There is nothing that I woulnd't do for my son. He's my world. It's funny, because before his mother got pregnant, I said, we're going to have a boy, and I'm going to make sure he's hard, and fit, and a badass. He's going to live by rules and regulations, and he's going to be a good man. For punishments, I'll treat him like a recruit on Parris Island, and make him exercise until his heart explodes in his chest. Then he will learn a lesson and get fit. Well, then she got prego, and 6 months later they figured out there was a problem. I was deployed overseas, and I got a red cross message saying my kid wouldn't live to be born, or if he did make it to be born, he wounld't make it to be one year old. Now let that sink in. I was overseas, in a foreign country, doing things that weren't so nice. Then I'm told my kid is going to die before I ever meet him.
Fast forward, I get home, we jump through hoops, transfered hospitals, and met with a few specialists. They gave us hope. Fast foward again, he's born, 6lbs even 18" long, looked and sounded normal. Fast forward a year, because of his kidney issue, he drinnks ALOT of water, in turn it ruins his appetite, so he doesn't eat. So they install a G-tube, so we can hook him up to a machine at night so that we can fill his little belly with formula and medication. Also by this point, he's getting a shot every day, and orally taking 7 different meds. Doc appointments every week, eventually become once a month. 5 years later, his G-tube/button starts to crack, so they have to install a new one. I hope that none of you ever have to experience that procedure ever. Basically, the Gtube button looks like the inflator valve for a beach ball/pool raft/etc. They way they change it out, is they rip it out. Then use a tool that looks like a tire plug tool to put the new one in. I never heard a kid scream in such agony in my life, nor do I ever want to hear it again. I had to be removed from the hospital that day by security. I was told to wait outside because I was going to fuck the doctor up for doing that to my son.
Fast forward another 5 years. He's growing pretty good, actually on the growth chart. So they decide to remove the g-tube button, but he has something else going on. Turns out his appendix was screwing up, so he had that removed instead. Another year or so, it's time for the transplant. They had me in one OR and him in the next one over. They took my kidney out and walked it right over to him and started to install. While they were in there, they took his button out. My kid looks like a damn combat action war hero with 3 purple hearts, if you were to see him without a shirt on. Scars everywhere.
Now we're thining that everything will be great, now that he's got my kidney, and for the most part it was. He felt better than ever. Until the first time he got the BK virus and it landed him in the hospital for 10 days. The thing with organ transplant recipients, they are on immunosuppresants for the rest of thier lives. So what we might blow off as the sniffles, could land him in the hospital or morgue. So he's been in the hospital in bad shape about 4 times now since the transplant. Once they weren't sure if he was going to live. All because of a virus. He actually was just in the hospital last week for 5 days because of a UTI. They found out that his bladder does not completely empty when he urinates, and it builds up bacteria. Nothing like watching your kid crying because the pain is uncontrolable. You feel helpless and just wish you could take the pain for them.
My boy is 22 years old now. He's bigger than me, not muscular, but looks more "corn fed". He's a husky kid. I'm so happy that he was strong enough to prove the doctors wrong.
