ALANA HUNNICUTT - When Love Is C.U.R.E.S

WHEN LOVE IS C.U.R.E.S.”

“....A kidney transplant is a treatment, but it was my husband’s love that cured me. I can humbly and proudly say we are a match in more ways than one. “

Alana has lived with kidney disease for 25 years. She is a two-time kidney transplant recipient, when her first transplanted kidney of 10 years failed, Alana was devastated, scared, depressed, and angry all at the same time. She knew dialysis was sure to come next and life as she knew it had drastically changed. Alana found her time on dialysis to be one of the most difficult times in her life. She understood that she needed this treatment to stay alive while she eagerly awaited a new kidney, but she was frustrated because she could no longer live life on her own terms. Alana stated “I am a very independent person, free spirited, and full of life. While in kidney failure, and survival mode, I found it difficult to be who I’ve always been... independent, free spirited, and full of life.” “I knew that I wanted a kidney transplant as soon as possible to get back to me.”

Reginald, Alana’s husband would ultimately be her living kidney donor, but the process was certainly not be a smooth one. “I knew my wife suffered from kidney disease, and when the time came, I knew that I wanted to donate to her.” “What I didn’t know was the rollercoaster ride it would take us on.” Reginald got the work up done to see if he was a match to donate to his wife Alana. To their pleasant surprise, Reggie in-fact was a match and Alana had no antibodies against Reggie’s blood which meant she likely would not reject the kidney when transplanted! Even more surprisingly, Reggie was an even better match than Alana’s first living donor her biological brother. This is the true meaning of “the perfect match” literally. Once you get past the initial workup, and are a match, the potential donor must get more extensive testing done one being and image of both kidneys to figure out the kidney that would be removed for donation. That’s when it was discovered that Reginald had kidney stones and was denied to donate to Alana. They were immediately deflated with disappointment, fear, and uncertainty. “This devastating news stopped us in our tracks, we were so close but so far away.” “Just seeing what my wife was going through, I knew that I’d stop at nothing to donate my kidney to her. After I was denied twice from to different medical institutions for the same reason, I didn’t know how I would get my wife healthy again, but I knew I was going to do something. I refused to have my wife’s suffering be long lived.

Alana & Reginald

Q. How did you and your spouse meet? A. We met each other 22 years ago from a blind double date. My best friend at the time and my wife’s cousin were dating. You know when you’re young you want to hang out with your best friend and closets cousin all the time, so it was common to double date. They decided we should all hang out and my wife and I have been inseparable since the day we met.

Q. What made you realize that this was the person you wanted to marry, and this was the one you wanted to be with for the rest of your life? A. We know it may sound cliché, but it was love at first sight. We are soul mates, we literally connected from the day we laid eyes on one another. We just felt natural, safe, and organic around each other. Nothing felt forced, we felt at home in each I needed to be the strength for both of us and even more for her, so I got into the mind state of love is Compassionate. Uplifting. Resilient. Empathetic. Supportive. Love c.u.r.e.s.! My wife and I put our heads together and I decided that I would have my stones physically removed from my urologist and change my diet, my diet is was caused my kidney stones. After getting the kidney stones removed, we went back to the kidney board of the last hospital that denied me and we were approved!” Alana and Reggie were transplanted on September 26, 2016. They are both doing amazing and welcomed and happy and healthy baby girl into the world October 2018. Alana and Reggie are passionate about spreading their love c.u.r.e.s. mission around the world, they travel monthly as keynote speakers to spread the word on living donation while sharing their personal journey to encourage self-advocacy, educate, and encourage potential donors and kidney warriors.

one’s presence. We realized we wanted to marry each other when we couldn’t imagine life without the other. We felt a bond that was deeper than either of us could comprehend, but we knew we’d spend a lifetime together trying to figure this bond, this love out and use it to be of service to others. Q. What was one of the hardest experiences that you and your spouse had to go through? How did it make the relationship stronger? A. Being married for 18 years, as you can imagine, we’ve had our fair share of rides on the emotional rollercoaster. There are two experiences that standout as the hardest experiences we’ve gone through. The first being the birth of our first child together, our son who was born a micro preemie weighing 1lb 4.6oz at birth with a 4-month hospital stay. Every day was touch and go and we were told many times he wouldn’t survive pass the night. We were told if he did survive, he wouldn’t have much of a quality of life. We fed into the mind set of modern medicine for a second, but then we decided to lean on our faith especially during a time where

we were so emotionally depleted. I’m happy we leaned on our faith and didn’t lose our minds because we have a happy, healthy, and thriving 18-year-old that beat the odds. Another experience that was hard on us is when I had kidney failure and ended up on dialysis. That was a very low time in our lives going through this health crisis. My selfless husband decided to be my kidney donor to save my life. If everyone knew the hoops my husband had to go through to donate to me, you’d clearly understand how deep his love runs. We’ll have to share the details of that journey at another time. Who knew we’d even be a match? A kidney transplant is a treatment, but it was my husband’s love that cured me. I can humbly and proudly say we are a match in more ways than one. Q. Describe the love, the passion that you have for your spouse? A. My love is boundless for my wife, there is literally nothing I wouldn’t do for her. I gave her a kidney, an organ, a whole-body part and I would do it again if I could, but I need at least one of my kidneys to stay alive lol. Seriously though, my wife really

is my best-friend and I must do life with her…no one else will do. I support my wife in whatever she does because I know her heart and intensions are pure. It is my mission to consciously love my wife and make sure I keep peace and happiness in her life. Q. What do you think is the difference between being in a relationship and being engaged for marriage?

A. I think the difference in being in a relationship versus being engaged/married is the commitment. A. I think in a relationship, both should continue to be committed to themselves, their self-growth, accomplishing personal goals, making themselves happy, and being open to meeting other people. Being engaged/married both people should be committed to showing-up as their true selves, being fully present, and learning to move as one. While we should always focus on self-growth, married/engaged couples must be committed to growing together as well as fulfilling each other’s needs. Q. How long do you think someone should date before they get married? A. I think it depends on the age. Someone in their twenties should probably date for 3 years so they can continue to learn who they are before getting married. Someone in their thirties, I would say two years, they know who they are but still want to be focused on setting a foundation for themselves before being married, and someone forty and over may date just one year. Most will be clear about who they are, have a foundation set for they life they want to live, and very clear about what they want in a marriage, and are able to settle down sooner as a result. Q. Do you think that people need a marriage counselor before marriage? A. We did not have marriage counseling prior to getting married, but I strongly recommend marriage counseling. Getting that outside help to set a strong foundation to a strong marriage is essential to a happy and healthy marriage. No one knows it all and getting a professional to help set the ground rules can potentially alleviate unnecessary heartache and pain. Q. What do you think is the definition of Love? A. Love is all encompassing. You know, it’s funny you asked this question because ever since my spouse went through the kidney transplant, the phrase “love cures”

came to mind. At the time we didn’t know it would have a greater meaning in our lives, but the phrase just felt right. It wasn’t until 3 years later that something in our spirit said make this a movement. So, what is our definition of Love? Love is a cure. Love is C. ompassionate U.plifting R.silient E.mpathetic S.upportive.

I can come up with so many positive, action words and acronyms for c.u.r.e.s., but I’ll just say if we lead with these love actions, we could heal/cure the world. That’s what love means to us and stay tuned for the movement. Q. Describe what you think a perfect date would be for your spouse? A. A perfect date for my spouse would be going out to dinner, going to a concert, drinks after and back home for some “us “time.

WIBMAGZ Q. Give some advice or inspiration for other couples? A. Speaking as a married person. Don’t Give Up! We all know that relationships aren’t easy, but it’s a commitment and when you commit to something, you show up for it fully. That’s what you must do in your relationship, show up fully EVERYDAY. When we commit to something it rewards us if we are patient with the process. See, all relationships will be battle tested and only the strong, patient and committed will survive. There is power in two that’s why I love the phrase power couple. When we decide to be committed to something the universe will support it. Once you get to that stage in your relationship the reward is understanding your purpose as a couple and that’s when you get to move in power by blessing and serving others as a dynamic duo.