I didn't want to do something as simple as just asking nor did I want to do it at a dinner out and share the moment with a bunch of people we didn't know. One aspect of my plan was to ask her before my surgery once my surgery got pushed off over a year ago. Once I figured out how I wanted to do it I enlisted the help of Lauren's running friend Jani to take her on a scavenger hunt to different parts of the city while I prepared things at her apartment. She tells the story better so I will get to the good part. She was gone from about 12-5:20 and come home to a glass of her favorite wine and a dinner that was pretty damn good, if I must say so myself. On our second date we went to dinner in the north end and then went and got canolis. So while she was out and about I went to mikes and got us 2 canolis and took one of them out and substituted it with a little black box. After dinner and after a very nice talk with Lauren about her day and us, I told her it was time for desert. While down on one knee and the Mikes box open I asked her to MARRY ME. She said YESS, well she said something else first but this is a family friendly blog!!!!! Working with her sister Lisa we planned a surprise celebration at a bar around the corner from her apartment with family and a few close friends. Lisa got us there when Lauren called her by making it seem like she was randomly close to her sisters apartment. Now for those of you that know Lauren, you know that she has a crazy intuition that usually has her pick up on things or guess things right away and before she is meant to. The fact that I was able to plan all this behind her for the last 2-3 months and have her not pick up on something is incredible.
Part of my plan was to time it close to when I would hear about my surgery date. A month or two ago I was told that the new study that I am a part of should be ready to go by the end of June so I chose to ask her on June 25th. Up to that point I had not heard anything from Boston, but with so much planning behind it I couldn't change the day without a lot of hassle so I decided to move forward with it not hearing anything. She was shocked and said it was was hard to focus at work on Monday and Tuesday because she still couldn't believe it happened. Then Wednesday rolled around. With about an hour left on my dialysis treatment the phone rang. It was Lorela, who is my new transplant coordinator, saying that she has spoken to Dr Rubin and they are looking to put me on the transplant schedule for August. That got my mind going for a couple different reasons. 1, I cant believe that they are actually setting a date. 2, Lisa's wedding is August 20th so I really hope I will be able to go to it. Next thing I know she is saying that we have an opening on August 23rd we would like to fill with your name. It was hard but I had to hold back tears for the rest of the conversation as well as the remaining hour of dialysis. I got off with Lorela and texted Lauren to call me and when she did I told her the good news which I'm sure she just wanted to scream but couldn't since she was at work but texted me after we got off " omgggg I am freaking out! SO EXCITED like I cant focus even more now". I started to feel like I was going to get her fired because she couldn't focus all week.
So to make sure I heard correctly I called the number back and talked to Lorela and she said as long as the study has everything in place they need she doesn't see why that day wouldn't work. So I emailed Marian and told her what I was told and asked what she thought. She told me that the night before the study that she was working on and I was waiting for was given the go ahead to officially sign people up. After going back and forth on a couple emails she asked if I would be able to come in next week(this week) to meet with Dr. Markman who is the Doctor leading this study. Apparently Marian had some email issues because she sent an email with a day to come in but I never got it. While driving home from dialysis yesterday my phone rang and when I looked at the phone I didn't know who's name I was going to see but hers was not what I expected. She asked if I saw her email, and when I said I didn't she said that she had reserved an appointment with Dr Markman for that day, Wednesday, if it worked for me. "Of course it does" I said. I had Lauren call me and told her that they wanted me in there today and i would like her to come with me so I asked her to take a late lunch. I then called my parents to see if they wanted to come in case they had any questions for them. After going over the important points of the consent for I officially became the first person to sign up for this new study out of the 5 locations enrolling patients.
All that stands between me and surgery is some lab work for both me and my mom, and a few appointments with a couple people to make sure to make sure I have all the shots I need. I said when I got the call last week that it wont feel real until they start planning appointments and even after yesterday and now that it is official it still doesn't seem real. I have been on hold for almost 2 and a half years and on dialysis for almost a year, and it still seems like a long time away. With the way time goes these days august 23rd will be here before we know it.
If you have seen Lauren or myself in the last two weeks, we have had a constant smile from ear to ear. My plan worked and I couldn't be happier about that. The next post I do will go into greater detail of what the study is all about. It is much less evasive compared to the other one that I was going to do. As I have said before, the support I get from all of you is what has made waiting to get to this point so easy. I cannot wait to wake up from surgery to my fiancee standing there with a huge smile on her face. When I was trying to write this I struggled to find the words to describe how I feel because there truly aren't words to describe how I have felt over the last two weeks.
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