May 2026 Update
It’s been a busy couple of months!
NEW ROUTINES AND NEW HOPE
I began my dialysis training in early March and have to give a shout out to Emily and the fantastic Peritoneal Dialysis Team at London Health Sciences Centre. There was an issue with my catheter during the training week - it is supposed to sit in your pelvic area, but mine had migrated all the way up to my ribcage, which was causing it to not work properly and was also causing pain. Fortunately, it managed to drop back down the next day and it has stayed in position and been working fine since then.
I’ve now been doing dialysis every night for the past 2 months and while it comes with some challenges and limitations, there is also a lot to be thankful for. In particular, I’m thankful to Jack for being there with me every single day and helping to set up the machine and collect all the supplies. I’ve said it before, but I applaud all of the people who do this on their own. It’s a lot - and I’m so grateful that I have Jack’s help!
I’ve now been doing dialysis every night for the past 2 months. Shout out to the fantastic PD team at LHSC for helping me navigate this.
I’m happy to say that overall, my body is responding well to the dialysis. The doctors are pleased with my numbers and I’ve been able to come off a few medications that I was taking before, although I’m also taking a couple of new ones! My energy level has significantly improved - not to a ‘normal’ level, but definitely enough to allow me to do a few more things that I wasn’t able to do before such as cooking and gardening.
It’s a bit tough mentally to know that I am now reliant on a machine to keep me alive, and being tethered to a machine for 8 hours every night is sometimes overwhelming, but I just focus on the hope that this stage is temporary and just try to be thankful for the positive impact that the dialysis is having on my energy levels.
Speaking of more energy, I was able to start seeds for the garden this year and we are in the process of planting everything outdoors. While winter seemed to hang on forever this year, it’s so great to see everything finally coming to life!
NATIONAL ORGAN DONATION AWARENESS MONTH (APRIL)
April was also National Organ Donation Awareness Month and April 7 was Green Shirt Day (see my previous blog for more information on that). Jack and I wore green to help raise awareness and also lit the house up green for the entire month of April. I’m sure some of our neighbours may have thought we’d lost our minds with green ‘christmas’ lights up, but I did overhear a couple walking down the road discussing the green shirt day sign that we had out front of our house! If doing this helps raise awareness and spark conversation with even one more person, I’m happy!
Christmas in April?
Nope - our green lights were for National Organ Donation Awareness Month and Green Shirt Day.
THE SEARCH CONTINUES FOR A LIVING DONOR
While being on dialysis bumps me up on the transplant waitlist, I am still hopeful that I can find a living donor. First of all, a living donor kidney often works better and lasts longer than a deceased donor kidney. But also, if I am able to find a living donor, that removes me from the waitlist and helps someone else to get a transplant sooner!
ASKING YOU TO SHARE MY STORY
As always, I’ll close this off by asking that you share my story. You could forward this blog post to one or two new people, follow me on instagram or facebook, reshare my posts or wear a green shirt even one day a month to spark conversation about organ donor awareness. Every share is greatly appreciated and could make all the difference!
Please help us raise awareness and share my story!
FOR LIVING DONATION INFORMATION
As a reminder, if you speak to anyone who is considering living donation or who wants more information, please encourage them to contact my transplant center (share the link to this blog and let them know the information is at the bottom):
London Health Sciences Centre
Multi-Organ Transplant Program
519-663-3552
livingkidneydonation@lhsc.on.ca
Mention you would like more information regarding a directed donation for Krista Merkley.
Reminder that there is no commitment required - you can call just to get more information! And it’s anonymous!