The Things I No Longer Take for Granted
After everything I have been through—illness, hospital stays, dialysis, and the uncertainty of not knowing what tomorrow would bring—I learned to see life differently.
I’m learning to appreciate every little thing, even the things that may seem ordinary, insignificant, or useless to someone else. A quiet morning. A simple meal. Going for a walk. Laughing with my husband. Spending time with my family. Being able to go somewhere without planning around dialysis. Having the freedom to make plans for tomorrow.
These may seem like small things, but after spending years fighting just to get through the day, they mean so much more to me now.
And I will never take my sister for granted.
She gave me more than a kidney. She gave me time—more mornings, more memories, more moments with the people I love, and the chance to imagine a future beyond dialysis. What she gave me is something I can never repay. I can only honor it by making the most of the life I have been given.
My transplant gave me a second chance, but it also taught me something deeper: life isn’t only about the big moments. Sometimes, the smallest moments are the ones worth celebrating.
I want to slow down and notice them. I want to be grateful for the things I once overlooked. Because I know what it feels like to wish for the simplest things.
And if you are going through illness, dialysis, or waiting for your own second chance, I hope you know that you are not alone. I know how exhausting and frightening the journey can be. There may be days when you feel like giving up, but please keep holding on.
Your story is not over.
What may seem ordinary or meaningless to someone else may be someone else’s answered prayer.
I once prayed for another chance at life.
Now, I’m trying to appreciate every little part of it.
Learning to Live Again
There was a time when I was not sure what my life would look like beyond the next hospital visit, the next dialysis session, or the next set of laboratory results.
For so long, my life revolved around surviving.
Now, I find myself worrying about much simpler things — what to cook for dinner, whether my little plants need water, when to bake our next loaf of bread, or whether my body has enough energy for an evening walk with my husband. And honestly, I am grateful for every one of those little worries.
Because they mean I am here.
I am living.
I am finally beginning to experience what life can feel like after the transplant.
But getting to this point did not happen overnight.
Even while I was still in the Philippines, my husband was already thinking about what would happen after I moved to Germany. He encouraged me to start looking for a nephrologist and a rheumatologist because we knew that getting an appointment could take a long time.
I found doctors closer to where we would be living, and my husband made the calls because international calls were expensive. After my transplant in October 2025, we contacted them again, hoping to arrange my follow-up care. But the earliest appointment available was not until June 2026.
I arrived in Germany in March 2026, knowing that I still had a long road of follow-up care ahead of me.
Thankfully, there was a general doctor’s clinic near our home. We went there, explained my medical history, and I was referred to a nephrologist.
At first, we didn’t know that the nephrologist I was referred to was also a professor with knowledge and experience in lupus.
When I found out, I felt incredibly grateful.
After everything I had been through, finding a doctor who could understand not only my transplanted kidney but also the lupus behind my kidney disease felt like another little blessing along the way.
It felt like finding two things I needed in one place.
Since then, I have continued with my monthly laboratory tests, regular check-ups, and medication adjustments. My doctor can communicate in English, which makes it easier for me to understand what is happening and to be involved in my own care.
But life after my transplant is not only about doctors, blood tests, and medicines.
For the first time in a long time, I am learning what it feels like to simply live.