 Hi, my name is Lucille Franks mom and he asked me to tell you about my medical story. I had Artificial insemination in 1992 And it was successful. It was such a wonderful feeling after Trying to have children. That was my dream come true And I found out in April that I was going to be the mother of triplets So I was so excited and this by the way was in New York And I saw this construction worker and he was in a hole and all I saw was his face And I said to him by the way, I'm having triplets ice cream Then he goes right lady. So nobody believed me because I'm this little itty-bitty thing So it was so exciting and I used to work down in Manhattan And then I found out at 20 weeks. I Had to go on bed rest because they were concerned about Me not being able to hold the children and also the concern for the safety of the triplets so my life Was all of a sudden turned around from going to be working on Wall Street working with the Executives I'm laying in bed bored out of my brain So here I find out all the daytime Game shows I'm not one of those for soap operas, but anyway The good news is pregnancy is going great And then all of a sudden I feel something on my leg and It was itching the heck out of me So I went to my doctor the gynecologist in this case obstetition obstetrician and she sends me to a Dermatologist I go see her and they do a test and they say I have some kind of which is well-known pregnancy rash And I was a little upset about it because they wanted me to take prednisone And I didn't want to take prednisone. I'm not a medicine type of person at all And with that they said well, you're going to have to take it. It's only going to get worse so I took the prednisone and The rash didn't subside it didn't get any worse, but it was Very uncomfortable So with that on that note My doctor all also says I had a due date in December They moved the babies up four weeks because they felt At that point it would be too much of a risk for the kids They made it start to lose weight and they were concerned With the overall health of myself and the triplets so on its dreary day in November I had a C-section and Kids came out beautifully. They was very quick. They said It's going to be five minutes in between and I was expecting that so when they said it's a boy I and I knew in my heart of hearts what they were but I never told anyone and I said yes It's a boy and they said it's a boy. I said I know that they go. Oh, no. No another boy And it was so fast and they said it's a girl and I screamed. Oh my god. I got my family so it was so exciting and then three days later I'm in a hospital well-known hospital in New York and I'm not really want to Look in the mirror, but I was brushing my teeth and I'm saying I look pretty green I said these lights are terrible in this hospital and it was an old hospital. So I attributed to the the lack of lighting and then I find out later that day that The one of the doctors come in and said well, you need to get a blood transfusion And by the way prior to all this I said to my doctor Listen, I get very heavy menstrual cycles. I am concerned when I have Give birth that I should maybe have blood lined up for me because I'm a heavy bleeder And she was like, oh no. No, this is no problem. That's why I mentioned this once before this So needless to say the doctor comes in that night and says you have to get a blood transfusion I'm like no. I'm not doing it. Like yes, you have to I said well, I'm not doing it so this was three days after the birth of the triplets by the way and He said well They didn't tell me but they told my family if I don't do it. I'll have a 50% chance of Not seeing the next day So with that in mind They convinced me to do the blood transfusion and then when my three brothers told me they love me I was like, oh my god, something is really wrong because they never said that in my whole life So I said, okay, I'll get the blood. I was more worried about getting aids from blood and hepatitis type C so I get the blood and All of a sudden I have negative reaction. They say I'm building up antibodies to the blood and That is why I wind up on life support basically all my organs failed and Now I'm intubating I'm in the hospital and I'm Starting to get dialysis I have renal failure with all this going on and I'm telling one of the renal specialists I said listen my kidneys are coming back because I'm urinating very well and They keep insisting that I get these plasmapheresis treatments and what I basically have is They call TTP. I H us. It's a a blood disorder And the reason I think I got that is with the C section I lost a tremendous amount of blood that nobody really told me about but my husband saw a pool of blood on the floor Now I couldn't see anything because I was upright and I couldn't see the floor But anyway, I need this to say I'm telling you doctors my kidneys are coming back. No, no, no You need more pharesis. You need more pharesis So it came to the point that my then I was having no Kidney function whatsoever urinating very little but what was happening is the plasmapheresis I was rejecting my body was rejecting and my antibodies were building up so strongly That my kidneys basically from whatever happened at the caesarean shut down so I'm still on life support. I can't talk I'm writing like crazy on a notepad to the nurses Telling them because they wanted to give me other treatments and I kept saying no, no, no And then in the interim they're trying to get me off the respirator And this happened at least five or six times and I would tell them no, I am not ready and They would again Take off the two and then I will later. I would be back on life support So finally they started listening to me and one of my dear friends Made up on it came by and I was very nervous because I was getting another treatment And I was actually off the respirator. I said, oh Stay with me because I'm a little worried every time this happens I go into Respiratory distress so I was concerned about getting into respiratory distress so my best friend is with me I said listen, I'm getting this treatment now Please stay with me because I am concerned and if I can't talk I wave my hand That means you gotta get somebody to stop the treatment So when she's there sure enough 20 minutes into the treatment, I feel it I wave my hand and They come in they say cold blue and guess what I'm back on the respirator so now It happens again and I tell them let's listen you'd have to listen about me when I tell you I'm ready to get off I'm ready to get off and in the interim I'm doing dialysis three days a week Which is a Not a not a good thing. They were probing my neck to get me access many times. I've got body Punctures all over my wrist. I said, please get a real doctor. They had these people that were experimenting on me You know medical students which are all well and good But when you have somebody in this condition, they could learn by looking not by trying so anyway, I go back on the respirator and In December they decide to put a fistula in me because they say It's Dialysis it's difficult to do through a port on the neck So with that I get surgery And they put a fistula in my arm Which is going to give me access so that I Can have dialysis actually to this arm and you could see this is where all the punctured wounds were From when I had dialysis So then they actually remove the fistula. What was that a couple years ago? Yeah, I waited almost 15 years to remove the fistula because I was concerned if I Had to get dialysis again, so they removed that the actual team that put in the kidneys, which were incredible by the way in Westchester so with that I'm back on dialysis and I'm not having it. It's not a good thing. I wind up getting Steroidsychosis they were giving me treating me with prednisone to keep me alive and they said well We have to do this to keep her alive But I never knew what Steroidsychosis was so I'm starting to feel a little off and While I'm on dialysis I'm seeing I'm getting like hallucinations and I never did any drugs before or smoked or Nulltrain so this was all new to me, but I was hallucinating as I'm on the machine And it was the scariest thing in my life so with that And finally I'm having the dialysis and they get a psychiatrist and One of them say well if she's not dead within five days We'll be surprised So that then on another note Before all this I was in the hospital for a good two months. I Get another treatment Plasma freeze this this time and my father's with me and I said dad if I Do the hands again, or I can't talk you've got to stop the treatment sure enough it happens again So they stopped the treatment I wave my hand and one of the doctors that comes by and says oh by the way You shouldn't have gotten that because you could have had a heart attack. I said you don't have to tell me I felt my body building up with fluids. So before I got on the respirator again, they stopped it So then I finally two months in the hospital. I get to the privilege of going home And the privilege of coming down to New York three times a week for dialysis and I was so weak that my husband used to have to carry me from the car to the hospital because from the car, we didn't have a wheelchair and I was too proud to be in a wheelchair. So anyway, it was kind of romantic. Here we are going through the streets being carried by my husband So anyway, now I'm on dialysis and like I said, I was starting to feel a little weird and I go into full-blown seratikosis, which is basically the illusion mind and My husband and his sister wanted to check me into a mental hospital So I go there and I'm looking around and I said now I know This is medically induced why I'm off, but these other people I don't know But they scared the lights out of me. So they're insisting. Oh, no, you have to stay here for 72 hours I said, oh, no, I don't so I go into the room and It's literally it's like a lockdown you go in the room and you stay there in the bed With two other people you cannot get out and I'm like, this is not for me I know I'm not right, but this is not for me. So anyway, they sent me home And that's when the doctor said oh, if I don't see you her name in an arbitrary for five days It's a miracle. So what they did was they gave me howl duel, which is a medication to offset the side effects of psychosis But it makes you very stiff and rigid and you have no emotion whatsoever. You're like a blank slate but anyway, I Get through it and how I got through it was when you reduce the amount of prednisone in the body the The side effects are reduced. So basically when I went down to almost I think 20 milligrams of prednisone I was thank God back to myself So it was all good. I'm trying to get stronger. I'm walking I'm still living at my mother's my mother. God bless her raised the triplets with me for the first six months and Finally I go home in April And I'm still on dialysis, but now I get because I'm kind of stabilized They send me to where I lived in the Bronx. So it's a little easy. I don't have to go into the city I'm able to walk again My husband doesn't have he takes me the first couple of months, but eventually I drive on my own So it's all good. I Say this is how do I deal with this and one doctor? So well, do it like it's a hard time job. So I did But it was no picnic. There were many times where I would bleach for hours after the treatment and I actually saw a patient of Around maybe 10 feet away from me. He's bleeding out. I'm seeing blood on the floor and now the dialysis nurses didn't notice I said by the way, I think you should check that patient and he almost died right there So it was it was very frightening and I was always awake because if they gave you too much heparin Which is a blood thinner. You could basically bleed to death So anyway, I did that for almost five years And I was on various transplant lists one in Westchester one in New York one in Philadelphia And I said, how do I know? My brothers have three brothers. I didn't want them to give me any kidney Although one of them was a perfect match. I just didn't want anybody to suffer So I get this call In July, but backtracking in November. I tell my father. I'm so excited November 7th, and he was not well. He otherwise he would have gave me a kidney. I said dad, guess what? I am so close on the list and This was the one and I don't know which one they didn't tell you so he was so happy He goes, do you made my day you made my life then the next morning he dies but I know That He knows that I was gonna get well. So anyway the next day The next day I go into the Alice's And I'm doing okay, but I don't know he's gone But I just get this feeling because the night before I want to see him and it was very bad the weather and it's I just want to see dad because he was on oxygen You know, but anyway, I didn't get to see him And I find out that night two o'clock. He's he's no longer with us And I was very close to the most daddy's little girl, but anyway six months later Monday Alice's and now my bones was starting to go and they said that's when you have to worry all of a sudden I Go to dialysis and I've always talked to my father people think it's nutty But we had a good relationship and I look up in the sky And it was July 24th. I said dad. I can't do this anymore. You got to help me And I see it was cloudy day And all of a sudden the skies part and I see a blue streak of light And that was his favorite color. I said, okay dad, I know things are gonna get better Sure enough the next day July 25th, I get a call We have a kidney feel And I was like I was in shock. I was so happy I said you kidding me because no no what happened was the person before you Didn't want it. They're waiting for their fathers. So we have a kidney But we don't know if you're a match. I said, okay So I called my husband and he was frozen. He works in the courthouse. He couldn't even move But I was so excited. I'm jumping up and down. I said we got to go. We got to go So we go and it's in Westchester. So that night they do all this blood work and they tell me well We don't know if it's gonna work and it's a match. I said, okay, so I'm up all night I'm sitting up. I'm jumping around my husband's sleeping. Oh, are you kidding me? How could you be sleeping when I'm getting this kidney, right? So the next morning I find out It's a good match So now we go into surgery It's a seven hour surgery. I had the best team incredible And I'm like, all right, I'm gonna be off dialysis. This is amazing. So that's a Wednesday and they say They pumped me up with fluids about 40 pounds and I'm like, what's going on? I'm not, you know, I'm urinating my little little bit, but it's not happening Nothing's happening. Like, well, sometimes they're sleeping the kidneys. I said, what does that mean? It takes a little time. Sometimes they don't work right away So now with this extra 40 pounds of fluid on me, I can't breathe So Sunday, I said, listen, I don't want to go into respiratory distress. I need dialysis They're like, no, you don't. I said, no, no, no, I know my body. You're gonna get somebody today to give me dialysis So sure enough, they break it up. They bring the machine up to me and they do dialysis and now I can breathe and then a day or two later, I started urinating and just kept urinating and urinating and Thank you, Lord My kidneys are great. And by the way, I received two pediatric kidneys and That was in 97 and God willing, I still have them So it's all good But what I would say in regard to doctors there are Ones that are great. There are ones that are not so great but what I recommend is Go by your body because you know your body best and if you're not comfortable with the doctor you're with You should definitely switch doctors. Here. I thought I had the greatest doctor and by the way She said to me she was crying when she saw me in my condition and said she wanted to quit her profession and It is what it is, but I'm on this transplant medication I've been taking it for over 22 years and thank God I'm doing well. I Am what they call in the of surprise. So I have to watch I have to be careful with as far as People that are sick. I can't go near but I've my quality of life has so improved The only regret I have is that I wish I was healthy for when I had the trip once I was able to do what I wanted to do with them but you know you do the best you can in life and you learn from Things that happen to you although I feel She ruined my life as far as the quality of life I tried to make the best of it and you thank each day for what you have and you do the best You can and that's why I was a little tough on the triplets, but it was because I wanted them to be able to Deal with ever life comes through and I my only regret is that I didn't show them more love and have the time and ended Be more loving is what I'm saying. I mean I always love them obviously, but be more affectionate and show them But sometimes there were times where I couldn't even get out of bed. I wanted the other thing I didn't mention was because of I Don't know if it's the medications. I was having severe hemorrhaging and I had to have a partial hysterectomy, but thank God, you know things are good and The other thing I failed to mention though in Six years ago because of one of the medications I had a stroke and I Was also the ironic thing was I was working in the hospital and I said I'm having a stroke Nobody's listening again and sure enough. I'm in the hospital and I say give me the medication I think it's called TTP that Prevents the effects of a stroke again Nobody's listening so I had to go into Get brain surgery because I Have water on the brain. That's the only surgery. I don't remember and thank God I recovered. I had to learn how to walk again. My speech was a little slow What concern was I was seeing sideways my eyes were a little off, but here I am today and Pretty much recovered. So I just say to everybody don't take anything for granted be the best that you can be and Be strong because if I listen to anybody I wouldn't be here today But I knew I wanted to be here to raise those beautiful babies That God gave me and they'll always mean my babies and I think they have Done so tremendously and they are such incredible people and That's my motto. Just never give up and no matter what they tell you listen to your own body And you all have a wonderful day, and I thank you for listening Well, I think everyone wants to know how old you are How old am I? Oh Do you really want to know you can guess but let me tell you I look amazing for my age. I am 61 You be hard-pressed to find anyone that looks that good at 61 let alone a double kidney transplant and the reasons she Actually ended up having that stroke is because she was so stressed out working at this job for the past Who will you how long were you there six months? Yeah, you were there six months. So, you know after she had all these health issues You know that led into financial issues and she had to still work despite being in that condition So, you know, it's really horrible that the medical system can almost take away everything you have and give you nothing back I wish I had a memory as good as hers and even after She she had her stroke. She still remembered Like oddly specific things that I could that I obviously don't have the brain for so Thank you guys for joining me today and enjoy the rest of your week. Thank you so much. Enjoy your week By the way, I forgot to mention when I was in the hospital in New York All of a sudden I'm in the room and I didn't realize there was a priest to the left of me and Cardinal O'Connor comes in the room and now I'm like, oh, please don't tell me these are my last rights Why is the Cardinal here? So my husband comes to me and he goes, don't worry Lou He's only here because the priest next to you was very ill. I was like, okay so he talks to me and He gives me his blessing and then I find out that Christmas in 1992 he dedicated his homily to me and asked everybody to pray for a very young mom That's um in the hospital that's struggling and is on life support and has triplets So between him and all the prayers, that's why I'm here today But the main thing I didn't mention why I'm here is because my husband Frank Has been by my side from the day we met He did not leave the hospital for two months. He slept by my side either on the chair or on the floor and Unfortunately, the few times he left is when I went back on the respirator, but without his support and love I Wouldn't be here today and the reason I'm saying this is that Besides, you know taking charge and never giving up when you find somebody that's so dedicated like that and Is there for you day and night? You just have to appreciate everything you have and the support system helps with everything in life on that note You all have a great day and thank you for listening and you have any questions. I'll be more than happy to help you and Thank you very much