I've been a little busy...

Apologies for the recent neglect.

On February 15 I drove my wife to Baltimore, MD to prepare for her kidney transplant.

February 16 she had a tunnel catheter placed in order to receive plasmapheresis treatments on February 19 and 20.

On February 23 she received a kidney from a dear friend of the family. An amazing 25 year old young lady who walked through fire to give the gift of life, and did so without a moment's hesitation.

My wife's kidney function the morning of surgery was just under 14%.

Today it's somewhere around (or just above) 100%.

(The formula is based on age and blood chemistry - a 50 year old person should not have the function of a 25 year old, hence the possibility of having more than 100%.)

In addition to adapting to life as a transplanted family (sanitation precautions, taking a laundry list of drugs on prescribed schedules, dealing with side effects, keeping prescriptions refilled, etc.) the last three-plus months have been filled with visits to doctors and follow-up blood tests to make sure the kidney remains happy and she is healing as expected.

At this point things could not be better!

I'll get back to rambling about random topics surrounding travel shortly (not that anyone has really noticed my absence) and will include specific concerns about dealing with transplant while traveling along the way.

In the meantime, I hope you have opportunities for some fulfilling experiences, wether they are near or far. New places are amazing, but new people in new places make them all the better.

Phones Overseas

Disclaimer: I have no relationship to anyone I mention nor are any of the embedded links revenue generating in any form. I simply offer this information that it may be of use to others.

I've been asked a dozen or more times about my arrangements for phone service when I travel, and each time I've  cobbled together a response by hand. Today I thought it might be helpful for others, and time-saving for me, to publish everything in a blog post.

For several years I'd buy a pre-paid SIM card from a vending machine upon arrival, swap it out, and go about my merry way. If I had a driver picking us up at the airport I would have to initiate contact, since I had no idea of knowing what my number would be until after I arrived. A chunk of the first day would be spent texting local friends to give them my new number and after that I was ready to behave like a local.

Then, I finally figured it all out.

For about five dollars you can order a SIM card for 3 (Three) three.co.uk from Amazon. (Here is the link.) It fits all three form factors (standard, micro, and nano) - all you have to do is pop out the appropriate size for your phone.

Here's where things can get a little tricky.

• If you don't want to top up your card until after you arrive, then do nothing else. Just visit a shop when you arrive and purchase a top-up voucher.
• If you want to hit the ground running, visit https://www.mobiletopup.co.uk/three (have your new UK phone number handy) and set up an account.
• Purchase a voucher for an appropriate amount (check out the "All In One" add-ons at http://www.three.co.uk/support/top_up - scroll down to the bottom of the page - to determine which voucher is best for you. If you're going to be traveling for more than two weeks I suggest you give the £20 option serious consideration.)
• Now, take your newly purchased voucher code and go back to http://www.three.co.uk/ to set up your account and top up your new SIM.
• If you foresee additional travel in the next year or two, I suggest leaving £5 credit on your SIM so that it remains "alive" for future use.

There are other providers, but I've stuck with 3 for the past several years, based largely on the recommendation of British friends.

Safe travels!