"Toss a coin for a liver!" - 12/12/21 at 1:21am CST

"Toss a coin for a liver!" 

That was how I was supposed to know the time had come for Joey to get a new liver. 

I knew that the text could come at any moment. I had taken to bringing my work laptop home with me everyday in case the call happened and I could not go back to work for my things. We were waiting and waiting, and a lot of you were waiting and waiting with us. 

Then, at 1:21am CST on December 12, 2021, I got the following text:

I FREAKED out. I woke up my parents, obvs, and we all panicked together. 

Kendra and I were planning on going to visit Katie and Joey anyway at this time so it seemed like a great time for this to have happened. Almost too great. And alas, it was. There was a blood shortage and the transplant was cancelled. It was heartbreaking to hear. Joey having O blood had positives and negatives and it felt like all we were really seeing was negatives. Kendra and I flew up anyway as planned and tried to cheer everyone up. It was hard at times, but it was nice to be with Katie and Joey.

We did a lot of fun things, ate a lot of good food, and took a lot of pictures. It was really sad leaving the Nick Household.

After I got home, I made the decision to try to donate blood again. Every time I had tried previously, I failed due to low iron. However, this time I went and I succeeded! I have been donating blood regularly since, and I know that a lot of people were touched by Joey's story, and lack of type O blood, and they continued or began to donate regularly too. I encourage you to do so. You could save a life. 

 Here are some links you can go to to schedule an appointment: 

Versti Blood Center and American Red Cross 

 The blood shortage made me think about a lot of things. There had been a shooting in Michigan a few days prior to my visit and a lot of blood went to the victims of that, which in turn made transplants difficult. I won't go into too much detail on this because there is a lot to be said about, well, a lot of it, but it made me realize just how important donating blood is. It helps people in all types of situations. 

 On January 19, 2022 I got the following text:

My mom and I packed our bags and headed up to Michigan on January 20. We didn't have a return date in mind, but we began scheduling out the next couple of weeks. Joey was in the hospital when we got there, waiting. He waited. Katie waited. My mom and I waited. Family and friends waited. We waited and waited and waited. And then...

Ughhhhhh. It was so devastating. My mom and I packed up some things for Joey's discharge and dropped them off at the hospital. Then we went to the store to pick up the requested Outshine Bars, noodle cups (very specific ones), and seaweed.  

We waited at home for Katie and Joey to arrive. They looked so defeated, but we know so many people felt that way about the disappointment. During the time there, Joey napped, a lot. He was grumpy a lot too, but his organ was failing him. He always apologized for being grumpy, but dude, his liver. 

We watched all the Harry Potter movies. Then we watched all the Lord of the Ring movies, extended editions. Let me tell you, there is a lot, A LOT, of screeching and screaming in the Lord of the Rings movies and it made it difficult to sleep. Joey didn't sleep much at night though and he enjoyed the movies so we all dealt with it. 

I remember one instance very vividly of Joey sitting up on the sick bed and struggling to get his shoes on. It was so sad. He asked if someone could cut the excess water weight around his stomach off so he could bleed out and it could all be over. Let me tell you, it was hard to hear that. It was hard to encourage him at that moment. So we all just sat in silence. I don't know if he remembers that, he had a lot going on. 

My mom and I headed home and it was sad to leave...again. 

I remember getting a text from Katie on January 27 about another offer. Katie told me not to say anything and it was cancelled later that night. I kept thinking, "I can't imagine how hard this is for Katie and Joey, because it is hard for me and I'm not the one who needs a liver."

I continued to bring my work laptop home every day while we waited, but I was starting to grow weary, as were many people. 

On January 29 at 11:24 am CST, I got the following message from Katie:

The text came through on my smart watch during martial arts and I remember trying so hard not to panic or tell those around me who care about Katie and Joey so much. So I waited. 

After church that night a group of us went to Pop's Roast Beef for dinner. We were sitting at the table when Katie told me I could tell those I was with. Then I got this text:

"He's been rolled off." We had been waiting for this moment and it finally came. 

That night I booked a one way ticket to Detroit not knowing when I'd be heading home.