Time is a swift thief - time is a sleepy sloth

 

I've been pondering this thing called time. The way it holds opposing truths. One moment we can be racing the hands of time. Another we can be pleading for time to move. 

Five more minutes with someone we love. 
Wishing away the 2-minute hockey penalty kill.
Running late to something important. 
Counting down to a tropical vacation in a Minnesota winter. 
First days and months after grief and how life can be frozen in time. 
The anticipation of days and weeks until a baby is born. 

So much of our days are consumed with this notion of time. Some days it moves like a thief, swift and unapologetic. Other days it sits still, unmoving or slowly creeping ahead like a sloth. 

Months ago this journey began with a single question, "Can I be approved to be a living kidney donor?" 

If the answer was yes - and a hundred literal miracles did happen - my hope was to donate at the beginning of April. 

That meant tests.
More tests.
Waiting for an invite to schedule with Mayo Clinic.
Waiting for those appointments. 
Waiting for the results of those tests to show up in my portal - one by one.

Through all of the waiting for the hands of time to move, then in a blink of an eye, I'm sitting across from the nephrologist and before I even had time to process it and the images she shared, "Everything is looking like you would be a great candidate" the Dr. said "I will be presenting your case to the transplant board."

The transplant board was meeting on Thursday the following week. So when my phone rang on Wednesday (2/11/26 at 9:25 a.m.) - time collides. I was still in the mindset of wait. Still anticipating. The news told me what I deep down knew all along. I was approved to donate. 

One lab test remained that would determine if I was a direct match to my recipient, or if we would be in the donor swap program. This is a phenomenal program that matches donors and recipients across a network to find the best possible compatibility - blood and tissue type, genetic make-up, eplet matching and antibodies all to reduce the chance that the body rejects the new kidney. 

My family who knows me best, knows I'm not always good about keeping track of my phone. I'm constantly saying, "Anyone know where my phone is?", "Can someone call my phone?" For the next handful of days waiting in anticipation, my phone was tied to my hip and often glancing to ensure I didn't miss a call or a chart update. 

On Monday, 2/16/26, I received a chart update and my heart raced, "Our transplant nephrology team has reviewed the matching pieces of your kidney to your recipient. You will be able to be a direct match." And in that moment I wanted to laugh and cry all at the same time - okay, God, this is only something you could orchestrate. This is truly a miracle! 

A direct match. 

One wild idea. 
One random social media post. 
One unique connection made. 
One viable kidney to share. 
One amazing story to tell.  

And so the calendar sets the next milestone to come - April 7, 2026 - pre-op appointments for an April 8 surgery just as my heart indicated those many months ago. 

And here I am with all that I know now, and I realize time was as perfect as it could have ever been. It wasn’t fast, nor was it slow, nor unrealistic, nor an unreachable dream. It was everything it needed to be, just when it was meant to be. It was perfect. 

All my love, 

Katie

I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

 

*Mind-blowing imaging of my kidneys. The left will go on to live hopefully a long and fulfilled life with my recipient. The left is easier for transplant as it has one artery versus the right having two.