Pig Bowl

The following information was written by Barbara Mann in September 2009…

I was on dialysis until the end of 2006 and in January of 2007 my case-worker called and asked me to come in.  I remember I was there at exactly 5:30pm on the 9^th and the kidney came in at 5am the next morning. The transplant was 100% successful.    I had had a premonition that I was going to get my kidney in December.  I had made a joke out of either winning the lottery or getting a kidney and either way I was going to get a kidney. 

One of the nurses said, “It’s almost spooky on how well you’re doing”.  I healed very quickly!  I used to work four days a week and I would have dialysis 2 days a week. I pushed myself to be strong and keep going.  My system was also fairly cleaned out from having just had dialyses so I was very clean when it came time for the transplant.  I was only in the hospital for three days and I made myself get up and start walking the next day.   

Everybody at the Good Samaritan Hospital was wonderful.  My doctors and my nurses, they really know what they are doing.   They stay on top of everything and they have very high success rates. 

I stayed at my brother’s house in Portland for two months so they could observe me.  I was off work for three months.  I drove back and forth to Portland to be checked out for a while.  The kidney and I matched so well that I only had to see the doctor every other month for a year.   Then I only had to see him three times a year and today I only have to check in twice a year.  I go to Portland to see the specialist once a year to make sure I am doing fine.  

When the doctors released me, I moved back home to Tygh Valley and went back to work as a housekeeper at MCMC.  I was driving 100 miles round trip for dialysis for two years.  Plus I had to drive 30 miles to work every day from Tygh valley to The Dalles.  I only had one day off that was completely mine.

In March of 2009 I moved to Elko Nevada to go to work in the mines, but due to the economy, those with good paying jobs aren’t willing to leave and there are no openings.  I am currently working as an employee of Coach America who contracts to the railroad.  I drive the railroad workers to the trains and home when they dead head (Take the train only one direction and stop) or run out of hours.  When the driver’s run out of time, the train just sits, so I take someone out and bring someone home.

I still walk three miles in an hour and I am trying to keep in shape.  I am on a product called herbal life.  I am as healthy as anyone now.  When my kidney’s were really bad my brain was basically swimming in poison, but now  I can think and read and I even have retention, it’s awesome!  It cleaned my system out and gave me everything I needed.  After my transplant I couldn’t stop eating, I had no control and gained a lot of weight, but the herbal life has taken away my desire for food and I have lost most of what I gained.

The Pig Bowl was so much fun and the people there were so caring.  It is so awesome to know that there is a group out there to lift the spirits of those people who are down and out.     I back the Pig Bowl 100% it helped me out so much.  The Pig Bowl has blessed so many lives its unreal.  I wish that it could be done more than once a year.

The following information was written by Barbara Mann in September 2023…

I am living in Tygh Valley. I have retired and my life and health is great. I was blessed the day they found a kidney; for it was a match made in heaven. On January 5th, 2007 I was blessed with my kidney and have been doing great ever since. What you folks do is a blessing for those in need. Thank you. I am truly grateful for what everyone did putting the Pig Bowl on and those who were there to participate and donate to the cause. You help save lives and I like that your thoughts are with those who have passed in honor of them and their family.