The Green light is on 💡 🫁 🩺 🏥. ✝️

On Thursday the 17th Walker got a call from the Mayo transplant coordinator that his transplant procedures were approved by his insurance company and that he would be listed officially starting Friday the 18th. Now the green light is on for go and he is officially on the transplant list for a double lung and a kidney transplant. It’s time to pack our bags and be ready to go at a moment’s notice. We have to be on site at the Jacksonville Mayo Clinic hospital in under 4 hours from the time the call is received. 2 hours to get home from wherever we are all are at the time, get our stuff together, and a 2 hour drive time from Orlando.

We anticipate this will happen within the next 2 months with the average time a Mayo candidate waits for transplant being 3-4 weeks in many cases. Walkers case being complicated, difficult, and rare as he has been told by many different doctors that have reviewed his medical condition. A case well documented and organized  by his awesome nurse Mom in a very thick green binder that sits at the ready on the kitchen desk. A binder that will be moving to Jacksonville soon for probably 6 months or so it is anticipated as Walker recovers and transitions into caring for his revitalized body. Mayo requires that he stay within 20 minutes of the hospital for 6 months after surgery in order to frequently test him and to be able to quickly address any issues that will inevitably come up due to infection and/or rejection. And he will not be allowed to drive during this time and have to be driven to his numerous appointments for therapy and treatment. Needless to say, his parents and other close family will be burning up lots of tire tread between O-town and J-Ville as we juggle being there for Walker as needed. 

Some of the things we will gratefully leave behind on this trip are pictured above like his air compressor, and the long green air hose that snakes across the house trailing it’s master, the mass amount of dialysis fluid that occupies the office, and lots of other dialysis accoutrement. Leave behind forever. We are very excited to move this wonderful life saving equipment out of our place so that it might be used to help another families sick loved one. When the dust settles and Walker moves home again, we won’t know what to do with all the free time on our hands that have been busy working with his equipment for almost 3 years now. Candy and I may have to take up pickle ball or bowling or something, who knows the possibilities are endless. We know Walker plans on walking his dog, Finn, on lots of long walks all over the land wherever the trial may lead them. Again with freedom the possibilities are endless. 

There is excitement in the air again at home as a black cloud has been lifted. We give God all the glory for these blessings of a better life to come. We know God has his hands all in this situation and we trust that no matter the outcome he will continue to hold us upright in his hand giving us the strength to carry on. We will use verses repeatedly during the medical procedures and after in recovery like this one I found recently.

Deuteronomy 33:12

“The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; and the LORD shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.”

Please join us in praying for the family that will lose a beloved family member who’s precious organs will give renewed life to Walker, pray for peace for them in the knowledge that by this gift their loved one is giving life to another and ,secondly, pray that Walkers body will accept these organs with Grace and very little resistance, that the organs will be at home quickly in Walkers body without major complications. 

If you would be so kind as to share our story with your network that would be greatly appreciated. If you and/ or your company would benefit from a tax write-off by donating please consider making a donation to Walkers Transplant fund at  http://www.givetaxfree.org/Walker. Thank you very much.

As always, thank you all for your continued prayers and support and love for Walker and his family.

Love, the McKnights