care of ourselves as well. The hospital can, at times, seem like a time warp and the day may be over before you realize you haven't had dinner let alone lunch. We are all working on developing balance in our day and responsibilities.

being firmly upheld,
Alicia for all of the Robertsons

A quick update:

First, thank you all for your concern! Your outpouring of prayers and support has been amazing! I know that many of you are anxious to see the guys. At this time, we would request that you give both of them time to heal up a bit more. The doctors are asking that only immediate family members visit at this time. They are both very tired and need a lot of rest today. Both made it through the night just fine and family is taking turns visiting. Nate is still in ICU and will be for the rest of the day. The nurses are also watching his lungs closely after one of the medications caused fluid to start building up. Please keep this in your prayers. Dad is very nauseous right now.
I will update everyone on visiting status as it changes.

Being firmly upheld,
Alicia

Family and Friends,
We have much to be thankful for today! Both Tim and Nate made it through surgery just fine. I want to get that out first so I don’t keep anyone in suspense.
It’s been a long day! After checking in at 5am, they were both admitted to their respective floors.
Tim was taken into surgery at 8. Tim was in surgery for 6 hours and when he was back in a room and able to see family, Deb went up. Knowing that Nate was in surgery, the first question out of his mouth was “What’s the score?” He was asking of course about the score of the USC/UCLA game. He did a fabulous job and the Doctor was pleased to tell us that there was a good kidney to give Nate.
Nate was wheeled into surgery at 2pm and remained with the Doctor until about 9:30pm. Family was finally allowed to peek in on him in ICU at 10. The kidney started working immediately! Please pray that his body will continue to accept the kidney and not be rejected. There is so much healing that now needs to take place.
Thank you for lifting each one of us up! There were moments when we were able to look at each other and realize that we were calm and had full confidence in our Heavenly Father.

We will post more details tomorrow -it's late and we've all been up for many hours.
Thank you all so much!
Alicia

Tomorrow's Surgery Schedule

So that you can join our family in praying specifically for the events and people of tomorrow, here is an approximate schedule for the day (Saturday, Dec. 2nd). All times are listed as Pacific Standard Time.

5:00 a.m. - Nate and Tim report to St. Joseph's Hospital, in Orange, CA.

7:00 a.m. - Surgery begins on Tim to remove his right kidney. Dr. Chamberlin will perform this operation, which will last approximately 3 hours.

10:00 a.m. - While Tim is taken to recovery, Dr. Ruzics, the transplant director, will operate on the kidney, preparing it for transplantation into Nate.

11:30 a.m. - The transplant surgery into Nate begins, with Dr. Ruzics performing this operation. This may last 4 to 6 to 8 hours, or more.

Our daughters will update this blog Saturday evening with the latest results.

As you pray, consider the words of King David, in Psalm 139, especially verses 1-3, 13-18:

"O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my every thought when far away.
You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest.
Every moment you know where I am.
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous - and how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
How precious are your thoughts about me, O God!
They are innumerable! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up in the morning, you are still with me!"

~ Tim