To Wonder and Pray

John Muir once said that "When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world." I've learned that this is true also when it comes to our bodies. When one drug is taken to address one part of the body, it affects other parts of the body.

On February 23rd, I took Gerardo to the ER and on the 24th, he was given his very first dialysis treatment, due to renal failure. I thought they were mistaken at first. How can a person with liver failure also have kidney failure? The answer to that is at the heart of Muir's point: because one thing is attached to everything else. Medicine for the liver can negatively affect the kidneys. Or the heart. Or the lungs. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

On February 25th, he was given yet another dialysis treatment. And many blood transfusions. That evening an ambulance transported Gerardo from UCI to UCLA where the transplant medical team is assessing many things ... not only about his acute kidney failure but also the bleeding that could be related to a cause that could disqualify him from the transplant program.

That last sentence is upsetting to hear. But we heard it together today. And all I could offer Gerardo are words to help him consider that God's will is beyond our imagination as this grueling assessment process continues.

Those thoughts were formed with the support of my support system. With some in my support system I talk on the phone. With others, I cry and hug in person. With many I text or DM with lots of emojis. With a few I work out and sweat. A giant love letter to each of them would include my gratitude for their wise counsel and unconditional love, with an invitation to wonder and pray with me about the grandeur of this journey.