A Truly Thankful Thanksgiving

[Deborah Deffenbaugh]

There are many reasons to be thankful at the holiday season and we all take many of our blessings for granted on a daily basis until something happens that completely turns our world upside down. Losing our health is one such event for sure. We enjoyed a very thankful holiday this Thanksgiving with Alyssa and her donor Jennifer seated at the same table. As Alyssa pointed out, Jenn's two kidneys were both at the table--but in two different bodies!!! Strange but true. Alyssa has been feeling so much better since the transplant and remarked just yesterday that she never realized just how miserable she felt until she was able to compare what she felt like then to now. She isn't tired anymore to the extent she always was and she can stand for more than 10 minutes at a time. She is able to actually make plans and go places (although limited due to reduced immunity). She has a new zest for life and we are thrilled to have our Alyssa back!! We are so truly fortunate to have had a donor within our own family willing to give such an unbelievable gift. I wanted to post this to give everyone who may be battling active A-HUS renewed hope that the medical gains made in treating this disease will continue to give us success stories! Happy Holidays to all...

[Cheryl Biermann]

Thank you Deborah for continuing to let us share in your family's blessings and joys! It makes us all hopeful, and more determined to work patiently for just such an outcome.

[Jonathan Aguallo]

Deborah, we are so thankful things are going well for Alyssa and Jenn. We are uplifted everytime we hear of the blazing trail Alyssa is making for the atypical HUS community. As the father of a recovering aHUS child, it is hard to put into words how fortunate we are to still have them in our lives. There is not a day that goes by that I don't look at my son and wonder how the heck he got through this.

Isn't it amazing how the little things in life matter so much more now?

We continue to pray for you and your family, especially Alyssa and Jenn. Happy Holidays!

[Linda Burke]

A fairy tale ending, or perhaps we should better call it a 'fairy tale beginning". I'm especially grateful for the traditional "....and they lived happily after all".
Thank you for sharing this amazing story, give Alyssa (and Jennifer, and the whole med/transplant team!) a big hug from all of us in your aHUS online fan club!