She's goin back to Guthrie, Guthrie....

That's right we sold the house. Now the hard part moving. Two more goals left for the year and about six months to do them. This is going to be a short post, I mainly wanted to get that title out. For those of you not in my head, think of LL Cool J and Brooklyn.

PSA

Long time no post.

I received a letter a few days ago about a change in the UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) rules for distribution of donated livers. Currently the rules state that when an liver becomes available, it goes to the closest local sickest person. For example, if a liver is available in Tulsa, Ok and there is a really sick person in OKC, but a sicker person in Austin, TX; the person in OKC gets the liver. The proposed rule (proposal #3) will change this so that it is the sickest person in a region who gets first choice. Thus the liver in Tulsa would go to the person in Austin.

Why is this bad! Well, if this was in pace say ten years ago I wouldn't be writing this blog. I wasn't on deaths door before my transplant, in fact if I had been I would not have been eligible to receive one. My liver decease put me at high risk for liver cancer, so I needed a transplant before I got cancer. They don't transplant the livers into people with liver cancer.


Currently some state have higher populations of transplant patients then other states, and some states have higher donation rates. The only reason to propose this rule is to attempt to equalize the liver transplant list. But it does not equalize all organ transplant lists.

Some questions I have: Why isn't this for all organ transplantation and is it right to try and create an affirmative action like policy when dealing with saving of life?

The proposal is open for comment until Friday the 24th, follow the link above to read it and comment on it.

Consider this a Public Service Announcement.

Two Sides to Every Story.

Driving home from a church thing tonight, my wife told me of a family friend who died over the weekend. The friend who entered in to the big sleep, had the same cancer I had at the same time. I had actually met him while awaiting chemo once. At saying this she started to (not) cry. And I was struck at how I did not know her story of survival.

I realize that this blog only tells my side of things. How I survived. But it cannot tell her side. It cannot convey her fears or hopes. It can only show me how much stronger she is than I. I now understand that it is much easier to be the one going through it, than the one watching it.

Spot On Product Placement!

Even if you're not a BSG (Battlestar Galatica) fan you'll find this funny. Unless you're not evil like me.

Warning It's a bit gruesome.

The Fog Is Rolling In

It's been a while since the last real post. Mainly because with the final surgery so far off the direction of the blog needs to change. But to what?

Well people always say write what you're passionate about. Currently I'm all about the goals I have for 09'. Now that I have beat death again, the wife and I are focusing on the finances to get a bigger house so that toward the end of the year we can start a family. But not before the surgery in July. So that's like four big things this year. Bills, House, Surgery, Baby! What do they say, "Go Big."

What this all means is that the blog could get really mundane with the day to day of these goals, and the posts may get further and further apart. I still plan on posting, but how often and what direction is still foggy.

Dear Sweet Baby Jesus....

Tis the season!

Organ Wars: Episode VI Return of the Colon

I went to the colon doctor this week to inquire about reconnection surgery. With all the chemo and hospital drugs I had forgotten the specifics of that surgery. She was delighted to see me and was amazed at how good I looked. It's a funny feeling to shock a doctor in a good way. After we talked Jen and I started the discussion about when to do what. On the list is surgery, vacation, baby, and new house all next year (Dan I'm beginning to understand grad school). And while we haven't set every thing in stone yet, it looks like I'll be haveing the final surgery in July.

I Never Take My Health into Consideration.

A friend asked me today, "Do you ever take your health into consideration? I mean with what you have gone through, this should be number one."

We were talking about my plans for the next few years and how unfocused they seemed to her. I was stunned by this comment in that I didn't know how to answer her question in a way she would understand. So I'm writing this post to explain.

My faith, my relationship with God, is my number one. It has to be! I couldn't have gotten here without my faith. There are many examples of people putting God above themselves in the Bible and coming out pretty good in the end. Job, he lost everything and his health, but kept God first and ended up with twice as much as before (Job 42:10). And what about those guys in the fiery furnace, they were willing to give there lives for God and he saved them.

I know that fear and doubt are the enemies of Faith (that's somewhere in the new testament). And I know that I only have the ability to think negatively when I think about certain things like statistics of my health. I am not refusing to thinking about the reality of the situation. No, I am choosing my faith over my fear or doubt. I know what the odds are and I know that I have beaten all those odds because He is with me, not because I was cautious or chose the right doctors.

Remember, reality is not what you see, touch or smell. Reality is what understand, or "As a man thinketh, So is he."

Thanksgiving!!!

Well Thanksgiving is over and there are no bodies to dispose of. For those who don't know, this year was the year the family travels to Knoxville, Tn. My aunt and uncle were wonderful and I enjoyed them a lot. And I had forgotten how much I missed my cousins.

About half way home I decided to not be negative anymore, or try not to be negative anymore. Over the past 3 or 4 years I have managed to teach my mouth not to curse. And thought it would be a good thing to teach my mind not to think negatively.

This new goal will mean less funny stuff until I get use to it.

OH! Happy Day, Happy Day!!!

Well the PET scan I had on Monday is clear. I am once again cancer free! Prayer works!

Woz the Creator.

I'm the type of person who doesn't often remember my dreams. So when I do it probably means something.

Last nights dream started with me walking into my house to find my iBook in peaces all over the living room floor. As I surveyed the damage, I heard a familiar voice coming from the bathroom that said, "I hope you don't mind, I just wanted to know if it had the 476 chip in it (I have no clue what that means this is a dream remember)."

Instantly I knew who it was and was speechless as they came around the corner with a piece of the computer in his hand. It was Steve Wozniac, the creator of Apple! We began to talk about the computer and what parts I thought it need and what parts he thought is need. He assured me that all it needed was the 476 chip and that the CD drive and Ethernet port were obsolete.

I then found myself using my iBook and it was running better than it had ever before. I couldn't get over the fact that the creator of Apple not only had been to my home but had fixed my computer and made it better! And this is when I woke up.

This dream struck me as so odd that in my half awake state I ask what is the significance? And a small still voice said, "Well if you replace Woz with God and the iBook with your body, isn't that kind of what has happened?" He's right! God showed up one day and fixed my body. I may not have all my original parts and my body may not work the same way it did when I was born. But it works better now then it has ever. Isn't that the point of divine healing?

"You're Not Gona Die!"

Saw the doctors today. My weight is down (148lbs), but my counts are good, my whit count is 11.9 down from 13, my platelets are 790,000 down from over a million, and my liver numbers are going down (that means I getting out of rejection). Don't worry, it's not the first time I've been in rejection and it's under control. They took out the staples and said I could drive and go back to work.

The doctor told me today to go home and have fun, it's time to get on with my life. It was as if he was saying we are done messing with you go have a life now. I've been waiting a long time for that one.

BTW the title is a lyric from a William Shatner song "You'll Have Time," it's a very funny song.

An Ode to What I have Left

If you haven't heard yet MTV has a new site with nothing but videos. On which I found the following video.

Weird Al Yankovic |MTV Music

The Basics: Whom I Are.

I think my high school English teacher just died. The next couple of post are going to be a theme on the basic concepts I've come to understand about the Bible. I'm doing this partly because of the Swiss cheese in my head and in hopes that it will help others in their understanding of God. So...

To start I had to know what I was. I know I am a human man, but I mean what God made me. Luckily He states this in the first two chapters of the first book. How cool is that it's on page one and two! Genesis 1:27 says that He created us in his image and further on Genesis 2:7 God explains that we were formed of dust and He breathed life into us. So what is his image? It took a while but I found that in John 4:24, He is spirit. What the heck, we are spirit but we have a body and a soul (because of the breath of life)?

I got the body and soul thing, I mean I think therefore I am and if I get cut I bleed. But what is this spirit thing? I decided I would reread the beginning again and see if anything else had these three things. Well Genesis 1:1-23 is all about the earth, light, water, and plants. Nothing with spirit so far, stuff came from the earth (like the dust we are made of) but no spirit. Genesis 1:24-25 talks about living creatures (souls) and how they came from the earth also, but no spirit. It's not till Genesis 1:26 that God lays out His plan to make us in His image (spirit) and He also planed for us to have dominion over everything on the earth, so we would need a body and probably the breath of life (soul) for that body.

The basics of what God made me (us) is 1: in His image (Spirit), 2: of the dust of the ground (Body), and 3: breath of life making a living soul (Soul). The only thing in creation with these three distinct parts!

A Tolerant Witness.

Ten bucks says I piss someone off with this one!

I have come to understand that the Church (all Christians) in American has no idea how to deal with homosexuality. Science dictates survival of the fittest and natural selection, meaning that without technology nature through the principles of reproduction takes out those who desire same sex. The responses from the churches across America has been varied from accepting them into there clergy to psychologically manipulating them into believing they are not homosexual to out right ostracizing.

My question here is what is the biblical response to homosexuality and how tolerant dose the Church have to be. Well Leviticus 20:13 says that not only is homosexuality a sin but we should put them to death. Now Romans 6:14-16 states that we are no longer under the law but under grace, however, we by being under grace should still offer obedience to God and his laws. But should we shun or tolerate those who continue to sin, remembering all sin is equal. For Romans 8:1-3 says we should not condemn those in Christ.

We should embrace them as we embrace other sinners in the love of Christ and help them to grow in their walk with God and in His word. As we help others as well as ourselves in the continued path of righteousness. As 1 John 5:16-18 says in prayer that God continues to give him (the sinner) life and protection from the evil one.

So should we allow them to serve? Anyone who still actively chooses to walk in their old ways or rather sin, is not a very good example/witness of God or His word. To be a tolerant witness we as Christians should embrace all sinners with the Love of God and pray that God works within them to walk in His way.

Overcompensation!

So I went to the doc today for a check up. My blood is better than it has ever been before. My whit count is 8.5 (normal is around 5 and I've never been more that 3) and my platelets are 900,000 (before it was 14,000 and normal is about 100,000). Things are too good. So they put me on a whole bunch of immune suppression meds and said no driving. I'll see them again in two weeks.

So thank you for all the prayers, they are working real well.

If this is Plastic Surgury, How is it a Growth Industry?

I'm home as of yesterday at about 3pm. With my girlish figure. But the back pain was totatly unexpected. You always hear about how after someone has a nose job or breast augmentation that they are in pain for awhile, man thats an understatement.

Finished catching up on my blogs. Dan I thought the glow in the dark fish were just a joke but if their real and not to expensive (I have problems with fish) I might just by one.

The next couple of weeks are going to be sketchy, I'll be on pain killers a lot. So enjoy the drunk posts.

Calling from the Clink

Well I back, but not out yet. I will be leaving the hospital tomorrow and be heading home for about 3 to 4 weeks. They said I couldn't drive but I could do part-time work, if I got a ride. Well you can't win them all. The blog name will change but the address will remain. There will be more on this later. Matt.

{Matt Update: 10.11.08}

Matt had a long night, the bed made his back hurt. They just brought in an air bed, so he's going to try to get some sleep. He's been walking more and hasn't had any pain meds since early this morning (and those were for his backache). Dr. Sebastian came in today-says Matt is doing well and might go home Monday! We're both excited-that's a few days shorter than the week he was expected to be in :) He's recovering quickly!

Love, Jen

{Matt Update: 10.10.08}

Matt moved out of ICU last night. We're now living in our "suite." He's doing well, he's been up walking around a little this morning and he's asking to eat solid foods, so things are going well!