who received a kidney from a living donor, so my best bet was to find someone who was a match.
But even if I did, it was almost certain that my overall life expectancy wouldn’t be as long as a normal healthy individual. Sure, anyone could leave their house in the morning and die in a random car accident since life wasn’t guaranteed to anyone. But still…it was scary and unsettling to think through what those statistics meant for my life.
Lord, I trust you, but I’m scared, and I don’t know what the future holds. I’ve always believed there’s nothing I can do to shorten or lengthen my days because you already planned that out before I was born. But I’m asking Lord…please provide a kidney transplant for me. Please sustain my life.
A tear slid down my face, but I didn’t move to wipe it away since I was alone and didn’t have to pretend to be strong.
I didn’t feel ready to let go of this life, not that anyone ever did, but I was prepared to meet the Lord face-to-face if that was what His will entailed. I just didn’t know what to do about Easton.
Lord, I love him so much, but is it fair to hold onto him? We’ve known each other for a long time, but we’ve only recently gotten to know each other more, and he’s already offering up his kidney. I don’t doubt his feelings, but our love developed quickly, and it would be hasty for him to make a decision right now. I’m concerned it won’t work out between us and he’ll resent me later.
My eyes began to droop, and I’d planned to continue praying, but the muscles in my body relaxed, and I found myself drifting off. Before I knew it, sleep overtook me, and all my worries fled for the moment. But that didn’t mean they were gone. They were far from gone.
Chapter 24
Easton
Several weeks had passed since Maya was hospitalized, and I tried to make each day count. I took time off from work while she was in the hospital, and I stayed with her as much as she would allow. Eventually, the doctor released her, saying she was okay to go home, but she wouldn’t be able to return to work for the time being. As far as income, she qualified for disability, and I told her I would make up the difference in her salary, plus anything else she needed. The doctor said to come back if her symptoms returned, and she received services to continue dialysis.
I got tested to find out if I was a match to donate a kidney, and Charlotte and Maya’s mother did as well. We were still waiting to get the results, but I felt confident that between the three of us, one of us would be a match. At least, that had been my continual prayer for the last few weeks. I’d been praying specifically that God would allow me to be the one to donate my kidney as I was more than willing.
There were moments when I sensed Maya pulling away, almost as if she worried she was making my life difficult. I tried to reassure her that I was ready to take on “difficult” as long as we were together, but I got the feeling she was afraid to believe that.
When Charlotte and I went to visit after she was hospitalized, I’d asked her to be my girlfriend, but she hadn’t given me a definite answer yet. I’d brought it up later, and she’d said she wanted to take care of her health issues before she committed. If she thought that would deter me, she was wrong. I was in for the long haul, and I planned to prove that to her by my actions. Honestly, I’d never had a love like this before, and nothing, not even the threat of kidney disease, would change my mind.
I finished a series of squats, lunges, and bear crawls and then headed inside to take a shower. That race was coming up soon, and even with everything that had happened recently, I still managed to keep to my training schedule. I was more fit than I’d been in my entire life, but I wasn’t doing it for the physical benefits. I was doing it for Dad, and somehow, I knew he would’ve been proud if he were alive.
Once I showered and dressed, I was about to leave for work when I got a call.
“Hello?”
“May I