I have terrific news, and no, it isn't that amazingly fabulous prize I won over the weekend: I'll get to that another day. For now, I drown in email representing tasks to do and suitcases representing swag to sort. Thankfully, I am not drowning in sewage, as that particular problem occurred back at home while I was relaxing in a hotel bathtub or being swaddled by the fluffilicious comforters gracing the beds at 301 East North Water Street, Chicago IL. Our family might be out $1256.44 to fix the clog, but now we don't need to fear showering in s--t. I promise I'll recap the days I spent with other bloggers at "that thing" where I lost my voice even before the conference began because of all the excited chitter-chatter. But today is not the day because this news is far more important than the celebrities I met or the obscenely expensive things I was allowed to bring home with me.

My friend Eric emailed me as I was on the plane to announce that Bennett got a kidney. According to his mom, he is doing well. My fingers are crossed for a fast and healthy recovery for him. According to Eric, this is likely to not be the only kidney he needs in his lifetime, but with some luck might take him a decade or a few decades. (As a reminder, Eric's first son had ARPKD, a genetic condition which causes failure of the kidneys. It was through Bennett's miraculous life that Eric and his wife were able to plan the in-utero treatment of their son that enabled him to be born alive and to live for 29 hours.)

Thank you to those of you who put "Bennett Badges" on your site. I am thrilled that he found what he needed, and hope he has a long life ahead of him.

Ironically, or perhaps not given that it was on my mind, I read a New Yorker article about kidney donation that talked about MatchingDonors.com, an interesting system sort of like an online dating service, but it is for would-be donors to browse through would-be recipients. The same article mentioned the psychological impact to both donor and recipient, and how these struggles led to the creation of Living Donors Online. This site also offers guidance for those considering living donation. Fascinating!

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Here is the original post I wrote about Bennett needing a kidney, in case you are interested.