From the Keeper of the Rotten Kidney

As my granddaughter,Emily, would say... "hey you guys" this is the KORK. I'm the guy with the Kidney that is out of control. Erin (Erv) started this and everybody in the immediate family has written and, low and behold, my firstborn finally wrote and threw down the gauntlet and said it was time to hear from me. I know they're all worried about me because after all, I have been pegged as the pea....surrounded by my pod...and apparently y'all are wondering. I thought they could read me like a book...all the way to the red ears.

By the way...if indeed I am the peas, I choose to be purple hulls. They're sweet and earthy and go great with cornbread and butter.

First and foremost, thank y'all for your prayers and concerns for me and for my family. I will use every prayer and pass them along to folks who also need our prayers and thoughts.

I've had this Right Kidney for a long time....approaching 6 decades and it has worked fine....and may actually still be working.... I don't know the answer to that, but it's coming out. They tell me that it's time to give it up...and so I shall, with gratitude for its service. I would say that I am lucky. I have a spare already installed and up to speed. They won't have to whittle on an organ, and bombard it with chemicals and radiation so that I have some hope of continuing on. They'll just take it out.... I'm extremely lucky.

This happened as such a surprise. I suppose lots of dianoses are surprises, but I have no symptoms. I feel good, I'm middle aged plus, but I wouldn't guess that there is anything wrong with me and I do actually pay attention most of the time.

Debbie says I need to find a different way to say it, but, here is how I feel about the problem of cancer. I have a great respect for it and how it is stealthy and how it has so many forms, but I am not afraid of it. In the past week, I have talked to lots of people who have been through many forms of the disease and they are survivors. I plan to join their ranks. In general it changed how they look at life. You know, the older we get, the more our perspective changes..so I'm assuming that there are lots more roses to be smelled.

There is a big unknown out there as it relates to how my treatment will be specific to me. We are blessed with good doctors and I'll rely on them to figure out what is best. I'll help them all I can. I'll deal with that as it comes because I do not have a personal benchmark for a deal like this.

My understanding is that the surgery will be similar to a C-section. David Eifling said "sounds like a K-section"... so I'll borrow that phrase and use that as a way to get through the surgery. It's been done before so surely I can get through it too.

I'm one week away from surgery...let's get on with it. I'm not used to waiting. I have a few more details to get in place so that ART operates smoothly. I guess it took a Rotten Kidney to get me to spread out some of the details of my business. I have a great crew.... they'll do great.

Ok, so there you have it

KORK....soon to be OKW ( one kidney wonder)