My daughter had a kidney removed at 2 years old.

My daughter had a kidney removed at 2 years old.
Six years later, these are the moments I still remember:

- The pineapple-sized mass wrapped around her kidney.
- Twice-daily blood pressure checks at the local fire station.
- Gift cards arriving from every direction.
- Hearing “Every piece of equipment here is sized for kids”, before moving our treatment to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
- Never knowing where our oldest daughter was, only that she was with people who loved her.
- A bag of gifts from Christina Martinez. One for each day of our hospital stay.
- Brett Hagler changing my quarterly goals to: “Be the best husband to Meg, the best father to your kids...”
- The giant teddy bear Alexandria Lafci sent that became my daughter’s bedtime companion for months.
- My mom connecting us to the hospitals VP of Operations when continuity of care started slipping.
- A nurse saying, “Speak up. Assume no one else will advocate for your child. And get a big binder for notes.”

... the list goes on.

Most of it from a two-week period of my life.
Meanwhile, I couldn’t tell you three consecutive moments from almost any other month since.

Suffering shapes our story.
As do the people who support us through it.

PS. This month marks 6 years of clear scans! 🎉