Genia Brandenburg
September 2018
Genia
Brandenburg
,
BSN, RN, CCTC
Renal Transplant
Sentara Norfolk General Hospital
Norfolk
,
VA
United States

 

 

 

When I was on dialysis I reached a point of feeling hopeless. I was sleeping during the night while I was doing dialysis. I was teaching full time, and I am a wife and mother. I had a donor for a transplant, but the timing was not working out. I left Genia a voicemail on a Friday. Genia stayed late at work that night and returned my call that evening. We spoke for over an hour. She took the time to comfort me, encourage me, and give me hope. She said she would work on trying to help me get the date moved up for my transplant and she did! Hope is the expectation of good and their goodness helped me get the transplant. The timing couldn't have been more perfect! I had just enough days to get me through the end of my school year, I was able to get the substitute I needed to take care of my first graders, I was able to help my daughter and her friends get to school at different times during the SOL's, I was able to be there for my dad dealing with a diagnosis of colon cancer, my mother-in-law who's surgery for cancer, and my niece who had gallbladder surgery. Timing is everything and Genia helped make it happen. I couldn't be more grateful! Her loving words of hope and the action she took helped me live again and it spread to others in my life that needed my comfort and help.