As Bill O’Reilly would report, you are entering the NO SPIN ZONE…

Here’s a quick report of our trip to UCSF today. 

As previously reported, last week Irene’s nephrologist, Dr. Surinder Kumar, who is overseeing Irene’s dialysis treatment, strongly urged her to consult with Dr. Charles Eichler at UCSF, “sooner rather than later” regarding the function of the recently installed Cimino Fistula.  He told Irene that the fistula was not functioning correctly.  Then, today, one of the dialysis nurses informed Irene that “perhaps” she had a blood blot in the fistula region.

Now, I don’t want to exaggerate, but Dr. Eichler spent…oh, about 10 seconds checking Irene and verified that the Cimino Fistula is functioning PERFECTLY at this stage following the recent surgical procedure.

Taking the high road, and without further commentary, we will conclude and report that it is better to be safe than sorry!!!!  Now, wasn’t that nicely stated…? 

On a positive note, prior to the brief consultation with Dr. Eichler we had the privilege of visiting and praying with Scott Halverson (who works at Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center) who is battling cancer and is admitted at UCSF.  Scott’s strong faith and supportive family are a true testimony to the glory of God!!!!

http://halverson-family.com/?p=134

We continue with NO SPIN on Irene’s journey of faith!!!

Thanks for caring.

Caminando con Fé
Dave

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men ....
Ecclesiastes 3:11a

(FOX News) Tony Snow, the former White House press secretary and conservative pundit who bedeviled the press corps and charmed millions as a FOX News television and radio host, died Saturday after a long bout with cancer. He was 53.

A syndicated columnist, editor, TV anchor, radio show host and musician, Snow worked in nearly every medium in a career that spanned more than 30 years.

Irene and I have been Tony Snow “fans” for years.  His sharp intellect, his innate ability to remain laser beam focused on the most provocative and complicated issues combined with a fabulous sense of humor, made Tony a joy to watch, listen to and learn from.  We are saddened by his death on this earth but realize he now LIVES at his final destination .... with Jesus and His Followers in Heaven.

We have been created not only for life on this earth for but for all of ETERNITY.

Tony Snow understood this profound truth as articulated in this Christianity Today article on July 20, 2007.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men ....
Ecclesiastes 3:11a

Caminando con Fé

Dave

A man’s steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way?
Proverbs 20:24

We’ve got a late-breaking report.

This morning at dialysis, Dr. Kumar, Irene’s kidney doctor, told her that as he listened with his stethoscope at the location of the Cimino Fistula procedure, that it didn’t sound like it was functioning appropriately.  We’ve just scheduled an appointment with UCSF for this Monday @ 3 p.m.  It’s not exactly what we were hoping to learn today, but God is in control ....

I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.
Jeremiah 10:23

Caminando con Fé

Dave

According to Wikipedia ....

Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. A fast may be total or partial concerning that from which one fasts, and may be prolonged or intermittent as to the period of fasting. Fasting practices may preclude sexual activity as well as food, in addition to refraining from eating certain types or groups of foods; for example, one might refrain from eating meat. A complete fast in its traditional definition is abstinance of all food and liquids except for water.

Fasting for religious and spiritual reasons has been a part of human custom since pre-history. It is mentioned in the Bible, in both the Old Testament (the Tanach) and New Testament, the Qur’an, the Mahabharata, and the Upanishads. Fasting is also practiced in many other religious traditions and spiritual practices.

Fasting is also used in a medical context to refer to the state achieved after digestion of a meal. A number of metabolic adjustments occur during fasting and many medical diagnostic tests are standardized for fasting conditions. For most medical purposes a person is assumed to be fasting after 8-12 hours. A diagnostic fast refers to prolonged fasting (from 8-72 hours depending on age) conducted under medical observation for investigation of a problem, usually hypoglycemia. Fasting has occasionally been recommended as a therapeutic intervention by physicians of many cultures, though it is uncommonly resorted to for this purpose by modern doctors.

Isaiah 58

True Fasting

1 “Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the house of Jacob their sins.

2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.

3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.

4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.

5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?

6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness [a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the LORD’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

14 then you will find your joy in the LORD,
and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Isaiah 58:1-14

FASTING is an intriguing issue.  For those who want to delve more deeply into the subject matter, we refer you to this fascinating doctoral dissertation by Kent D. Berghuis, Ph.D.

Irene and I are vacationing the week of July 7-11.  No, we’re not going away but I am scheduling some much needed time off.  It will be a different kind of vacation because Irene still has her scheduled dialysis on Monday, Wednesday & Friday.  Our plan is to radically disrupt the new “routine” with an atypical rhythm.  My capable InterWest colleagues will support me and serve client needs in my absence.

I’m also wondering about the notion of fasting on vacation .... not necessarily from food, but from all forms of electronic media, i.e. internet, email including my Blackberry (the most challenging of all!!!!!!), television, etc.  This equates to no irenedias.com updates for awhile.  Why, do you ask, will there be no updates?  The most direct and honest answer is for personal renewal. Candidly, re-engaging in my day job and updating on the website as an extra task is, at times, somewhat challenging.

MARGIN is the defining word during the upcoming vacation.  And, abstaining from our worldly and humanly appetites for some period of time, according to scripture, has enormous benefits.  I’m going to try and do both.

Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility — young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.

Among these were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.

But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”

Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.

At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.

To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.

At the end of the time set by the king to bring them in, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.

Daniel 3-18

Obtaining WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE and UNDERSTANDING are additional and compelling reasons for FASTING.  Perhaps a person is more receptive to hearing God while fasting because abstaining reminds the one fasting to focus more on Him.  The contradicting world’s value system hopefully becomes even blurred and obscure .... and He becomes more clearly in focus.

The discipline to abstain and stay focused is certainly going to be a challenge .... the evidence is that most people don’t want to deprive themselves of anything .... after all, how many people do you know that intentionally FAST .... and/or do so on a regular basis?  And, who would naturally and intentionally deprive himself of a worldly appetite?

Thanks for your continued support.

The next scheduled update is Monday, July 14, 2008.

Caminando con Fé

Dave

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:8-13

Irene’s nausea loomed large all day and her fatigue was also relentless.  She is grateful, however, that it wasn’t a dialysis day.

With Irene in remission status and passing the one year mark of the stem cell transplant, we were discussing the three most significant and remaining physical challenges; dialysis three days a week, extreme nausea and fatigue.  And, depending on the day of the week, any one of those three could be the greatest challenge.

We believe, however, that God is faithful and that He is love.  His thoughts are ever before us and He will never leave us nor forsake us.  We have GRATEFUL hearts for remarkable blessings that are as measureless as the sand at the sea.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.

Psalm 139:17-18

The three remaining challenges don’t outweigh His consistent presence in our midst.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13

Caminando con Fé

Dave

Hi Dias Family,

I am glad to hear all is well with Irene’s last appointment and like I told Joci, the jewelry comment is so her mother and I love it!

As I put in the subject line Thinking of the Dias Family which is what I do everyday when I get an update from this blog I have been following (along with Irene’s) and thought it might be something you would enjoy reading — it’s by a mom who I have been purchasing baby items from since Lilie was around 3 years old.  She recently lost a baby during her pregnancy for no known reason, at 37 weeks and then had a still birth.  Much of what she says about understanding and putting trust in God is similar to your web site.  I loved the posting she has now of the the YouTube Video and thought you might enjoy it too.

Take care,
Carin Sutton

Hi Dave and Irene,

I’m so happy to hear about your day at UCSF and the things you learned there.  What a touching blog tonight.

Irene, you are such a classy, faithful woman that we can all learn so much from you.  I check on your site almost every day to see how things are and I say a prayer every time I check in so I feel like we connect in spirit much more than in word.  Dave, thank you for being the most faithful updater and husband.

Cheryl

My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name.  His mercy is on those who fear Him, from generation to generation.
Luke 1:46-47, 49-50

When Irene was getting her blood drawn this morning @ UCSF the attending nurse complimented Irene’s jewelry.  Irene quickly responded .... ”I may have a disease but it doesn’t have me ....!!!!!!!”

Dr. Damon’s Bone Marrow Transplant Coordinator, Bridget Mazzini, warmly greeted Irene this morning @ UCSF.  Bridget, encouraged by Irene’s progress, shared with Irene that UCSF “gets about a miracle every three years…and you’re one of them.” Bridget further explained that the degree of complexity and severity surrounding Irene’s condition (internal bleeding, etc…) in June of 2007 created a provocative conversation among the medical team about whether or not she would make it through the chemotherapy and stem cell transplant process.  It was an emotional moment for Irene to reflect on that perception.

We call the UCSF medical team “The Dream Team”.  Pictured above is Dr. Ai, who regularly attended Irene during the stem cell transplant process.  Dr. Ai shares Bridget’s sentiments and is obviously very encouraged by Irene’s progress.

We’re forever grateful for Dr. Wei Ai, Dr. Stephen Gluck, Dr. Lloyd Damon, Dr. Russ Cucina, Dr. Lawrence Kaplan, Dr. Catherine Smith and Dr. Rachel Fogarty, and many other UCSF doctors who were personally concerned for Irene’s welfare along the journey.  We’re also deeply grateful for the nursing team and the many other supporting and unnamed HERO’S at UCSF who quietly serve 24/7.

UCSF Medical Center is a “city on a hill” and a beacon of light to the world.  Those many who work there are giving of their lives to save lives.

The photo above shows Irene’s stitches being removed from the Cimino Fistula procedure.  You’ll note that there are TWO surgical wounds.  The wrist wound is where Dr. Eichler first attempted to surgically create the fistula and discovered that the veins in that region would not support the effort.  The fistula procedure was ultimately completed in the middle portion of Irene’s arm.  Irene will see Dr. Eichler as a follow-up on August 18, 2008.

Irene’s appointment with Dr. Damon was very encouraging.  Remission is the defining word.  Another Cappa Light Chain blood test was completed today and the results should be in next week but Dr. Damon expects no surprises.  Irene also had several vaccine shots (tetanus, diphtheria, measles, mumps, rubella, meningocoloccal, polio, shingles, pneumococcal) because she has now passed the one year mark (June 15, 2007) since the stem cell transplant.

With Irene remaining in remission, Dr. Damon confirmed that she may now be a possible kidney transplant candidate.  We will now explore this conversation with Irene’s nephrology team.

Irene is not scheduled to see Dr. Damon again until December 18, 2008!!!!!!!!!

Our collective prayer today is a reflection of the following ....

My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name.  His mercy is on those who fear Him, from generation to generation.
Luke 1:46-47, 49-50

Caminando con Fé

Dave

I am filled with comfort.  I am overflowing with joy in all my affliction.
2 Corinthians 7:4

Irene has this verse written on a 3X5 card and she regularly recites it.

We have an appointment on Thursday @ UCSF with Dr. Lloyd Damon, Irene’s stem cell transplant doctor.  We hope that the stitches from the Cimino Fistula procedure will also be removed.  We’ll give a full report following the consultation.

In the meantime, Irene continues to focus on living each day to its fullest.  She is filled with comfort and overflowing with joy in all of her affliction…and still has a smile on her face.

Caminando con Fé

Dave

I was able to attend the Governor’s Prayer Breakfast in Sacramento today.  Our good friend, Mark Joseph (www.mjmgroup.com and www.markjoseph.com), was the plenary speaker.  He delivered a stirring and inspiring message.

Irene’s fistula surgical wounds continue to heal very well and we hope the stitches will be removed @ UCSF on Thursday when we see Doctor Damon.  Her dialysis treatment yesterday was cut short due to early warning signs of cramping but she’s had two very good days.  The nausea remains at a low roar.

Thanks for caring.

Caminando con Fé

Dave

I went to Yosemite National Park for the weekend with my dad, Joe, and two brothers, Dan and Greg (in the order seen below) and their two sons, Matt and Joel.  On Friday afternoon we drove to Glacier Point to enjoy the spectacular views.  On Saturday, while my dad remained at base camp, the rest of us trekked to the top of Yosemite Falls, a 3.9 mile 3,000 foot switchback trail with a very steep grade.  It took 6 hours to make the roundtrip trek.

Irene had a very unusual few days.

At dialysis on Friday she had an excruciating cramping episode in her left calf.  She is NOT looking forward to tomorrow’s treatment.

Fires in the region later in the day and over the weekend made national headlines.  Jocelyn is in New York/Connecticut, JoAnna in S. Cal, I was at Yosemite National Park and her two sisters (Carmen & Jane) who normally stay with her were also traveling.  Fortunately, she had a good network of friends in the region.  Shirley Churchill invested 2 hours with Irene on Saturday morning working with her on physiology techniques and Sue Martinez took Irene to lunch.  Phyllis Cauwels and Colleen, Greg’s bride, called Irene to check on her.  Irene also spoke with JoAnna several times.  Jocelyn called from NY, and, had she been home, she would have been under mandatory evacuation because of the fires.  The fires are now 90% contained.

It was a whirlwind weekend.

This coming Thursday Irene will see Dr. Damon at UCSF and the stitches should be removed from the fistula procedure.

Caminando con Fé

Dave

A friend of ours, Megan Igno, is studying to be a nurse. Megan recently wrote a report on Amyloidosis for her biology class and used Irene’s journey as a basis of her report. We include it here for your perusal: Kappa Light-Chain Primary Amyloidosis Associated with End Stage Renal Disease and One Patient’s Journey.

Megan’s work has received kudos even from some of the doctors involved in Irene’s diagnosis and treatment! Thanks to Megan for making us a part of her educational experience!

One of Irene’s favorite artists is CeCe Winans, www.cecewinans.com.

Last Saturday evening it was a JOY to behold Irene dancing with enthusiastic rhythm, JOY and liveliness to the song “It ain’t over” ....!!!!!!!!!  My only regret is not having a video camera on her!!!!!!!

So you got a bad report
And it doesn’t look good to you
Put a praise on your lips
This is what you gotta do
Speak to your situation without hesitation
God gave me this revelation just for you

(bridge 1)
It ain’t over (It ain’t over)
No matter what you’re going through
It ain’t over (It ain’t over)
God’s gonna work it out for you
If you can believe
It ain’t over
Trouble don’t last always
It ain’t over (It ain’t over)
It ain’t over (It ain’t over)

So you gave it all you had
And you still came up short
You been faithful through it all
And you answered the call
Keep your eyes on the prize
Don’t give up the faith
God has a plan for you
That’s why we say

It ain’t over (It ain’t over)
Weeping may endure for a night
It ain’t over (It ain’t over)
Joy’s gonna come, joy’s gonna come
It ain’t over
If you just believe in the morning
It ain’t over (It ain’t over)
It ain’t over

(bridge 2)
Whose report will you believe
God has spoken
Will you receive
Oh, it ain’t over (It ain’t over)
It ain’t over (It ain’t over)
It ain’t over (It ain’t over)
It ain’t over (It ain’t over)

It ain’t over (ooooh yeah)
Said it ain’t over
Saints hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on
If you just believe it ain’t over (It ain’t over)
It ain’t over (It ain’t over)

(bridge 2)

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Listen (It ain’t over)
Said it ain’t over (It ain’t over)
Trust me (It ain’t over)
I know for myself it ain’t over (It ain’t over)
Oh it ain’t over (It ain’t over)
I believe it ain’t over (It ain’t over)
It’s just getting started (It ain’t over)
You gotta believe it ain’t over (It ain’t over)
I believe (I believe He’s got better things for me)
I believe (I believe He’s got better things for me)
I believe (I believee
Tell yourself I believe (I believe He’s got better things for me)

Oh yes, it ain’t over
This is just a test of your faith
(It ain’t over)
Won’t be like this always, just believe
(It ain’t over)
Don’t give in, don’t give up, you can make it, hold on
(It ain’t over)
Cause there’s a blessing in your storm

I believe
(I believe He’s got better things for me)
Speak to yourself
(I believe He’s got better things for me)
Proclaim it
(I believe He’s got better things for me)
Shout it out loud
(I believe He’s got better things for me)
Yes He does

It ain’t over (It ain’t over)
It ain’t over (It ain’t over)
It ain’t over (It ain’t over)
It ain’t over (It ain’t over)

Clap your hands (It ain’t over)
Cause it ain’t over (It ain’t over)
Stomp your feet (It ain’t over)
Cause it ain’t over (It ain’t over)
Do your dance (It ain’t over)
Cause it ain’t over (It ain’t over)
You gotta believe it (It ain’t over)
Cause it ain’t over (It ain’t over)
Keep praying (It ain’t over)
Cause it ain’t over (It ain’t over)
Keep hoping (It ain’t over)
Cause it ain’t over (It ain’t over)
God said it (It ain’t over)
And it ain’t over (It ain’t over)
It ain’t over (It ain’t over)
Yeah yeah yeah (It ain’t over)
Ay, ay, ay ohhhh (It ain’t over)

(It ain’t over)
(It ain’t over)
(It ain’t over)

Download the song or purchase the CD .... dance along with the beat and you’ll learn why it inspires her ....!!!!!

Irene is pictured above @ UCSF in pre-op early this morning.  The procedure went well and the Cimino Fistula is now in her right arm.  The arm is very sore, she’s on a pain reliever, but is resting comfortably at home.

Irene’s smiling and optimistic spirit continues on the amyloid journey because “it ain’t over”.

Caminando con Fé

Dave

As we settle in this evening awaiting the fistula procedure early tomorrow morning, we savored a delicious meal at the infamous Tadich Grill, the oldest restaurant in California.

San Franciscans enjoy eating out. Some say that it is a heritage from the gold seekers who journeyed to California without their families, became accustomed to the good and exotic cookery of the restaurants of San Francisco, and were never again completely satisfied to eat at home.’’ That’s not a quote from one of today’s trendy food magazines. It’s from an article by Salvatore P. Lucia in Atlantic Monthly in 1950.

Lucia goes on to write about the hot restaurants of the time that have since closed — Rijstaffel, the Papagayo Room in the Fairmont Hotel, and Amelio’s. But he also mentions a San Francisco classic that’s still open, Tadich Grill, which he describes as being a place “for the more sophisticated fancier of fish dishes.’’

Tadich Grill isn’t just the oldest restaurant in San Francisco; it’s one of the oldest businesses in California.

In 1849, when California wasn’t even part of the Union, the restaurant began its life as The New World Coffee Stand on the edge of what’s now Commercial Street. It moved several times in the early days until it found a more permanent home — from 1912 to 1967 — at 545 Clay St. It moved to its current address on California Street when Wells Fargo took over the space on Clay.

The “new’’ location looks much like the Clay Street restaurant, according to Bob Buich, one of the owners, who says the restaurant was basically disassembled and recreated in the new space.

Lots of dark wood, including the long bar and lunch counter, highlight the decor and give the space an old-fashioned, clubby feel. Booths are created by wooden panels for more private dining away from the din of the restaurant. White-clothed tables line the walls and Deco-style light fixtures add a warm glow. The open kitchen, so popular at restaurants now, was also recreated from the Clay Street restaurant.

Tadich Grill — one of the most written-about restaurants in San Francisco history — held a special place in the heart of the late Chronicle columnist Herb Caen, too. He wrote of eating the famed Hangtown Fry — scrambled eggs, bacon and oysters — on a cold March day in 1982 and feeling as though time stood still at Tadich Grill. He was right.

Robin Davis is a Chronicle staff critic. Her Dining Out columns can also be read on The Gate at www.sfgate.com.

Even as she anxiously anticipates the procedure tomorrow morning, Irene is still smiling ....

Caminando con Fé

Dave

This is what the LORD says —
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the LORD your God,
who teaches you what is best for you,
who directs you in the way you should go.

Isaiah 48:17

It may be hard to believe .... but this Father’s Day commemorated Irene’s ONE YEAR stem cell transplant birthday!!!!!  Irene underwent the amyloid stem cell transfusion @ UCSF on June 15, 2007 ....

One year ago following the stem cell transplant (2 days difference to be precise) Irene is now scheduled for a Cimino fistula procedure.  A Cimino fistula is a type of vascular access for hemodialysis. It is a surgically created connection between an artery and a vein in the forearm.  Once the graft takes place over the next 2-3 months Irene’s current dialysis catheter in her chest will then be removed with yet another surgical procedure.

Here’s the plan.  We will spend Monday night in San Francisco.  Tom & Janet Williams (Tom is the Chairman of InterWest) have graciously offered their condo to us in preparation for the early Tuesday morning hospital admission (6 a.m.).  The procedure is scheduled at 7.30 a.m.  Irene is expected to be released from UCSF late in the day at which time we will travel home because she has dialysis treatment early Wednesday morning.

2008 Father’s Day pix ....

It’s been quite a year .... and we look forward with wholehearted trust and confidence to whatever God has in store, knowing that He always has our best interests in mind and directs us according to His purposes .... even along the amyloid journey.

This is what the LORD says &mdash:
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the LORD your God,
who teaches you what is best for you,
who directs you in the way you should go.

Isaiah 48:17

Caminando con Fé

Dave