Life as a Clark started and evolved back in 2009. Taking you back to 2009, Mark and I were newlyweds and just beginning our story as a couple. Looking back on this day it always puts a smile on my face and reminds me how good we have it and we really are better together.
Soon after we were married, Mark's health began to take a turn for the worse. It slowly crept up, but even still I knew it was coming long before it did. It seems like so long ago and such a distance from where we are today, however when I sit back and think of all the days Mark struggled with his disease I can still feel the pain of my heart breaking and being within seconds of crumbling into a heap of flesh.
I still remember the day Mark was admitted into the hospital. Just a few days before this my Aunt Verna and Uncle Dick were visiting us here in Arizona. I remember grilling out and enjoying the beautiful February day. Just two days later, Mark was admitted and we were given the news he would be on dialysis and would need to be placed on the transplant list. Mark was diagnosed with FSGS at the time and within a short amount of time was in kidney failure. I knew this day was going to come before it did though. The signs and symptoms were there for some time. I remember googling symptoms and watching Mark on the couch checking the boxes of symptoms of kidney failure. Thinking back when he was finally admitted into the hospital, it was a bit of a relief. There were many a times when Mark woke up in the night and we had to call the ambulance because his body was slowly working against him. His body was ready to surrender.
Mark was on dialysis from February until December of that year. For anyone who has known someone on dialysis, while it is a life saving procedure it does wreck havoc on a person's body. Immediately after a session of dialysis, Mark had some time where he felt better. If he wanted this to last, Mark had to limit his fluid intake and certain foods until his next session. This is not an easy task when you are living in a desert. This brief period at least slowed down the 911 calls in the middle of the night. The thing with your kidneys is while they are slowly shutting down, it will affect everything else in your body as well.
That summer our dear friend Sam did the unthinkable. He went through the process of being tested by Mayo to be Mark's living kidney donor. He spent days being tested and questioned, only to find out he was not the best match. Talk about a rollercoaster of a ride of emotions.
Finally, a friend of a friend decided to go through the screening process of donating her kidney to Mark. I am still amazed and in absolute awe of Tori. She was a single mother and yet she did the most unselfish thing one could ever do! I will say this time around, it was hard to get my hopes up. We had been down this rabbit hole before. But on September 27, 2011 we received the most amazing news. Tori was a match! Mark would be getting a new lease on life and getting his new kidney in December 2011.
Every year when this date comes around I always think of the amazing gift of life Tori was able to gift our lives. She brought so much goodness to our lives.
This year will be year 9. Nine years of being able to live free of dialysis. Nine years of sleeping at night knowing that Mark's body will not give up on him. Over the course of these 9 years, Mark's health returned and we have been able to grow our family. My two beautiful children, Nova and Owen, are here today because of Tori's choice.
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