Mom wrote this tribute to Marilyn on April 1, 1999. Living Angel Clearly, Marilyn and I operated well as a team. As my little sister she would sometimes get the dirty end of the chores, of which Mother had an endless list,but we accomplished what was required of us so we could be free to go on our separate ways. Marilyn and her family settled in Minneapolis and mine in Los Angeles. Happily we looked forward to spring breaks when the cousins would come to visit us. Often we met in Spokane, our hometown, for summer vacation with our parents and extended family. Sadly we held each other closely through long and nasty divorces, the deaths of our father and her oldest son; Mother's deteriorating health, and the sale of our family home. These are but a few of many instances that brought us closer though separated by many miles. A friend called us the ''Dynamic Duo". I had been diagnosed with kidney disease in 1972. Fortunately, my kidneys deteriorated at a slow, steady pace & I felt grateful that I was able to work and raise my four children. Eventually, I had to take early retirement and was placed on the organ donor list for a kidney. I took Amgen's drug, Epogen; in order to offset my body's need for iron. Epogen kept me going, but in the summer of 1993 I was urged to have a shunt installed in order to be ready for dialysis. I visited the unit locally and was overwhelmed. I went for a consultation at UCLA to learn about at-home fluid exchange and went into a period of denial. I considered my options. I kept to a strict diet and rested often. My optimism was piqued. I was determined that as long as I felt as well as I did I would put off dialysis. God was with me every step of the way. At this point and time my insurance company had become my worst enemy. They refused to test family members as a possible donor. I called, wrote, pleaded and begged but I wasn't able to get the insurance company to budge. With the help of an attorney friend, the ball started rolling and the company finally agreed to test possible donors from the family. My sister, Marilyn, proved a good candidate, but the insurance company flatly denied the surgery. My response was to enlist the help of another attorney who was a friend of a friend (teachers are-great at networking). The attorney is a strong advocate for patients in this type of confrontation with healthcare providers. Success! Surgery was scheduled for April 20, 1994! Marilyn took leave from her family, friends, home and work to come to California. For two months she was my angel. Kidney transplants are a very serious, invasive surgery, especially for the donor. Marilyn had complications both with the anesthetic and pain relievers. I couldn't imagine that the hospital released her a week after the surgery. Marilyn still wasn't able to get in and out of bed on her own. Her recovery was hell and mine was a breeze.