| Recent Updates: |
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| Dec. 30 - Our story is in the Los Angeles Times
-- I will also post it on Jenna's Caringbridge page. --- Dec. 13 -- Yay!!! Patrice just called - we have a date!!!
January 16th!! -- Wow - that's 4 weeks away!
Jenna is at dialysis - I can't wait to tell her!
Doing a big HAPPY DANCE here!!! :-) ---
Dec. 4 -- Lots has happened! We met with Patrice, she and Jenna got along wonderfully. The hospital had many meetings with Patrice as well, and all the signs are looking great. We are awaiting approval by the committee this week and will hopefully have more news soon! Please visit http:www.caringbridge.org/visit/jennafranks for more current info. Thanks for checking on her. - Nov. 1, 2006 - Get ready for some WONDERFUL news! We heard from Patrice yesterday, she is a match for Jenna! Patrice and I met through a forum for living donors. She originally planned to donate to her friend on Sep. 25, but due to a heart surgery between their first and second blood tests, her friend had developed antibodies to Patrice's blood. Apparently during that surgery he had been given a transfusion, and that created the non-matching situation.
Luckily her friend has another donor to fall back on. That's when Patrice offered her kidney to Jenna, and the evaluation began! She described herself as 'physically and emotionally ready' and willing to donate to Jenna! As a result of her perserverance and generosity we are looking toward a transplant in the next couple of months!
In August we found out that Kimberley, who was being evaluated as a kidney donor for Jenna, was not going to be able to donate after all. The doctors found an abnormality that would make her unsuitable. Kimberley's response was so inspiring! She said, 'I sincerely wish things had worked out. If it is ok with you, I would like to add Jenna to my church prayer list. The added prayers can never hurt, as well as the spreading of her need. You never know who might respond. I will continue to pray for all of your family. You are such an amazing mom and are such an asset to Jenna as she deals with everything. I continue to be inspired by your relentless pursuit to help Jenna. I know that God has a plan for you and Jenna. It is so hard to wait on God's perfect timing, but when it does happen I know that it will be beautiful. I will always be happy to be a shoulder to listen when you feel frustration over this difficult journey!'
I truly believe that Kimberley's prayers, and all the prayers from our friends and family and from our 'caringbridge cousins' have brought us here! Thank you so much for the support!
The plan now is to have Patrice come to our transplant hospital the end of November to meet us and the team. Please keep those prayers coming!
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-October 2006 - Please check out the Annual Renal Teen Prom - a free event for teens and young adults from all over the United States: More info at http://www.rsnhope.org/programs/renal_teen_prom2.php - Thanks. ~~
August 2006 - On Tuesday we heard from the young woman who was a potential donor for Jenna. We were awaiting the final cross match results and also the CT Scan reading. The nephrologist at our hospital called her to tell her that the CT Scan had detected that she has medullary sponge kidney disease. They said they would not recommend that she donate now. As you can imagine she is very upset and disappointed, as am I. It's tough news to take because she had sailed through all the other tests, and we hoped the final results would be good. This is the farthest anyone has gotten in the process of testing to donate for Jenna, and I am eternally grateful to her for her effort and determination to make the transplant happen. She gave us some real hope and I wish only good things for her and her future! ~~
June 2006 - Another university published a story about Jenna and her kidney search - go to -- > http://jour.csun.edu/scene/pages/transplant.html
~~ April, 2006 - A local college has interviewed Jenna for a story about students with kidney failure. Read it here! www.pcc-courieronline.com/042706/feature/kidney.html Feb. 2006 - We have been 'traveling in search of a kidney' - we went to hospitals in San Diego and San Francisco to get Jenna listed to increase her odds of getting a cadaver kidney. We are still hoping to find a living donor. ~~
Dec. 7, 2005 - I (her mom) was recently tested as a donor for Jenna to see if I was lucky enough to be a match to donate to her. I am blood type A+ and she is O+. There is a AB subtyping test - 25% of A's can donate to O's if the A2 titer is the same. Unfortunately we do not match. I knew the chances were small, but it was worth a try. |
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|  After years of illness, and 3 years on dialysis, Jenna is doing great since her kidney transplant 2 1/2 years ago. Accompanying her to France was great, it left me feeling reassured that she will do fine. There is a posse of mom's there who will keep a silent watch over her and that has given me such peace.
Jenna is enjoying her intensive French classes and exploring the city. I hope she spends every day doing something new!
This photo is one of our last days together. She will be home for Christmas, hopefully with lots of stories to share! | | |
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| YAY!! Today is 2 years since Jenna's transplant. She is doing great! I spoke to her donor Patrice and she said if she didn't know Jenna and kept up with her progress, she might have forgotten she had donated, the surgery and recovery was so effortless.
The internet has been a remarkable source of hope and friendship for me the last few years as we dealt with Jenna's kidney failure, dialysis and search for a donor. The website www.ihatedialysis.com was a place I found real answers and encouragement as Jenna lived on dialysis for 3 years. The people there have been wonderful. Our caringbridge.org "cousins" have been a warm caring group of people, taking time out to check on us while dealing with their own challenges. I want to thank the NKF's listserve for all the support and information I got from donors and their experiences. I never would have imagined finding an altruistic donor if I hadn't heard other stories of hope! I also want to mention how grateful our family is for Living Donors Online. I went there looking for information to be a living donor, which sadly was not to be, but the support and friendship has been amazing. Patrice came looking for answers too, and she found Jenna's story. She offered to be tested, came to California from Ohio to donate, and gave Jenna 2 precious gifts, her kidney and her friendship. It still feels like a miracle that it all came together. We know how very lucky we have been.
We will celebrate later - and will make a kidney cake!
Here's a photo of Jenna and me in Dec. Life is good!
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| Your holiday gift could save lives.
If you’re searching for the perfect gift this holiday season, you may not realize that you have the ability to give something for free that will touch the lives of countless others.
Find out how to become an organ, eye and tissue donor by visiting http://donatelife.net/CommitToDonation/ | | |
| I recently wrote an article for KidneyTimes about meeting Patrice, Jenna's kidney donor.
You can read it here The Miracle Continues - thanks Lori Hartwell, for your encouragement.
I also wanted to add that Jenna still wears her necklace from Patrice, she only took it off for the transplant surgery. Living donors are HEROES! 
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