My youngest grandson received a kidney transplant from his father a few days ago. He is just eighteen years old but his kidneys had both shut down completely because of an autoimmune condition. The surgery was successful and he is making a very rapid recovery. He said that he feels better than he has for several years and that, except for some pain from the surgery, feels normal again. Modern medicine has produced another miracle that was only dreamed of when I was his age. I am so happy for him, his mom and dad and his older brother.
The poem "Reflection" has been added to the Contemporary Poem section of this blog. The image I had in mind when I was writing it was of a person riding in a train (or bus or car) and looking at the window at night when the lights within the vehicle helped produce a reflection of that person looking out. This person was not really looking outside but was deeply involved in inner reflection and that was amplified by the image bouncing back and forth from the "lens" of the window to the lens of his or her eye.
Before the surgery, my grandson was occupied with thoughts of whether or not the surgery would be successful and whether or not he would be able to live a normal life. He looked stressed and worried, but was determined to go through with the surgery, despite his misgivings, because he knew that he would be tied to a life of dialysis and a shortened life overall without it. After receiving the new kidney and finding that it was working exceptionally well, he is finally able to live in the moment again...and he is happy.