Good luck with the appeal. If there is anything that I can do to help, please just ask! I don't know if an annoying amount of letters, publicity, anything like that would help you, but if there is anything at all, please just let me know. Not only would we be helping Gillian, but think of all the other kids out there that might be having the same problems with insurance that you would be helping. It seems that they would rather save a buck then a childs life. Grrr....that really aggravates me. (That is putting it mildly!) Hang in there and good luck. It is very admirable what you are doing.

Hi Gillian and Leslie,
I am Jaclyn's mom. She is also looking for a hard to find B kidney this Christmas. Her dad has been through much testing (he is blood type B, I am A) and he is in great health, but something keeps slowing down the process. Recently, a mass of fat was found on his adrenal gland(?). I offered to lipo-suction.... Anything to get a kidney!! I hope that you are doing well and that you get your kidney soon!! Gillian, maybe someday you and Jaclyn will both become great scientists and find a cure for kidney disease so kids won't need to suffer like you brave girls do.
We will keep the both of you and your families in our prayers.

Hope you have success with your insurance company. You deserve it!! Hope Gillian is doing well. Always in my thoughts! This is the season for believing!!

Leslie,

Did you hear Emerson is extubated? I am so excited for them. I hope they can get out of the hospital for Christmas. Erika desperately needs a break.

Hope Gillian is doing well. Have a good weekend.
Kristie

Gillian and Family,

I read your post on Jaclyn Pereas guestbook, and I wanted to let you know that our prayers are with you and thank you for the post :)

Keep your chin held high and have FAITH. A type B kidney will come your way soon. take care :)

PS what an adorable little girl!

Love, Jacylns older sister :)

We are avoiding the large groups too. I make Gracie stay home even if I am just running to Kroger. You just never know what nasty germs are on those wonderful shopping carts. Especially the neat ones that look like cars. I am truly convinced that the devil himself invented them!!!

She looks so cute in the snow. I wish we would get enough to play in. And I love her coat. Too cute!

Praying for Gillian a kidney and also adding Devin to our list. I just wish that none of these kids had to be sick.

Leslie
Thank You!! so much for your support.. I am at the end of my ropes! But I have to believe our time will come...
Enjoy every moment of Gillians excitement about Christmas. Devin is excited too! God bless commercials, his list gets longer by the hour.. We too are avioding the malls and large groups.
Thoughts and prayers always!!!

Gillian,

You sure do make a great snow bunny. Megan liked the snow too. Have a good week and hope you receive your "gift" soon.

Kristie Grote

Happy Thanksgiving Iron family.

Have a great day.
The Grotes

GOBBLE, GOBBLE!!!

Hope you all enjoy your day!!!

Gillian keep being a pain in the rear for your mom. I know keeping them healthy before and after transplant can be a HUGE challenge. If I hear someone cough or sneeze I turn and go in the opposite direction. My mother-in-law told me I was rude. I told her I am not going to let my immune suppressed child get sick because some stupid person did cover their mouth while they were coughing and sneezing in the middle of a grocery store. Unfortunately, when they are immune suppressed it takes them so much longer to get over sicknesses. Megan had something viral that last a week. What's sad is the transplant team thought it was something viral that usually goes away in 24 hours (not in immune suppressed kids). Oh well, this was the first sickness we didn't have to the hospital for. Thank goodness for that.

Have a great healthy and happy Thanksgiving!
Kristie and Megan Grote

Your journal entry made me laugh. Don't you just love all the what if's... in the middle of trying to keep them healthy. One of these days our time will come. We can only hope it's a perfectly sunny day or a dry clear night.. I don't know if it will work out that way, but we sure can hope!! We also have a 4hr ride ahead of us.. and we are both in the medical profession and work in a Pediatric Intensive Care. Talk about trying to stay away from germs.. I hear you!! Purell has become a necessity of daily living.
Hope you have a WONDERFUL healthy and happy Thanksgiving!!
Always in my thoughts and prayers..
Colleen (momofcotafordevinm)

When it is meant to be it is meant to be.. Gillian will get her kidney per weather or not. I will put a snowplow on the front of the Van and a salt spreader on the back and guide you all to SLCH when it is your turn..
Momma K

By the way I forgot to tell you Chris Anderson assisted on all 13 surgeries Megan had in March 2007 (2 being transplants). As a matter of fact he was in the picture the St. Louis Post Dispatch had published in their paper. We used to joke with him about the cowboy boots too. When Megan was in the PICU we could hear him coming. When we recieved the call telling us Megan had her second liver he was the first person I had seen. I asked him if this was the real deal and he said the liver looked perfect on paper (so far so good too). We haven't seen him since Megan left in April 2007. The last time we ran into Lowell was when Megan had her kidney filtration test in Aug. I run into Lowell every once in a while at Barnes (that is where I work).

Have a great holiday!
Kristie

I did not get a chance to put the Christmas tree this weekend. I will probably do it this Wednesday if not this weekend. We had family obligations this weekend so it has been very busy here. Hope Gillian is doing well.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving.
Kristie

Way to go Gillian!!!!! Have a HAppy Thanksgiving and know that we think of you daily. Just a thought, have you considered visiting with another transplant center in another region and having Gillian listed at both sites. It might increase her chances for a B blood type.

Yeahhhh!!! Way to go poop on the potty Gillian. Megan went poop on the potty last Thursday night and she hasn't gone since. I let her run around without a diaper on and then she asks to put the diaper on so she can go to the bathroom. Whatever...I guess when she is ready she will let me know.

The one thing I have learned living in SLCH is organs tend to come when we have bad weather and that time of the year is coming quickly. I know that sounds creepy but its true. I remember sitting in the hospital so many nights, hearing the helicopter coming in, wondering was that going to be the organ that was going to save my daughters life (she was in the hospital pretty much from Jan-April 07). I felt like such a bad person for thinking that way. The evening of Megan's open heart surgery I remember watching (hearing) both cardiac surgeons go into transplants, one was a newborn receiving a heart and the other was a two year old getting heart and lungs. It was amazing to see. Then not to much longer Dr. Lowell came in (he stopped by to see Megan) to do a kidney transplant. That was December 14, 2007 and it was the first snow of the season. So hopefully her "Gift" will come soon!

Take care,
Kristie

P.S. Megan wants to go see Santa this weekend so I think we need to put our tree up too!

Hi.. if you go on www.unos.com on the top of the first page it says data. You can look by region, age, organ, and center. This will give you exact info. Not that, that makes you feel any better!!
Way to go Gillian!!!!
Always in my thoughts and prayers... One of these days their Gift Of Life Will Come!!!!

Oh that was Elizabeth also.. In time she got it.. But I did the all or none also.. Just try..
Hooray for being a big girl Gillian.

Unfortuanely, $5,000 is chump change when you talk about medical bills. Megan spent 28 days in the PICU her meds cost $150,000 for her stay. I paid attention to the Explanation of Benefits at first now I just throw them in a pile. Megan has her own agent at the insurance company. I talk to her about every three months to see how close Megan is to capping the $2M mark, last time I checked she was at $1.2M. Oh well, at least she's here and I'll worry about the bills later. Children's will never turm her away.

Take care,
Kristie Grote (Megan's mom)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/megangrote

By the way I think we are putting up the Xmas tree this weekend too!