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I talked with the transplant coordinator today at lunch. Thank goodness I had studied because I had to pass a verbal exam before I could play. There were some real doozies on it...like "Have you ever been diagnosed with high blood pressure?" and "Do you do recreational street drugs or marijuana?" I must have gotten a decent grade because she agreed to send me a blood test kit which should be arriving in the mail in about a week.

I also spent some time talking with a coworker today about the transplant process. Her daughter was born with kidney problems, had a transplant when she was very young (3 or 4 years old?) and they have been dealing with infections and rejections for the past 10 years. I guess her daughter had a cadaver donation instead of a live donor. Anyway, since she had experience with the medical aspect of it, she was able to be very blunt (she's like that anyway) about the risks I would be facing. She also reminded me to be very involved and knowledgable about what was happening, since not all doctors are as worthy of complete trust as others.

My brain is obviously busy processing this whole thing constantly, since the word kidney pops into my mind on a regular basis now. I don't think I have ever thought about a body part this much! I suppose that will wear off as I come to terms with the reality of this, but for now it is just silly. "Okay kids, I want you to list 5 nouns on your paper. Pick anything you want - desk, pineapple, armchair, kidney - just as long as it is a person, place, or thing." Sheesh.