09/05/2025
LONG POST I KNOW.....❤️
I’m going to get really real with you all on this post and explain why Make-A-Wish month means so much to me. I'm beyond words grateful for the years of cute pictures, raffles, and capes and such for years but I want to take a moment and get a little more into the real reason behind it all. As most of you know, I was a pediatric dialysis nurse for almost 2 decades. What does that mean? It means I took care of kids ranging in age from babies to 18 year olds whose kidneys no longer work, and we worked to keep those kids living until hopefully they receive a kidney transplant. Ok, but really what does that mean? So I ask that you take a moment and imagine yourself as a teenager or a little kid or a parent or sibling of that kid or teenager…this is what every day looks like.
You can’t eat or drink what you want. You have to leave school early or miss it entirely or be in a hospital school program that works around you dialysis schedule. You’ve either had a procedure to put a catheter that hangs out of your chest or a surgery on blood vessels in your arm that cause your vessel to grow very large and thick so that we can put two giant needles into your arm. We then hook you to a machine that sucks your blood out, cleans it, and removes the fluid (because you no longer p*e it out). You have to do this for 3-4 hours at a time 3-4 times a week. The machines constantly beep and we take blood pressures every 15-30 minutes. When I say you can’t eat or drink what you want…here are a couple examples. First of all you are usually only allowed 1 liter of ANY fluid a day. But be careful what you drink. Cokes are a big NO and drink too much OJ…well that has a lot of potassium and could make your heart stop and you die. Peanut butter, cheese, Chula’s amazing guacamole…NO. So many restrictions. Drink more than you liter a day? Well, you’re probably going to get sick during treatment as we try to suck that fluid off…you might throw up…you might start to pass out. Little kids usually have a tube in their stomachs so parents can give them the many meds they require daily. This is just a little glimpse into it all.
Over the years I worked in Denver, Seattle, Washington DC, and Orlando. I saw so many wishes granted. In Orlando, we were the main hub for the recipients of a Disney World Make -A-Wish. In my opinion, the two happiest days in the lives of these kids is the day they get a call for a kidney transplant and the day their wishes are granted! It not only brings happiness to the kids but for their entire family. It's a little break from the day to day they all live with. Don’t get me wrong…these kids (and families) are the most resilient, strong and positive people I’ve ever met. They keep up the faith throughout all the hardship. It’s inspiring! They deserve a break...a moment of happiness...a moment for them to celebrate despite all they go through. This is what Make-A-Wish does and why I’m so honored to have our community join us in helping these families every year. My sincere THANK YOU TO YOU ALL! Especially if you made it through this entire post ;)
