Good News During Hard Times
Many in the Mitrata family know Hewie Powell and Arlene Miller: they are longtime supporters of Mitrata, sponsors of two children (Bidhya and Bonita), and often volunteer at events (back in the days of old when they were in-person). They have also made two trips to Nepal, one in 2014 and one in 2018. The trip in 2018 was especially meaningful because they were able to reconnect with their sponsored children, Arlene held a follow-up training for the older children and staff on the impact of addiction, and Hewie and Arlene’s granddaughter and cousins were also on the trip. (Arlene was excited for the opportunity to buy more jewelry and scarves.)
Hewie and Arlene (second from the left on the top and bottom rows)
Right before the 2018 trip, however, Hewie was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) which essentially meant his kidneys were failing. While dialysis is a lifesaving procedure and the treatment used in the later stages of PKD, it is also exhausting, tedious, and consuming. The only “cure” for PKD is a kidney transplant. Well, luckily, Hewie was able to successfully make the trip that year with no medical interventions (although Christine and Yogesh were sure to make arrangements to have a nephrologist on call in case he needed care). In fact, he didn’t miss even a day of that trip!
Hewie and Arlene in Nepal (far left and far right)
By February of 2019, though, his condition had worsened, and he needed dialysis three times a week. Hewie labored on with his usual positive attitude, in spite of tremendous fatigue and complete lifestyle changes. While it broke their hearts, Hewie and Arlene felt it was necessary to inform their dear sponsored girls in Nepal of his condition. They responded with incredibly support and faced the news with a wealth of maturity as well as wishes and prayers for his good health.
And then a miracle occured! Dear friend (and brave hero) of Hewie and Arlene, Sue, offered to donate a kidney to Hewie and was found to be a match! The surgery finally took place during the peak of the pandemic, on May 7, 2020. Because of COVID-19, the surgery had been moved from its original data on March 24, and Arlene and Sue’s husband were not allowed to be in the hospital with their partners for the surgery. So, on the day, Arlene dropped Hewie off at the hospital parking lot at 5 a.m., with Sue and her husband Dereck at her side, with hugs all around, and then goes home in anxious expectation. Four days later, she picks Hewie up with a new kidney; as they describe it, it was “Pretty slick in its own way!” Hewie’s “borrowed kidney” is alive and well, and he is back to his usual ornery self. Sue is doing well and is back to all of her usual activities.
Hewie and Sue in the hospital
Hewie and Arlene expressed their gratitude:
We are so blessed with this miracle, and of course, our Mitrata family in Nepal and America was a large part of our support system. Our sponsored children from Nepal (which now includes Anjana) continue in their letters to express their concern for Hewie’s health, and we hope by now that they have gotten the good news.
We are so grateful to each and every one of you for your prayers and good wishes. And special thanks to Christine who held my heart the day of surgery and made me drink a real drink when we knew Hewie and Sue were successfully out of surgery.
They also wanted to share two takeaways from this experience: (one) if you are healthy and want to save a life, donate a kidney — you only really need one! And (two) if you are generous and want to save a life, donate to Mitrata Nepal Foundation — it’s a win for everybody.
In the hospital before surgery
We are so grateful and thankful for Hewie’s good health. We hope to see them much more often in Nepal again and at our events once we put this pandemic behind us!