Marking Six Weeks of Transplant Recovery

Oct 22 – Dec 3.

Today marks six weeks since my kidney transplant.
The doctors estimated my recovery would take four to six weeks, and I have reached the end of that timeframe. My 10‑pound lifting restriction is… lifted, I’ve returned to work, and I can savor foods dialysis once kept away.

So what comes after this transplant recovery?
Though I will still move with care, the long wait of the past two years is over. Tomorrow, I will press “unpause,” – stepping into routines I had to put on pause.

Meds and bloodwork and doctors.
There are anti‑rejection medications that must be taken for life, joined by other prescriptions that support mine and my kidney’s overall health. Routine blood work becomes a steady checkpoint, ensuring the kidney is thriving and every test result tells the story of progress. Doctor appointments weave into this ongoing journey too, offering guidance and continued adjustments along the way.

Fewer limitations equal more freedom.
And with that freedom comes more laughter and less constant worry, as joy overtakes all the anxiety I held onto – for too long.

Life itself feels lighter.
The extensive hours once tethered to a dialysis machine are now reclaimed for living and sleeping through the night, for reconnecting, for rediscovering the things that had been waiting for me to return to.

Gratitude rises, removing the uncertainty that once consumed my mind.
Each day feels like a gift, a reminder that healing is not only physical but spiritual. It means more living and fewer doctor appointments, stepping into moments instead of postponing them. And through it all, more faith and less fear, because trust in God steadies the path forward, even when the future remains unseen.

I wish younger me could see what this post-recovery life looks like now. What would that Chad say?

Yet, one part of this kidney transplant journey remains unfinished.
I have not heard from my kidney donor, though I hope to soon. Meeting them, sharing my gratitude, and hearing their story is something I long for. My hope is that they, Jeff, Jeff’s recipient, and I might all come together. Four lives (and our families) are forever bound by the cross-match.

This kidney transplant story isn’t just mine. It’s ours.