Our phones have been blowing up today with people wanting updates on Louie’s kidney, but there’s not a whole lot to tell. We still have to wait until AFTER his re-evaluation on August 1-4 and then for the committee to meet to decide if they’ll put him on the list or not (which was NOT what we were led to believe when we left home.) If it’s anything like last year, we should have a determination mid-to end of August.
In the meantime, we're still staying active and he's continuing to lose weight and gain strength. Onyx continues to decline, and I don't know how much longer she'll be with us, or whether I'm going to have to make the decision to let her go.
We're also looking for a cheaper rental, as paying $3480 per month + deposit, food, and fuel is quickly becoming unaffordable. We have some options, and I've put in several employment applications to help offset the bills since my savings are now running low, as well. I tried to get qualified as his caregiver through Medicaid, but since he doesn't have "full" Medicaid, he doesn't qualify for a caregiver even though Mayo Clinic requires all patients to have one during appointments, evaluations, and surgical procedures.
Add to this that the crew back home can't even do pasties right now since the lard we use, with ingredients listed on our labels, has become almost impossible to find and ridiculously expensive (by special order only) when we do find it. Louie placed a special order for 5 cases before we left, and it has been paid for since then. We still don't have it, and now Dawn Foods refuses to send it unless he orders 48 cases (for almost $6000 and where is he supposed to store 48 50lb blocks of lard???) So the options are to place the special order of 48 cases, or find a new lard that behaves similarly and change our labels at Louie's expense to remain compliant with the state inspectors. As most of Louie's products are made by feel, we can't do that until he gets back to the bakery and can test different lards to find one he likes.
I'm almost finished with my classes (it's finals week in one class, next week is finals in the other) and then I'll have more time to work. Mayo Clinic will not do my internship for Walden so once again, graduation will be on hold until we get back and I can find a placement for my field work to finally get my bachelors degree.
This isn't the news I wanted to share for the world to see, but it's the truth of the situation we're in. We're doing everything we can, but it's a hurry up and wait with medical stuff, always. Louie will pass his exams with flying colors, but it's out of our hands if he gets on the list. I don't think there's any way they will refuse him. I'm sure if they want to, they can, but I'm fairly certain they won't. If anyone has shown the determination and grit deserving of a transplant, HE HAS.
So, moral of this post is- we're just waiting still. No, he isn't on the list. No, he hasn't gotten his kidney, and no, we aren't headed home anytime soon. As always, thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated.