So gently and using the greatest of care,

I started life with my own special flair.

Whether one eye is open or both are closed tight,

Many hearts I have stolen while fighting my fight.

I may be wee but mighty am I

Yet way too soon I’ll be saying goodbye.

I’m loved by so many, I’d stay if I could,

My kidneys aren’t perfect, don’t work like they should.

Please don’t lose faith, you know I am strong,

I’m in a great family, that’s where I belong.

October 6, 2008

My parents wrote this poem for me just after I was born, nine weeks premature.  That was July 24, 2005 and I weighed a stout 2 pounds 14 ounces!  The doctors said my kidneys weren’t working and I would only be here for a few short weeks.  But many people prayed for me and God said I could stay longer.  I had end stage kidney failure and needed to go onto dialysis.  After six months, I got big enough and for the next two and a half years, I was on peritoneal dialysis six days a week and twelve to fourteen hours a day.

The good news is that I am no longer on dialysis because my Mom donated one of her kidneys for a transplant to me!  I no longer have end stage kidney because I have a kidney now and I am doing very well, thank you very much!  So, here I am, still doing the best I can and being loved by everyone I meet – doctors and nurses, friends and family, people in Ireland that probably won’t meet me and especially my Mom and Dad.  They are taking really good care of me and I know it is still a lot of work.

I have a lot of medication to take to prevent organ rejection and I still have to be careful about getting sick – my immune system is pretty weak.  But I am catching up on all the things I couldn’t do before, like walking and talking a mile a minute.  Mom and Dad have a hard time keeping up with me now.  I am starting school at home and I guess I’ll have to learn to eat real food pretty soon. 

Grampa and Gramma Sharon are still taking care of this page for me.  I can use a keyboard now, it just puts out gibberish, though – something about having to hit the keys in the right order.   You can e-mail them if you want really big pictures of me (Grampa bought a new camera and Gramma uses it all the time!) or if you just want to see how I’m doing.

By the way, how about a new version of that poem:

So gently and using the greatest of care,

I started life with my own special flair.

Whether one eye is open or both are closed tight,

Many hearts I have stolen while fighting my fight.

I may be wee but mighty am I

And I’m doing better – everybody knows why.

My new kidney’s perfect!  Works just like it should!

I knew we’d get through it, I knew we all would!

Thanks for keeping the faith, you know I am strong,

I’m in a great family, that’s where I belong.

                                                                                                Love,

                                                                                                Jacob

Because, after all,

A person’s a person,

No matter how small!