To My Valentine

I would not have survived this past year after my transplant – no...  the past six years, without my husband. My husband has been at my side since my diagnosis. Not only did the diagnosis of End-Stage Renal Disease change my life, it also changed his. He nearly fell of the chair when my nephrologist said that I was at Stage 4 CKD and so soon. We had plans that needed to be revisited: we were going to travel, get advanced scuba diving certifications, and perhaps also pursue our PhD’s. After that diagnosis, a number of things changed and our dreams were shattered. 

During my time on dialysis, he was my biggest supporter. In that first year, he accompanied me to every dialysis visit. The subsequent years, we felt that it was better to have him at home, make dinner and take care of things around the house, so all I needed to do was come home and rest, which was very much needed… even up to now, whether I like it or not.

This past year after transplant was overwhelming for the two of us. For me, it has focusing on recovery and adjusting to my new life. For my husband, it has been focusing on taking care of me, the household, and the kitty cat. He is the one behind the scenes: taking care of all the paperwork from the hospital(s), Medicare, and our personal insurance. This was no joke. He does most of the housework: although I try to pitch in at the cooking and some tidying up.

During this time, he had some of his own health and physical challenges too. I only realize now that it was perhaps partly, if not mostly due to the stress of going through the last six years.

This being Valentine’s Weekend, I dedicate this post to my Hubby who is my best friend, my partner-in-life, and my forever Valentine. The last six years, we had mainly taken care of ourselves and focused internally.

Hopefully, with this new chance in life, we can still pursue our dreams – new and old.  I love you, Hubby. Me and Meow are thankful you are in our lives.

Happy Valentine’s Day!