Wednesday, May 12, 2010

It’s Not Over Yet

Last Tuesday, May 11th was my brother's kidney transplant operation. It was done in Cebu, Philippines and my whole family was with him. I was alone here in Las Vegas wondering what was happening on the other side of the world. I had my computer on almost the whole day and used Skype's calling feature to get updates of the operation. I was nervous and afraid of what might happen to him and I felt I was at a loss since I could not do anything to help him. I knew my parents were also feeling the same way I did, just imagine that their son underwent a very critical operation. I didn't like the feeling of waiting, it was very agonizing.

Since I was online the whole time and planned to remain online until the end of the surgery, I used my Facebook account to broadcast updates to my friends. I did it so that I won't feel alone. I knew my brother and I had lots of friends online so I thought it was a big help to virtually gather them around for support. Fortunately I wasn't wrong. Lots of friends left positive comments on my updates and offered prayers for my brother's safety. Most of them also left assurances that everything would be alright with God's grace. Seeing all the positive feedback encouraged me to keep on posting updates online. I'd been calling my brother's wife to get updates and if there are new developments I posted them online. I felt better because I felt I was no longer alone.

The surgery lasted almost 9 hours for both my brother and the donor and the longer it took the surgery to finish the more I felt uneasy. It was a very big relief when I finally got the word that he was about to be transferred to his room in isolation. The next 48 hours was very critical for him. Infection is the biggest threat in this stage. Symptoms of organ rejection can be reversed with massive doses of anti-rejection drugs. On my last call my brother was already awake but still weak and sleepy. He is currently in isolation in a sterile environment. He will remain in that state for the next 2 weeks with a dedicated nurse monitoring over him all the time. He will stay in Cebu for another month as he will still be closely monitored by his doctors.

At this point, it's still not over. We still have to pray to the Lord for his full recovery.

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