Sunday, August 24, 2008

I found a family!


The past couple of years my husband and I have owned and maintained three condos that we rent out to people going through transplant surgeries at the Mayo Clinic here in Jacksonville. That was a mouthful. It is one of the ways that Tom and I are able to give back to the community that helped us through some really dark days and have literally given my husband a very good life the past few years.

Summer seems to be the hardest time for me to find a new family to rent. If I have my places already rented before June arrives, then chances are real good that they'll stay for awhile. If one of my units opens up in the summer, I don't seem get it rented until about this time of year.

This is the case, now. I've had one of my rentals open for three months. The other two have been rented (Thanks be!) but not this one. One of the nice things was that we got a chance to replace the carpet in the living room with a laminate floor - so that was nice. You can see the new floor in the picture above. (See that neon green blob on the entryway cabinet? That's my tape measure. Boy, I'm glad that got in the picture!)


Today a lovely family moved in.

Yea!!

Yea!!

They needed me and I needed them. I love how that works. I get a new family to learn from and they get an instant family member, ME! Once someone finds us, they become family. We talk about such intimate things like livers and lungs and colonoscopies and drainage tubes. We also talk about family, home, babies, children, restaurants, vacations, etc. We talk and laugh and cry together.

This was the perfect family to move in to one of my places. The husband in this team is the patient. The wife can't stay too long, she has to go back home to work. This is where I can help. I can be there as a friend, someone close by to call for any reason and I can also help with doctors appointments when necessary. The wife really doesn't want to leave, I'm sure they are going to have to push her onto the plane but I hope it eases her mind a bit that her husband is across the hall from another transplant family and that I am just a phone call away.

To read about a few of my other patients, please click on the label Transplant.

Oh and Walter -- I wrote a few posts on Walter in the transplant section --- He went home last week, right on time. He came through all of his early trouble with flying colors. He called today to make sure we made it through T.S. Fay. I love Walter.

Have a great week!
Kristin

3 comments:

Sheila @ Dr Cason.org said...

How great to be a part of someones very important journey.

"J" said...

You are such a WONDEFUL person to be able to help someone like this!!!!

(((HUGS))) to you!!!!!

I love it!!!!!
Great story!!!!!

"J" said...

PS - Our floor is calling your name!!! lol

As of the count down list! I'm hoping to have the floor installed the weekend of Sept 20th!!! I'm hoping we can stay on track!!!!