05/22/2026
TLDR: Windsor is doing well with busy days and lots of meds!
Transplant recovery is made up of tiny victories and hurdles most people never notice. People see the transplant chapter and think the story ends there… But healing has its own busy schedule.
Clinic days, like today, start early! Waking up by 6am to be downtown by 7:30. A blood draw at the lab at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital… just checking that her new kidney is settling in and doing its job.
8:00 a.m. means it’s time for Morning Meds on the go! Kidney medications are carefully timed. For Windsor that means 2 “big” med times per day, and 3 smaller med times.
Next a check-in with the transplant team. Vitals, reviewing the labs with Windsor’s wonderful doctor, adjusting dosages going forward, and any other concerns on all sides. And boy are there sides! There are never fewer than four team members, and often many more. Doctor, fellow, pharmacist, social worker, transplant coordinator, dietician, nurses… a whole village of people helping Windsor heal.
Once we head home, we enjoy a late breakfast. (Yep, most of these meds are on an empty stomach.) Some movement time, like short walks and swinging, help her little body get stronger one step at a time. 2pm and 4pm are “small” med times, so we coordinate meals around the empty-stomach meds.
And of course a nap at some point because healing is hard work!
The day wouldn’t be complete without snuggles with Tobah, giggles, plenty of music, and little bits of ordinary life.
8pm is bedtime and also a “big” med time. It’s our cuddle and story time, my personal favorite time of the day.
And, last but not least, midnight is a “little” medicine time. For those who know Windsor’s history of insomnia, you’ll know I find it ironic and vaguely distressing to wake her up for meds! It’s a very strictly timed medication to protect her kidney from rejection though, so I have two alarms set to make sure!
Transplant recovery isn’t just medicine and appointments, though it feels like it sometimes. It’s a careful balance for us that we never look so hard at the kidney that we forget to look at the little girl standing in front of us. It’s helping her learn to be a kid again. And of course, Windsor keeps showing us what resilience, grit, and contentment-in-the-face-struggle truly looks like.
