Kidney for Kevin

04/02/2026

Well, here we are 3 weeks post op. That means 3 weeks dialysis free!!! What a game changing miracle.

Kevin has been feeling really good. Still some tolerable pain at the surgery site but nothing bad. We have been busy with appointments, twice weekly in Chico for labs and at least once if not twice to Sacramento for appointments. For the most part his labs have been looking really good. The level for one of his anti rejection meds has been a little higher than they like so they have been working on adjusting the dosage and it has been trending down. At his post op visit on Tuesday, the doctor was pleased with all the progress, labs and healing.

It is hard to believe that a year ago he was just coming home from rehab after they found a life threatening infection in his spine. Back surgery, blood transfusions, severe nerve pain, medication reactions and changes, over a month spent in UC Davis, over a month in rehab and learning to use the muscles in his legs to walk again. We were not sure how long, if ever, it would take to recover and be ready to receive a kidney. Praise God for miracles!

03/14/2026

Good morning Friends!!!

Kevin Kassel was discharged from the hospital yesterday afternoon. All of his labs have been great.

We are staying at the hotel in Sacramento until after his post op appointment next Tuesday. I can literally walk to UC Davis in 5 minutes. He will have labs done Monday morning to see how the kidney is functioning and check the levels of his anti-rejection medication. Until then we will closely be monitoring for any signs of infection and rejection, staying on top of the medication schedule, wearing a mask when we walk the hallway to help speed recovery and when he feels up to it we will go walk outside.

He is still uncomfortable from the surgery itself but we know that will get better in time.

Thank you all for the continued prayers 💚💚

03/11/2026

Kevin was wheeled to the OR about 345 yesterday afternoon and the doctor came to speak to me at 8pm. She said that the surgery went really well and the kidney started working right away. They were waking Kevin up and I could see him once they moved him to recovery. I was able to see him about 930 last night and about 1030 he was moved up to his room.

They are checking vitals and urine output every hour for the first 24 hours, then this will taper down. That along with checking vitals and giving medications, he has not had any sleep.

Today they drew labs before I got here and he said they all look great. Kevin is doing well, has some pain but it is tolerable with the medication. He is hoping to get up and walk soon, they had given him some medication earlier that makes a person drowsy so he has not able to get out of bed just yet.

We have had a barrage of teams come in to see him and speak to us. This will continue through the week as we go through all the medication training, dietary training, and general do's and don'ts.

Keep praying for a speedy recovery.

03/09/2026

The last two weeks since Kevin Kassel received the call from UC Davis that they found his perfect match and surgery was scheduled, has gone by painfully slow. But here we are finally 2 days to go. As we have spent the weekend preparing the house, kids and packing for the week ahead of us, this is one of the moments we have been waiting for. Tonight, as we get set up for and start dialysis, we celebrate that this is prayerfully the last time Kevin will have to do dialysis. Celebrate with us and praise the Lord.

Please continue to pray for our travels tomorrow, surgery on Tuesday and recovery. Especially pray for the girls who will be at home, they are worried about dad and this separation will be difficult on them.

03/05/2026

02/27/2026

Sorry for the delayed post.

Yesterday's pre op appointment went very well. Kevin is doing so well, they actually did not have him do the strength and endurance testing. They used the result from the last time he had them done which was last fall sometime. All the consents were signed and we are ready!!!

March 10 is the surgery date. He will be in the hospital 3-4 days prior to being discharged and his first post op at one week. After his discharge we will stay in Sacramento until then instead of making him travel back and forth so close together. He will have weekly follow up appointments in Sacramento for a while and twice weekly lab draws, which we can do here at Seneca, so they can adjust his meds and keep an eye on his kidney function.

He will have a long road of recovery ahead of us but we are ready to climb this mountain and start down the other side.

Thank you all for the continued prayers.

02/25/2026

Good morning!!

Kevin Kassel and I go in to UC Davis at 7 this morning for his pre op appointment. He will be seeing several different providers including the nephrologist, dietitian, social worker, pharmacist, getting 20 vials of blood drawn for labs, x-rays, strength and endurance testing. This will take about 5ish hours. Please pray for perseverance and for everything to be on track!!!

Thank you!!!

02/15/2026

Good evening friends!!

God's answer to prayers!!!

Over that last week I have been thinking that I need to post some sort of update, but what should I say. 🤷‍♀️ We've been living a pretty mundane life the last few months with a schedule full of kids activities. Nothing really to post about. Hey, maybe that can be my post. 🤔 Everyone has been healthy. Everything has been going well. We planned a long weekend trip to the coast 🌅 to see our oldest daughter. Maybe that's what I can post about? 🤷‍♀️ A fun family weekend?

Well as the week went on, and I procrastinated even longer, God started moving. I had absolutely NO idea how our week would end. It started on Wednesday morning when UC Davis 🏨 contacted Kevin and told him he needed to have his doctor 🩺order a chest x-ray 🩻. They said that they had not found a match yet but had some promising subjects and just wanted him to have a current x-ray🩻. Kevin reached out to his dialysis nurse and she would have the doctor 🩺 get the chest x-ray 🩻 ordered. Thursday came and the busy schedules continued as normal, taking the kids to their different activities. About 410 p.m., I get a text from Kevin that simply says "call me!!" I do, several time just for it to go straight to V.M. I of course start to worry. Third times the charm and he answered. He was clearly emotional, and tells me "They found my perfect match.....I'm getting a kidney" 🫘 I start crying 😭, Millie is asking what's wrong. I tell her dad has something to tell her, she gets on the phone then she starts crying 😭. Mercy was with Kevin when he received the call and she was crying 😭. We were all just a bunch of cry babies 😭🤣😂.

So in the end, that's why I've been procrastinating, that's what I'm supposed to post the update about...

Kevin has a pre op schedule in 2 weeks 📅.

His transplant surgery is scheduled for March 10th.

As we know from his donors surgery and just being informed over the last several years that things can change last minute ⏱️ so as the date draws closer I will keep you all posted.

Thank you to our community for all your love ❤️, support and prayers🙏.



register to donate @:
ucdavislivingdonor.org

and also now @:
https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/kidney-disease-nephrology/living-kidney-donor-screening-cpmc

Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"

10/30/2025

Sorry I'm a little late on the update. Yesterday was a long day and we got home late last night. I also did not want to post an update until Kevin's donor had a chance to post an update.

The donors surgery went great and they are doing well. Having a little discomfort but that is to be expected. It is our understanding that the donor kidney started working right away and the recipient is also doing good.

Kevin received a call this morning from his transplant team at UC Davis to inform him that his donor had their surgery (which we knew). All of Kevin's test result for the annual reevaluation came back great and they are ready to "push the button". They will now start actively seeking out his match, could be weeks or could be months they say.

Please keep the donor and their recipient in your prayers for recovery as well as whomever Kevin's kidney will be recieved from.

10/27/2025

So I know this page has been silent for over a month, which has been a good thing right? Yup, it Means everything has been going good.

Kevin has been going through all of his annual testing to stay active on the donor list and able to receive a kidney when one comes available. He has passed all his tests and gotten the OK from all the teams. 🙂

For those of you who aren't aware, Kevin has a living donor registered at UC Davis. They are not the match that he needs but they are still willing to go through the selfless act of donating life to another human and in return helping Kevin get his kidney. 💝 We are beyond blessed that anyone would want to do this for him (unbelievably, he has another donor willing to donate through Sutter health.)

The surgery for his donor is scheduled tomorrow 10/28, check in 630 a.m. We are asking for prayers for his donor, the recipient, both thier families and transplant surgical teams for tomorrow. Today we need prayers for the donor and families safe travels as well as our own safe travels as we all head to Sacramento area.

We will post an update after surgery. This will be later in the afternoon.

Thank you all!!!!

08/26/2025

Quick little update.

Kevin had an appointment at UC Davis today with the transplant team. They are checking to make sure he has recovered from the back issues and is ready to receive a kidney when one becomes available. He met with the dietician, social worker, and the transplant coordinator/nurse practitioner. The visits went really well, they were very please with his progress. The coordinator will take his case to the board for review Wednesday for final decision. His Echocardiogram and Stress test results will expire next month so he will be getting those done again soon to keep current and ready. He also has an appointment with Sutter Health next Wednesday for the same type of appointment.



register to donate @:
ucdavislivingdonor.org
and also now @:
https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/kidney-disease-nephrology/living-kidney-donor-screening-cpmc

Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"








Thank you all for the continuing prayers.