Donate Life

On the 29th of this month will mark the one year anniversary of Abby's journey, I can't really say this year went by fast, but we are ready to start a new year! Here is the latest update on her journey. In November, Abby, myself (mom) and, Memo ( dad) made a trip to the Lucille Packard Transplant Center in Palo Alto, Calif. After meeting the team there at LPTC, we were very impressed and very happy with our decision to have her transplant there. At first the Doctors at LPTC, were concerned about some test, and had decided that until they spoke to some of doctors at Scottish Rite, her transplant was on hold, in the best interest of Abby's Health.

After a few weeks of the Doctors going back and fourth her Transplant is now in the works! She needs a few more test done here in Texas, once those  test are completed she will be on the Active Transplant list, while potential donors are tested. She is currently on the Transplant list but is considered inactive. Since my last blog we now have three people getting tested. I am so touched by people willingness, so many people want to be tested but due to the criteria they are not able to be a donor. The kindness of others to be willing to go under surgery and have a vital organ removed for my daughter leaves me speechless! 

 

The Transplant is going slowly but its going! So keep her in your prayers as well as the three Donors. I'm praying for a perfect match!

 

I also want to thank Heata and Aloma Rodriquez for hosting a benefit concert for Abby. It was so Awesome, every performer gave a shot out to Abby as well as she got special attention, which she loved so much. It was just what our family needed and for that I am so grateful!

 
I would like to take a opportunity to ask you to become a registered organ donor, over 109,000 people are awaiting  organ transplants, and when you think about it, people die every second of everyday, if everyone was a organ donor, people wouldn't have to wait years and years for a life changing transplant, so I want to encourage to sign up on http://www.donatelife.net/ , they have a lot facts on the misconceptions of being a organ donor!

Amazing Abby

Hello Everyone, I know it has been a while since my last post, but I was waiting to get all the details of Abby's transplant. As you know Abby finally got cleared for a transplant. We did find out that our insurance is NOT in network with any transplant centers in Texas, even after much effort from Cook's Children's Hospital our insurance would not agree to a single case acceptance either. We were left with a very tough decision, which state will we travel to have Abby's transplant. This was the hardest decision to make in life so far, after much prayer and sleepless nights, we chose the Lucille Packard Hospital and transplant center for kids in Palo Alto, California. LPH has a very high success rate for transplant and it is a children's hospital which are very important to us, and of course us having family in California too, none super close but at least driving distance away.

Abby goes in November to LPH to get her medical evaluation, see even though her kidney doctor has cleared her for a transplant the actual transplant center has to declare her healthy enough as well. Once we go in November and she is accepted to be a transplant patient, then we can have people tested to be a donor. There is a criteria for being a donor and out of everyone in our families there is one person who fits that criteria who wants to remain anonymous for now. They will be tested to see if they can be her donor, if for whatever reason they are not compatible then Abby will be on a transplant list. We will have to be ready at the drop of a hat to jump on a plane to California, and be preapared to stay in california for three months after her trasnplant.

We will do whatever it takes to get Abby her transplant, if that means to go across the world to do it then so be it! All the nurses we have talked have told us how a transplant is a miracle it itself, that as soon as that kidney is placed everything changes back to normal in a instant! Miracles come in different forms and I know her miracle is on it's way.. God will use the hands of doctors to make her whole again! She will be free to be a kid again, to play sports, to be in gymnastics and life will no longer be on lock down by 7:00 pm to put her on dialysis. All my blogs of Abby gave you a picture of her journey and the rough road she has had to walk, a walk many of us could not endure, a walk of much suffering and much hardship but through it all she has held her head high and taught me the meaning of  life! Her daddy and I have moments of reflection and  all she has endure and we weep because we can't believe how she has overcome, so many obstacles that she has faced. I've never shared this before but I remember one day the ICU doctor said we need to act fast before we are chasing bad spirits away another wards chasing death away, that's how hard Abby had it, but to see her now is evidence she is my walking miracle!

So keep Abby's transplant in your prayers, pray the potential donor will be a match, and she will not have to go on a list and her transplant will be a success!

 A lot of the traveling expenses and our 3 month post transplant stay will be out of pocket for our family, so if you would like to help out in anyway, please do so here on her blog... thank you so much for your support!

PS- walk with Abby Shirts are in the making so let us know if you would to order one...

We Have Clearance

It has been a while since we have posted any new updates on Abby. She is doing fabulous. She had a good summer and now is back in school, working hard in 4th grade. Her health is so much better than before.

Just to recap you on whats going on. Abby has a auto immune diease that caused her kidney failure, it is called microscopic polyangitsis MPA ( I know a big word). MPA is where your immunne system turns on your body and hers attacked and destroyed her kidneys. We have been waiting for this MPA to be supperessed so she can be able to get a transplant. We went to the doctor that specializes in Auto Immune dieases last week, and this is our second time going there. This appt. we saw the main doctor, she was very good and educated us a little more on this MPA. Abby has been having chemotherapy treatments once a month to help this MPA go into remission. The MPA has to be in remission so she can recieve a transplant, if it is not ther is a risk of the new kidney being destroyed. The Auto Immune doctor had to decide if Abby needed anymore chemotherapy. If she needed more Chemotherapy than the transplant would need to go the back burner, if she didnt need anymore Chemotherapy then we could get clearance for a transplant. The Doctor explained to me that we need to be patient and severity of the MPA. She also said she needed more test to be done before she could make her decision. When we left that appt. I explained to Abby there was a possblity she would have to do more chemotherapy and her transplant would have to wait. She told me Mom either way I'll be okay! At that point, those where words I needed I hear because the doctor placed worry in me. We prayed alot the next few days and we Just wanted the best for Abby. Finally five days later the doctor's nurse called back and said she did not need anymore Chemotherapy which means she is good for the transplant! Praisie GOD!

We go back to the kidney doctor in two weeks to see what the next steps are for Abby transplant. I will keep you posted! We have come a long way thus far...

Since my last post, Abby has recieved a letter back from President Obama, which made her so happy.

Keep her in your prayers!

Abigail And family

Hello Friends,

Abby has been doing fabulos! She recently went to camp and had a blast. at her most recent doctors appt, besides her kidney function all her other labs were normal again... which is Awesome! Today is her monthly Chemotherapy here at Cooks Children, which is a 12 hour process from checking to geting the medicine to being discharged, only 6 hours of it is the actual Chemotherpy. We make the most of the time here and enjoy talking with all the nurses and staff.

When we arrived in our room this afternoon thier was a special anonymous note waiting for us. It really touched our hearts and brought conformation and a faith injection into our lives. I would like to share with you.

Abigail and Family,

Throughout Jesus ministry and all throughout the bible, Jesus tells the people that your faith has healded you. In previous admissions, I've seen your family's faith in the Lord, and I am here to tell you not to give up! Your faith, Abigail has healded you. The Lord has given you us all power and authority to rebuke the devourer and his schemes. Jesus says that we, as born again believers in Him that we will do even greater things than these referring to the miraculous works of Jesus ministrybecause the same power that conquered His grave lives in You! So Abigail Ornelas, by power of Pwer of Jesus Christ in you, your Faith has Healed you!

Romans 8

Matthew 9:22

John 14:12

The reason I am writing all of us this is because I don't want you or family to lose even the slightese bit of hope or faith in the Lord's healing power. In fact I want to encourage you in the Faith. A week or so ago after your last big discharge from the hospital, I was just thinking about you and your family and I feel like I heard the voice of the Lord saying that you will defy the odds of what the doctors say because Jesus is healing you completly! you will not need a transplant, you won't have to be on medications the rest of your life,you WILL be restored to FULL health! He says to ask anything in HIS (Jesus) name and it WILL be done. So Lord Jesus, I ask for your complete Healing to overwhelm Abigail. I ask that all attacks on Abigail phyiscal, mental, spiritual and emotional being be gone in the name of Jesus. let Abigail be a testimony of your incredible grace and mercy. Amen!

Can't Wait Till July

Hello Everyone,

Today Abby is here at Cook's getting her monthly Chemo Therapy Treatment. Today we got great news, her doctors talked and Abby can start her transplant workup in July. What does that mean? I'm glad you ask. This means that in July, we begin the process of her Transplant, she will see specialist, and people can get tested to be a donor. We did find out that our family can be donor too. This is such amazing news to us! I Hope one of us can donate a Kidney and she will not have to go on a list. I know many of you have offered to be donor as well and believe me, if one us does not match we will let you know...

When Abby heard the news, she was calm as could be and said "Good, then I can eat pizza whenever I want." aww kids are so funny.

Abby is doing so so good. Her blood pressure have been good, her dialysis is going great and she looks amazing. She a normal kid again, while a normal kid with a Cather...

Abby will be going to Kidney Camp in two weeks and she anxiously awaits her trip. I am very sad to let her go, but I've been pumping her up, so she can go and see other kids with her condition and feel like a normal little girl again. She is awesome, her strength phenomenal, her ability to take things so well is only the power of God!

Keep her in your prayers as July is coming soon!

"God never said life would be easy. He just promised it would be worth it." unknown

walk with Abby

Hello Friends,






Hello Friends,

Abby has been doing so so good. She seems to get better every single day. We went to Scottish Rite a few weeks to see the specialist in regards to her Vasculitis blood disorder. They said All her labs are good, and she on the road to recovery. We did find out that in some cases this type of blood disorder can attack the lungs as well, but it only attacked her kidneys Thank God and she has no signs of lung problems! It was uplifting to her the Doctors say she will be able to lead a normal life once she has her transplant.

Abby is doing good being back in school, she looks forward to swimming this summer! She has four more monthly chemo therapy treatments left, then the doctors will reevaluate her Vaculitis and then if all her labs are good she can start the process for a transplant. Continue to keep her in your prayers, my Abby is a miracle and God reminds of that each and every day.

Thank you for your love and support!

School Here We Come

I happy to announce that Abby is back in school. After being home for a month, she is now strong enough to return to school. Besides, being a little nervous, Abby was actually excited to go back. Her class greeted her with hugs and excitement and 3 welcome back banners. One of the ladies from Cooks Children's Hospital came down to speak to her class. She talked about what Kidneys are how they work and what happens when they don't work, dialysis and Kidney transplants, seizures she covered all of it for them. She answered all their questions so Abby wouldn't be bombarded with questions her first day back. It really helped her feel at ease. Abby had a great first day back in school. She said everyone played with her at recess and she felt good. How amazing is that. When I first started this blog weren't sure when she could get out of ICU now she in school!

Abby is officially 9. She had a grease theme party. She was a pink Lady of course. She had a nice party with family and friends. She got a lot of gifts and her favorite gift was a Beta Fish that she loves. She is so on top of her game with her fish. She has been making home videos of herself being silly. I posted one to show you how funny she is and so you could how amazing she is.

Her health is getting stable, she goes this week overnight to the hospital for IV Medicine, then can return home the next day. We will being a specialist soon to help with her blood disorder and hopefully get on our way to a transplant.

Thanks for walking with Abby! her walk is getting better and better..