Done...

Derek is out of the O.R. and into ICU. No one could see him last night, but from what we hear from family in Seattle, the staff say he is quite the fighter...no real surprise to us..hehe

Derek has a long road ahead of him, possibly 1 month in the hospital, anti rejection drugs for life and trying not to get sick for a while...Derek has never been the 'normal' one so we will see how long all that goes on. :-P

I know that Derek is very thankful to his donor, as are all of us. Continue to pray for them as he now has a chance at life that we couldn't see before. You never want to imagine losing someone you love, but it was a reality for all of us for a while. Such a vibrant young man had to endure a test that no one should have to. I think he is overwhelmed by the amount of prayer he received during this trial in his life and I know he will never forget it, I know as his family, we will not.

We didn't get to Seattle for the surgery, but Curt is planning on going this weekend...even if he has to drive-he has to wrap his arms around him and squeeze to make it all better in his mind.
We did spend this time on the phone, email and facebook, myspace etc..updating everyone all over the U.S. what was going on and reading the Prayers coming thru from people who do not even know Derek....truly amazing. For those who believe there is no God, they can look at this and go suck eggs...hehe
THANK YOU!!!

Yes, Yes, Yes

OK...Derek went into surgery about 1 PM Seattle time. He now has the old, nasty liver out and the new one being put in with blood pumping thru it...he is stable and doing well. Thank the good Lord he is strong in heart and mind, his body has failed him so much lately.

Prayers are still coveted as he getting final touches, closed and recovery room time...all in all, 12 hour surgery will have been done.

Still Waiting

We are still waiting to hear that Derek has been moved in to surgery. As it stands now, the liver IS Derek's and he is to wait at the hospital for the surgery. What we wait for is one of two things.
1. The Surgical Teams need to be in place to 'harvest' the organs being donated and all must be done in a certain order. Heart, Lungs, Kidneys then Liver and Pancreas. It just takes time to gather all of the teams to their appropriate places etc.
2. This is the reason the Doctor thinks Derek is waiting-The family of the Donor is not yet ready to say goodbye.
The Dr. said the liver is a perfect match for Derek, in size, age etc. and in good condition/healthy. That being true, the person donating is probably a 15-40 year old male in good shape and relative health that passed before anyone knew he was going too and they are not ready to say goodbye. I cannot blame them, their loved one died and they must be given the time to come to terms with this before the hospital comes in to remove organs. I feel guilt as I sit here and pray for Derek to live; I have always known it means that someone else has to die, but it is very painful to think about what that family is going thru right now....our hope is their sadness...life is so unfair.
Continue to lift Derek up in prayers and also lift up the Donor and his family...they all need it right now.

It is Derek's Day!

GOD IS GOOD! Yesterday during Church, Derek received his page to get to the hospital. As of 12:51am this morning, Derek has been approved for the liver and should be undergoing the surgery this evening. I am not sure of all the specifics right now, but he has been tested, the liver has been tested and he has been told he will receive the liver. I am not sure if #1 on the list has gotten their liver, if the liver was not compatible with #1 or what, all we are focusing on is how this effects Derek...and he is the one getting THIS liver. We have been happy, fearful and just so thankful that Derek has gotten the page and that he has the chance at life.
Our prayers big time for the following:
1. That Derek pull thru this surgery well and liver does well inside him now.
2. That the family of the Donor is at peace, they have just lost someone they love and made a hard decision to help another human being whom they do not know...VERY unselfish!!
3. That the person who passed was Christian and is somewhere being blessed by the fact that they have helped a fellow human being in their last moments!

Life is Good, And I Feel Fine...

Life has been good...busy, but good.
As I said before, we are entering the time of Basketball with Cheer continuing and School, Work and life in general...we pray the good Lord puts enough hours in the day for us!

Tonight we had Curt's 20 Year High School Reunion. WOW, 20 years....can you believe it? We met several of his class, about 40-50 students with spouses, at the Old Spaghetti Factory. Had a great dinner (LOVE that the place has a Gluten Free menu for me!) and had a great time catching up with everyone.
I know many of the people as well, since his high school had about 150 students graduate in '88 and he and I were High School sweethearts...different schools..him 2 years older than me in grades, but schools close in proximity none the less.
WE had to change our plans late in the game since our planned babysitter couldn't do it and we had to call in reinforcements....THANKS PEGGY AND JOHN FOR TAKING THE MONSTERS FOR US TONIGHT!!! It is often hard to find someone who will watch 4 kids, let alone 4 kids on short notice..hehe

Today I managed to complete my CPR-HCP (Health Care Provider) course and will take an Advanced First Aid next (thought this one was it but I was wrong..never happened before..hehe) I turned in my application for my Second's License (Cut-Man approval for Cage Medic) to the State on Friday. Hope to hear back on that soon as well.
Jen and I are headed to Lewiston in Feb to work some fights at the Casino up there...finally get to meet our Head Cut Man Lawrence...should be a blast!

All is well on the home front.
Derek still waits for a Liver (but thank the Lord he is on the list!) and prayers are always coveted to keep him healthy until one comes available.

Hell Months....

Now starts at least 2 'Hell Months'
.
This week begins basketball for 2 boys, Hunter on Tuesday and Thursday and Kai on Wednesday); regular cheer for Demi on Saturday and AWANA for all on Wednesday (minus Kai if B-ball stays on Wed). Saturdays will also include games for the boys..both should be in the same place, but different times.

Work is all week, working out is all week (when I can now fit it in...hehe) and Curtis started a new class on Mondays so I am single mom until 10:30pm for the next 12 weeks.

I love and despise these times when I am not sure if I am coming or going. I came home and got so much done with the house (actually I straightened it so it appeared that it was only 'lived in' as opposed to filthy..hehe) I MUST do this for my OCD to decide that life is in order so I can kinda function...now off to read so I can unwind for bed!

God Is Good

Heard Friday PM that Derek has FINALLY been put on the Donor List for a Liver!!! Derek is listed as #2.

From what I understand, now he has a beeper and cannot be more than 1 hour away from the hospital. When a Liver comes in, he and the patient listed at #1 get a page and both must go to the Hospital. I believe that they then test both to make sure they are not ill, have any underlying conditions etc and then if #1 is sick, the liver is his. If #1 receives the Liver, Derek moves to #1.

All in all, Derek is feeling pretty craptacular right now and is showing signs of Advance Liver Disease. His MELD score (Model for End Stage Liver Disease) was 21 on Dec. 29th, 2008 and is now already 23...only a couple of weeks later, which is a 2 point rise in a short time...not good.

Continue prayer as Derek and the patient listed at #1 wait to hear they have an acceptable donor and a transplant can be completed!

Fun Friday Night

Friday I spent the AM at the Funeral for Justin Eilers, the MMA Fighter who was Murdered on Christmas Day. I had the privilege to meet his brother, his mother, his father and step mother and most of all, his son, Tyson. I was able to tell Tyson the story of when his dad cut his leg and I fixed him up. Tyson knew about the pants with the hole in them and said his dad's team all won that night so his dad called them his lucky pants. They thanked me for taking care of him when he was hurt, and I thanked them for making such an amazing guy who was bigger than life itself and who had a smile that lit up the room....he will be missed.

ME WITH JENS PULVER

Friday night we went to Shorty's for a benefit being put on for Tyson that was hosted by Jens Pulver from the UFC/ECW. Jens is a great guy who is friendly with the fans and took pictures and gave out his autograph (yeah, I got one...hehe) He even signed one guys fake leg for him! ;-)

I have to say, I have not been to a bar in ages, don't ever go out like that and tend to be home early except on Fight Nights when I must be out late. I am not sure how some people 'party' their life away, since one night stuck with me for 2-3 days...hehe. Curt says it is because I am getting old and I never built up a tolerance for it.

All in all, I had fun, hung with a couple of my favorite guys....here they are:

ME AND"SHORTY"

ME AND DAVE "THE URBAN ASSASSIN"

ME, JENN, LESLIE, STEPH