Home Sweet Home

It feels SO good to be home! We got home yesterday afternoon and it was so exciting to see the kids! Scott slept really well in his own bed. He has stayed in the bed most of the day resting so I have bragged on him for being a good patient. Once he starts feeling better I am going to have my hands full trying to get him to take it easy!! :) Buford was released from the hospital today but has to be back for labs in the morning so they are staying with Teri's parents tonight and coming home tomorrow. We received our first meal tonight and it was so NICE not to have to cook. What a blessing! Hoping for another good night of rests for both guys!

We're Going Home Today!

The doctor came in this morning and cleared Scott to go home. They are doing the discharge paperwork right now so we are hoping to be out of here by noon. Scott is ready to go!! We cannot wait to see our kids and get back to our own bed! He has to come back to get all of his levels checked in 2 weeks and supposed to really take it easy until then. Buford gets to go home tomorrow and he looks great!

Sunday p.m. Update

Scott and Buford both had a really good day today. I wanted to post this picture of the two of them set up watching the Braves game tonight. We had lots of visitors today which made the day pass quickly! Scott may have his shoes on ready to go by 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, but we don't expect to be released until afternoon.

Sunday Morning Update

The guys look great today! Yesterday was a rough day but it's amazing how much progress they have both made in 24 hours. Scott is unhooked from his IV and has on regular clothes. He is getting up and down much more easily and may get to eat food today. He has had some jello this morning and I think that tasted good. He is having to do some breathing exercises because of some crackling in his lungs, but other than that the doctors were pleased with how he is doing. Now for the GREAT NEWS . . . Buford's creatinine level is 1.4 which is on the high side of normal!! We have named his new kidney "Scufford, the happy bean." :) He has been up and down walking and they are putting him on a normal diet. It is funny the things you celebrate in a hospital! There are certain bodily functions they have asked us to look for and we have cheered when they happen!! :) This is a picture from this morning when we visited Buford. We are still on track to be released tomorrow and hoping Buford will get out on Tuesday. Scott says he will NOT stay here more than one more night, but we'll see . . . Thank you again so much for all of the prayers and support. We are praising God again this morning for all he has done!!
Psalm 118:28 You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Saturday Update

The guys both had a long night but they look SO good today. This is a picture from last night when Scott took his first walk and went for a visit in Buford's room. We really wish we would have had the video camera rolling because the conversation between the two of them while on heavy medication was pretty comical!!:) Scott is in a little more pain today but it's not too bad. His main complaint is being itchy so I think they are going to switch his pain medicine today. We were thrilled to find out that Buford's creatinine level has dropped from 5.8 to 2.4 which means his kidney is already filtering much better. They are calling the new kidney a "happy bean." We are still amazed at God's goodness and faithfulness. We truly serve and AWESOME GOD!!!!

He's doing great!!

Scott is in a room now and he is doing amazingly well. His coloring looks great! We are on the same floor with Buford and he is doing really well also. They are going to check his levels soon, but said it looks like the kidney is functioning just like it should. We are praising God for the success of this day!!!

Buford is out of surgery

Buford's surgeon came out and said the surgery was a success. The kidney is functioning and Buford is doing great! Praise GOD!!!! We are celebrating and so thankful they are finished. They are both in recovery and we are hoping to see them soon. Thank you again so much for your support and prayers!

He's out of surgery

The surgeon just came out and said that Scott did great. He will be in recovery for about an hour and a half. They were able to remove the kidney laparoscopically which is what they were hoping for. He said he would feel like a large truck had hit him when he wakes up. They have about an hour left on Buford's surgery but it is going well so far.

Kidney is out!!

The nurse just gave us an update that the kidney is out and looks good. They are taking it to Buford now. Scott is doing well and it will take about 30 or 40 minutes to close him up. Pray that Buford's body accepts it! The next 24 hours will be critical for rejection. Thanks friends!!

He's in surgery

We checked in this morning at 5:30 and we got to be with Scott until about 6:30. They wheeled Buford by and we got to pray together. They let me go back one more time before they took him in to surgery. They took him about 7:20 and the surgeon said he hoped to be finished by 11:00. Scott felt great this morning and wasn't nervous. I hope to post an update soon after 11:00. Thanks again so much for your prayers!!!

The Story

Almost 11 years ago, Scott and I got married and moved to Watkinsville. He began teaching and coaching at Oconee County High school and one of the first people he met was Teri Sanders. Soon after we moved, in true Scott fashion, he told me that Teri was sick and that "we" should take her dinner, but he couldn't go with me to take it. :) So . . . I showed up on a stranger's doorstep with a meal and from there a dear friendship was born. We knew very few people here and we began to spend a lot of time with Teri, Buford, and Katie, who was then 6 years old. Soon, they became more like family than friends to us. Over the past 11 years, our families have experienced many life events together, we have laughed and cried and prayed about so many different things. When Teri called to tell me that Buford was going to need a kidney transplant I knew right away that Scott would at the very least get tested to be the donor. Knowing that he is a universal blood donor, he went through the screening process and found out that he was a perfect match to be Buford's kidney donor. We knew that God had brought this friendship together for many reasons and this was another one! We do not believe in coincidences and truly believe that God has directed us to this very point. One of my favorite Scott quotes from this experience is "If Jesus can give his whole life for me, who am I not to give a kidney when I have two of them in perfect working condition." I think that statement pretty much sums it up! We appreciate your prayers as we approach the surgery this Friday, May 27th at 7:30 a.m.

Field Day

Yesterday was Field Day and Drew's last day of Kindergarten. They were outside all day and he enjoyed every minute of it! He is excited about summer, but I know he is going to miss going to school.

Soccer 2011

Drew and Reed played on the same soccer team this year. We were surprised by the fact that Reed didn't enjoy it as much as we thought he would and Drew enjoyed it a lot more than we thought he would. We are still at the stage of trying lots of different things so the boys can figure out what they enjoy the most.