We have a match!

After going far down the path with a number of potential donors, several of which were matches, we have finally found a match and nothing has disqualified them! It’s an incredible story that we’ll share  more about later this week. There is one last test result for which the donor is awaiting results, and then we will be cleared for a March 10 transplant surgery date.

The test is a triple check on an obscure fungus unique to the part of the U.S. that the donor is from. The transplant team at UCSF approved the case, but would just like to be extra cautious and check for this fungus, which can interfere with kidney function.

We all feel it will clear, but we want to make sure before we lay out the full story.

There have been months of tests for this donor. One of the things we’ve experienced with other potential donors is that the thoroughness of the screening can turn up issues they didn’t know they had.  It’s been disappointing to see other donors who so generously came forward then have to step back and address their own health issues. But with each set back, we have been grateful for a process that will result in better health for a few people.

A couple of weeks ago, we thought we might be there again. After hours of tests at UCSF for the current donor, physicians saw a spot on this person’s lung. They thought it could be Valley Fever, a virus associated with the agricultural community of California’s Central Valley. It wouldn’t pose a threat to the donor’s health, but would disqualify them from donating, so back to the lab for more donor blood draws. Within a couple of days, Valley Fever was ruled out and our case was approved, pending the fungus test.

Now we are making plans, booking hotel rooms near UCSF, scheduling time off work. The donor’s family is doing the same.

It’s coming together. It’s coming together, and we’re praying that every potential obstacle dissolve.