Sugar's Transplant Journey

Hello and greetings from the bottom of my heart,

I come with a humble spirit and with so much gratitude in my heart, giving thanks to God for this opportunity of a second chance of life again and the

opportunity to reach out for assistance.

As a Pastor’s daughter, I had been taught to always trust in God and now my faith would be tested and still, today I find my faith is still being tested

and I’m assured that I am in God’s hands.

Growing up with Type 1 diabetes was a struggle and having to check my glucose manually because back then there was no CGM’s that I am currently using now.

(control glucose monitor).

I was also injecting myself several times and I use to use the vials of insulin. I am now using the insulin pens that are so much easier and it doesn’t

bring a lot of attention like the vials use to.

In 1995 I was blessed to have met my husband and get married.

In 1997 my sight was taken away from me due to Diabetic Retinopathy (retinal detachment) caused by Diabetes. In 3 short months all my sight was taken from

me and I had to regain my independence and create a new way of living.

In 1998 we were blessed to find that we were expecting our first child after being told this could never happen. Our son was born on April 16, 1998 by

an emergency caesarian due to the development of Chronic Kidney Failure. Our baby boy stayed with us for a few short hours then went to heaven where he

would forever be our angel.

During all this time I was told that I would need to start dialysis but I refused because I knew God has something for me. I refused dialysis for 3 years.

At last I had to do something because I was slowly fading.

In 2001 an Uncle donated his kidney to me preventing me from ever having to go through Dialysis and 2 years after that I was blessed with a new Pancreas.

After almost 20 years of living “diabetes” free, I was placed back on insulin. It was devastating but my faith remains strong. After 20 years of living

with a Transplanted kidney, it has now also failed and I find myself on Dialysis for the first time. This to was devastating and I try to stay positive

and keep my faith and remain strong but it is a challenge at times. Still I remain focused on the day when God will send me a healthy Kidney.

It has now been 7 years on the waiting list and I continue to keep holding on to the hope that one day I will be able to leave dialysis in my past, receive

a new kidney and starting a new life.

So far I’ve been called three times for a possible kidney and all three times, there were not a match due to my high antibodies.

I still keep waiting patiently for God to send me the right one.

Allow me to share a little about what my dialysis treatments looked like.

It is now 3 years and counting…

I would wake at 3:30 A.M. each Monday, Wednesday and Friday to get to Davita Dialysis Center around 5:30 A.M. my treatment last for 3.5 hours each time, so

I am off the dialyzer around 9.

My darling Daniel wakes up with me each time, I place a numbing cream on my fistula and he wraps it with saran wrap to keep the numbness in place until

I get there.

We arrive to the clinic and I am weighed and from there, the tech’s will know how much toxic’s to remove from my body.

Daniel will set up my recliner but placing a sheet on it and he then will set up my oxygen machine (this is to stabilize my blood pressure). He then continues

to place the cuff around my right arm ( the fistula is on my left arm). Once I am semi connected, the tech will come and clean off my numbing cream and

places 2 needles side ways in to the fistula, by now my Daniel has left because from there, he goes directly to work.

At times the needles can be a little difficult to insert, depending on the fistula but once they have been inserted, the Dialyzer is turned on and I start

my treatment.

I continue to remain strong and positive through this journey, until that day when I receive my kidney.

Through the years, I’ve been posting about my journey to a new life as I was waiting for a new kidney.

Living with Diabetes or the past 40 years or since I was 11 years old has been a challenge and a struggle, especially when my family and I were not given the proper education that is available now.

This is why I have been a strong advocaat for the blind and the disabled. To speak on behalf of those who can not speak for themselves has been a blessing and has helped me grow to be the person I am today.

Having my sight taken from me after 2 years of being married due to Diabetic Retinopathy was a change of life style for not only myself but for my entire family. I had to learn a different way of living. I could of not done it on my own but I did accomplish living a new way through the love and support of my family and my husband Daniel. I can not leave God out of my life because without God’s love, mercy and grace, I would of not been able to continue to be as positive and I could not be encouraged and encourage other’s like I do now.

When I was diagnosed at 11 years old with Type 1 Diabetes, I depended on my medical team to help. Support and walk me through what I had to learn. Little did I know that instead of helping me, they would hurt me. They hurt me by giving me the wrong type of insulin on purpose. They gave me insulin that was expired and off the shelf because it was less expensive or cheaper for them. My family did not know this as we had no experience with diabetes.

This caused many hospital stays, being admitted with Ketoacidosis. This means that my glucose levels were out of control to the point where glucose was streaming through out my system and was causing damage to my organs.

This was due to be given the wrong type of insulin at a tender age and not knowing how much I was being hurt.

After several hospital stays and labeled as a brittle diabetic, Later in life, I learned of the wrong doing that had been done to me and I took them to court. I did win my case and even though the amount was not nearly what I should of received, the most rewarding news I received was that that particular medical team that was suppose to help me had their medical license revoked and they were not able to practice medicine again.

How many children did they hurt by giving them the wrong type of insulin? This brought sadness to my heart. This is why I pursued this because I don’t want anyone, any child to have to go through what I have had to go through.

Once I accomplished my education and got married, shortly after 2 years, my sight was taken.

The complications to bad control or in my case being a brittle diabetic is and had at last caught up with me.

Little did I know just how much I would have to endure, through no fault of mine.

My sight was taken, I lost the function of both my kidney’s and Pancreas, we lost a baby and my life seemed to come tumbling down.

It seemed that I kept going down a fast spiral and it seemed almost impossible to get better.

Through prayer, finding

the right medical team, at last I was able to get my glucose levels controlled and back on track.

God has been good to me, watching over me and I have stayed encouraged and positive through it all.

After my kidney failed and Pancreas also failed, I went back to insulin. This time around I was able to use Insulin pens and so it was easier for me. I use to have to use the vitals and syringes to administer ,my insulin. Using the pens were and is much more convenient and much more accurate. I also use a CGM(Control Glucose Monitor) called the Free Libre 3. It’s a small, thin sensor that goes in the back of my arm and I use my phone ap to keep control of my glucose levels.

In 2021 I had to start dialysis for the first time and that was hard. After 3 years of dialysis, I at last got several calls about possible kidney’s but each time I was not a match due to high antibodies in my blood.

We continue to pray and stay hopeful that the right kidney would come my way.

After being on the waiting list for 7 years, at last, on Wednesday, July 31st of 2024, UC Davis called me and I received my new kidney!

I am in recovery now and so far my new kidney is working as it should and I feel so blessed for another opportunity to be alive and able to spend time with my family, loved ones. I feel so blessed and I am doing all I can to keep my new gift of life working by going to my appointments, taking my anti rejection meds and following doctor’s orders.

I have a wonderful team that is on my side and that is doing what needs to be done to help me keep my new kidney functioning.

This means Daniel is having to drive me to UC Davis Transplant Center in Sacramento. This is about 3 hours away from Fresno and we are having to drive there twice a week at times.

My new journey is that we now are needing the means to be able to keep up with bills, gas, medications that we have to pay out of pocket.

There are lab work, exams, test, upcoming biopsies and other medical treatments that needs attention.

We can accomplish this with God’s help and with your assistance.

We thank you for standing with us, walking with me through this journey.

Now I, we look forward to a healthier way of life and with my new kidney, a more successful journey to come.

Thank you in advance for the gifts, donations and for the prayers that are needed to keep my kidney going strong.

Rejection is a fear but we know that God has brought me this far and I know he will not leave me now.

Thank you in advance for your support, prayers and friendship.

I, we look forward to continue to walk through this journey but in a more positive way.

With a humble heart I thank you in advance for the donations that is to come our way and may the good Lord bless everyone who reaches out to us. I pray

that you find a place in your hearts to donate what you can to assist us through this journey.

Thank you and God bless you,

Daniel & Sugar Lopez,