Bobbi Jo is an amazing woman. Despite 2 failed Kidney transplants (one that lasted 4 years, and the other less than 2 weeks), she remains strong at heart. She's been doing dialysis for 15 years, and she needs to do it several times a week to survive. Until recently, she had to go into the hospital every other day to do this-- now, she is able to do it at home. This has been a huge blessing for their family. Here's an article about it: http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/22643/
Willi, her husband, is a good friend of my husband, and he was in our wedding party, and the Brenners are dear to us. They allowed us to come over and join them in the process.
This was a particularly tough night for Bobbi Jo to start, as the needles just didn't want to go in properly. But eventually, they got it. I love the poster behind them: POWERFUL.
They spend 5 nights a week doing this at home. Bobbi Jo sits right there on the couch, hooked up to the machine (named Gertrude). "Hope" is her favorite word (notice the wall hanging with the word in the background).
Her husband is always alongside her in the process, both physically and emotionally. He works 45-50 hours each week, and is also actively involved with the process of doing dialysis. She couldn't do home dialysis without his assistance.
Phone calls... and more phone calls :) It was a lively evening for the Brenners.
Bobbi Jo gets really cold during the process, and needs a blanket or two.
I appreciated how much she smiled throughout the process. It's so encouraging.
They have to keep checking levels all throughout the process.
Willi has to make changes accordingly, and record the information.
A typical night at the Brenners... together in the living room, with Gertrude humming in the background. The Olympics were the choice of entertainment tonight.
The photos on the right wall were taken by Bobbi Jo. We talked a lot about cameras and photography functions :)
I will continue to update you on the progress in Bobbi Jo's story and life. More news to come.
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