losing weight

I will never forget the phone call I got from Stu in the summer of 2003 when he said his doctor had called to tell him that he had a liver disease called primary sclerosing cholangitis that would cause his liver to fail, requiring a liver transplant. Stu told me not to worry though because he wouldn't need the transplant for at least ten years and by then, jeez, he'd be thirty.

To him, at the time, thirty seemed so far away, so old. A lifetime.

When I heard the words, "liver transplant," I was stunned. Speechless. Numb.

Without going into pages of detail, let me just say that the time since 2003 has flown by. Stu is now a college graduate, husband, father, and the financial support of his growing family. He, with Shi by his side, has endured many health-related procedures since 2003.

Yet, they have stayed upbeat.

Today, Stu, Shi and I went to meet the liver transplant team. We met a pharmacist and a GI doc, and in two weeks we'll go back and meet a social worker, talk to the finance people, meet with the surgeons, and learn all about liver transplants.

Today, we learned about Stu's current condition and where he's headed. We learned that a transplant could be as much as three years away, or it could happen sooner if certain complications occur. We learned that after the transplant recovery period, Stu will be able to live a normal, active life.

You might think that it's odd that I can sit here so calmly writing about such serious concerns for my oldest. But today, a huge weight was lifted. Since that phone call in 2003, without realizing it, as his mom, I've been carrying the weight of a liver transplant, wondering how my mankid would survive.

Today, I realized Stu is now being cared for by experts, a team of people who have been doing this transplant thing since 1986, who know what they are doing, who each have a role, and who together, will take care of all of the fears I've had for Stu since that phone call.

I know Stu has a long road ahead. I'm certain there will be hills and valleys and turns we will not see coming.

But now we have a team.