Guardian Angel

I have always been a canine lover as far back as I can remember. ( No offense to the feline population) Dogs just seem more dependent on you and more loyal than cats. I found out just how true this was from diagnosis to recovery.

We have 2 yorkies; Spencer, a male now 13 and Sophie; a female age 8. Spencer although a loving dog, not a nurturer. I once had a horrendous migraine and was lying in the bathroom floor, Spencer walked by and I called out for him and he looked at me, gave me a quick glance like, "You're good!" He then preceded to walk down the hallway. So much for nurturing...Then down the hallway comes Sophie. She took one look at me laying there and rushed to my aid! So Sophie...This blog is for you...

After my diagnosis, Sophie knew something was up because I was crying constantly and staying around home. She never left my side. The morning of my surgery, I was up extremely early just to mentally prepare myself and I wanted to complete a mental list I had in my mind of stuff to be done before my surgery. Sophie stayed at my heels all morning and there was a sadness and concern in her big brown eyes. When we left for the hospital that morning, we backed out of the garage and there standing in out glass storm door was lil Sophie. I'll never forget how sweet she looked as we were pulling away. I was in the hospital fr 2 1/2 days and my sons tell me that Sophie never left that door(Except when she had to!) until I came home. When I came home, there she was still standing there at the door...When I got into bed she snuggled up beside me and let out a loud sigh...

The weeks I was home to recover were alot easier because of Sophie & Spencer. The unconditional love they gave and the pure comfort and unknowing support was priceless. It made me feel like no matter what I could make it...With a little help from my friends.

The C Word

I had always heard the word cancer, but had always associated it with an elderly person. Now that word was part of my life forever. When you hear the word cancer, the first thought is that you are going to die. I think that was the hardest part of my diagnosis with kidney cancer. Immediately, I thought of missing my boys grow up to be spectacular adults and raise their own families and realize their dreams. This for a mom is heartbreaking...I received a letter from a friend at work(Thank you Lee!) after I was diagnosed that seem to make me feel better. She wrote that it was okay to be sad and okay to be really mad...but you can survive this! I was extremely sad and really mad but to know that she knew how I was feeling made me feel better. Lee too, is a cancer survivor, and her words she wrote kept me going up to and after my kidney was removed.

After my surgery, I had many teary moments worrying about the cancer invading my other kidney. I think this will always be a fear of mine but I no longer let it rule my life. The reason I named this blog, The One Kidney Mom, is because after the surgery that became a nickname in my house. My husband and kids affectionately tagged me that, and it has stuck with me since. I hope anyone reading this blog will take away from this that you can have or had cancer but it doesn't define who you are and when you life will end. Noone knows how much time they have here...So don't spend you time thinking this is the end, it actually is a new beginnning.

There are great websites now to help anyone diagnosed with Kidney Cancer or if you have a loved one with this diagnosis. Just to name a couple; on Facebook-Kidney Cancer Association page and on the web go to kidneycancerwarriors.com. There is support links and important info on each.

Now instead of that c word...I concentrate on the s word-SURVIVAL!

From the Start...

Hello! Welcome to my blog! The reason I am starting this blog is to give hope, support and understanding to others who have been diagnosed with kidney cancer, or have a loved one who has, or are a fellow kidney cancer survivor. My name is Kim, I am married with 2 teen boys and work fulltime at a national telecom company. I am a 4 year kidney cancer survivor and this is my story...It started on November 30th, 2006, I was at my workplace and suddenly had sharp abdominal pains. The pain was so intense that I was doubled over and then felt sick at my stomach. I went home early fearing I just had a virus but later in the evening I felt worse. My husband took me to the emergency room and about an hour later was released. The doctor there felt it too was a virus but advised me to contact my personal physician if I did not feel better by Monday. I didn't feel better by Monday, so I made an appointment to see my doctor that morning. Initially, he thought it might be my appendix so he ordered a CATSCAN of my abdominal area. I went to the lab to have this done and after the labtech took the scan, she left to make sure she had a clear scan. I should have known something was up when she was gone almost 20 minutes and came back and told me abruptly that she would get the scan to my physician ASAP. I thought she was just having a bad day...Little did I know it was going to be me who was going to have the bad day...My physician called my house and my youngest son(then 10)answered the phone and I then grabbed our bedroom phone. He cut to the chase...He apologized for not telling me face to face but wanted me to know ASAP what was going on. It seems my appendix was fine but they discovered an incidental finding. There was mass on my right kidney and he referred me to a urologist the next day. He also said I probably did have a virus and that virus probably saved my life because the early stages of kidney cancer really have no physical or visual signs. As I hungup from that call, my 10 year old came in crying...He had never hungup the other phone...He had heard my diagnosis and wanted to know if I was going to be alright and I tried to comfort him but I too, was so scared. The next day, my husband & I met with my urologist who viewed my scan and said that indeed there was a 1 inch tumor on my right kidney and that to prevent it from spreading, would have to be removed VERY soon. He said chemo would not be needed as long as it was the early stages and it had not spread. He scheduled my surgery for the next week. My husband & I cried all the way home. When we came home, we pulled ourselves together enough to try to tell the boys in the calmest way possible what was going on. My youngest son(loves science)wanted to know if he could have my kidney after it was removed? lol That was a much needed laugh after a day of crying. The next week was hell, telling everyone, making arrangements for help with the boys while I was in the hospital, trying to come to terms that I had cancer. The date of my surgery came and went smooth but the day following my surgery, my urologist said he wanted a chest xray. Before I had been admitted to the hospital, my urologist had requested blood tests, chest xrays, etc. He had seen something on those xrays that he feared was a mass on my chest. I was a basketcase...Here I had made it through the surgery to remove this tumor and now he was telling me that there may be more...The xrays came back fine. It was an enlarged blood vessel and not a tumor. Thank God! I went home the next day to recover. Four years later...no reoccurences(knock on wood)but still have emotional moments. I thank God for my husband, my sons, my friends, and family that stood by me through it all. I never take my health for granted anymore and if you are reading this please at least take that away from this if nothing else...