A DAY 37, AFTER TRANSPLANT REFLECTION ON PERSONAL FRIENDSHIP AND THE PHOENIX FINISH LINE.........

Father Oliver's need to be at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport by 4 a.m., this morning meant we left the house at 2:55 a.m. Jeremy and I dropped him at Terminal 4, and were back at the house in the Trapanotto Estates at 4:45 a.m., a nearly 67 mile roundtrip. We each slept for a few hours befoire my morning meds and breakfast at 9:45 a.m., and Jeremy has been sleeping off and on, ever since. He will be awake to prepare my lunch and give me my afternoon meds at 2 p.m., and will then discuss what's for dinner. I am thinking perhaps steak sandwiches, mashed potatoes and green beans. I am already missing Oliver very much. He is such a loyal friend and brother priest, to travel 12,000 miles return for short periods, for the third time in seven years since my diagnosis with diabetes and renal failure, to provide personal caregiving, companionship, solidarity, and support. Oliver and Jeremy also made a strong and complementary team of caregivers for me. Jeremy met Oliver last summer when he visited me for two weeks in celebration of his 20th anniversary as a priest. Jeremy is my solo caregiver the next two days and then will be teamed with Presentation parishioners, Paul and Sharon Friedrichs, who will be here to assist this weekend. Then come Monday, Jeremy and I will be together in the final 14 day homestretch to our return to Sacramento, on October 17. I have a kidney transplant summary appointment with one of the doctors tomorrow afternoon, and have only two follow-up appointments remaining, one next week and the other the following week, so that I will return to Sacramento right up to date, hopefully in a seamless transition to oversight by Sutter Memorial Transplant Center. My next Mayo Clinic Arizona follow-up appointments after October 17, will be the 4 month post transplant evaluation week in December, and the first of my annual, lifetime, week long, visits next August. That's all for now. Until later.........
Peace + Prayers, Fr. Troy