Recovery: Photo 16

Photo by Amber Hunt

I had planned on leaving the Gazette and Iowa in mid-1998. Unfortunately, my kidneys had other plans for me. Because I didn't have the $135,000 this process would eventually cost, I had to stay employed there until after the surgery. One never realizes the importance of health insurance until they need it. I also didn't want to leave my invaluable physician, Dr. Pruchno.

A few weeks after the surgery Amber and I started applying for new jobs. In July, about three months after the surgery, Amber and I accepted positions at the Times Herald in Port Huron, Michigan. Looking back, I think some force guided us to Michigan. About a year later, in May 2001, my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. We live about an hour from her and Richard and Allison so I am able to spend a lot of time there.

While this is by no means the end of my journey, it is a pause in the story. With any luck, I will continue sailing through my new life with my new kidney. Please visit the From My Lens chapter to see a few pictures from my point of view and visit the Reactions section to see how others were affected by my experience.

For questions, comments, concerns or criticism, please feel free to email me.

Thanks for visiting.