Hello, my name is Kristi Piwoni.

My husband Michael & I have entered a few new chapters of our lives this week.

First, with the college graduation of our daughter on 6/15/2025, which was an enormously happy and proud day for all of us.

Then, only 2 days later, at 2:00 pm in the afternoon on 6/17/2025, we received the call that a matched kidney was actually found for Mike!

We have waited almost 3 years to hear this news!!!

Mike has been doing daily peritoneal dialysis each and every night while he sleeps, which is not a very restful sleep. The machine/cycler is bright & loud, not to mention the feeling inside of him. He compares it to "a dishwasher."

In all this time, Mike has not been able to travel outside our home. Only 2 times has he slept "somewhere else." Sadly, it was only for a "sleep study" where we learned he has sleep apnea, and the other time, for him to have double bypass surgery in October of 2023.

He is incredibly brave to keep going on each and every day!

Mike still works full-time but has been getting/moving slower and frustrated with how he just didn't have the stamina he used to.

This miracle call from UW Health could not have come at a better moment!

Currently, Mike is still in the hospital, and his kidney is working slightly. They have deemed it a "sleepy kidney." This is the case with most kidney transplants these days. Unfortunately, since Madison is 2 hours from home, we will have to reside here until the kidney "wakes up" and starts working as it should. It could take 2 weeks or up to 3 months.

Mike needs to remain close to the hospital here, in Madison, until this happens.

He needs hemodialysis through his neck. (During surgery to implant, they removed his PD catheter and fixed a hernia he had also been dealing with, all in one surgery, which was cool!).

UW Health is the very best hospital for implants, hands down! Mike deserves their phenomenal care. The doctors, the nurses, the nurses' assistants, they have become family. Every single one of them is so very attentive, kind, and really knows transplant care!

We are finding some personal hardship with the cost of hotels, food, laundry, and basically setting up "home away from home."

We would appreciate anything that you could give to help Mike and me out to continue to support this brave, courageous man to continue his journey up this mountain.

He just wants to get back to having a life of freedom & normalcy as many of us take for granted. Even just to go on a weekend "up north" or to Door County overnight!

He is delighted that when his kidney is finally fully functioning, he can go to visit his daughter who is moving to MI for the next 5 years. Before he got this call, he was heartbroken as he would have had to remain at home and depend on only her visits back home.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, ahead of time!

We wish all of you a very happy, healthy summer and hope to come visit you, even overnight :) very soon!

With lots of love and endless gratitude,

Mike and Kristi Piwoni (and Family)