The Story of Us
The Wild and Wondrous Story of Us - A Love Story with a Twist
Constance and I met in 2016, both joining the faculty of The American School of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We immediately became good friends, collaborating professionally on numerous projects, and trusting and counting on each other, and simply enjoying each other’s company in this strange and challenging new land. Our friendship grew deeper as the weeks and months passed, but it wasn’t until October of 2018, when we went to Senegal, traveling alone together for the first time, that our relationship took a decidedly more intimate turn.
Around this same time I was offered
a new teaching position at the International School of Uganda; an offer that
was simply too good to pass up. Constance tried to find a position there as
well, but sadly, there were none available. So she took an offer to teach at
the American International School of Johannesburg, ensuring that there would be
a relatively short plane flight between us. 
That summer we shared an incredible
New England road-trip together, during which Constance gave me a birthday gift
of my first skydiving experience, where we jumped out of a plane some 12,000
feet above Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains of Vermont—breathtaking! But
come August, Constance and I began our long-distance
relationship. Our determination and connection had us coming together, whether
in South Africa, Uganda, or elsewhere, no less than 9 times in our first 8
months. We also spent 3 straight weeks together at one stretch, where we did a
10-day safari in Botswana in the Kalahari, the Okavango Delta, and Chobe National
Park, followed by 5 days at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, where we interacted
with elephants, took a helicopter ride above the falls, and went white-water
rafting down the Zambezi River. After all that we spent some days on the
beaches in Mozambique to recover. Ours has not been your standard, average
relationship, that’s for sure!
On the 17th of March my school closed its doors due to Covid-19, and on the 18th at 3 AM I was boarding a plane headed for South Africa. I was allowed in, but by a thin thread, as other teachers we know were turned away the very next day! This began 6 straight unexpected months of a shared life together and rather intense intimacy. In this time we came to realize how much we simply love each other’s company, how much we trust each other, laugh together, confide in each other, and how life is just better together. Despite the lockdown, somehow we continued to enjoy some crazy adventures—going on a horseback safari, walking with lion cubs and elephants, watching cheetahs run close up, seeing rhinos charge, and giraffes fight, and enjoying some peaceful boat rides on a gorgeous dam-made lake, just to name a few.
But it hasn’t all been so easy or wondrous. In May, Constance, who had had a kidney transplant some 9 years earlier, had kidney failure and had to be admitted to hospital to be operated on and prepared for dialysis. We opted for Peritoneal Dialysis, which can be done at home. We started with manual dialysis, which had to be done 4 times a day, and after about a month we were able to get a machine that allowed us to do one session for 9 hours overnight (a HUGE change as it freed us up to enjoy our days together, uninterrupted). This was all an extremely challenging adjustment, but one which I have to say we handled with grace and courage. While there were without a doubt some harder times and some better times, overall Constance has been simply amazing! While I could not take away the burden of her dialysis, I did everything I possibly could to smooth out her road.
On the 17th of March my school closed its doors due to Covid-19, and on the 18th at 3 AM I was boarding a plane headed for South Africa. I was allowed in, but by a thin thread, as other teachers we know were turned away the very next day! This began 6 straight unexpected months of a shared life together and rather intense intimacy. In this time we came to realize how much we simply love each other’s company, how much we trust each other, laugh together, confide in each other, and how life is just better together. Despite the lockdown, somehow we continued to enjoy some crazy adventures—going on a horseback safari, walking with lion cubs and elephants, watching cheetahs run close up, seeing rhinos charge, and giraffes fight, and enjoying some peaceful boat rides on a gorgeous dam-made lake, just to name a few.
But it hasn’t all been so easy or wondrous. In May, Constance, who had had a kidney transplant some 9 years earlier, had kidney failure and had to be admitted to hospital to be operated on and prepared for dialysis. We opted for Peritoneal Dialysis, which can be done at home. We started with manual dialysis, which had to be done 4 times a day, and after about a month we were able to get a machine that allowed us to do one session for 9 hours overnight (a HUGE change as it freed us up to enjoy our days together, uninterrupted). This was all an extremely challenging adjustment, but one which I have to say we handled with grace and courage. While there were without a doubt some harder times and some better times, overall Constance has been simply amazing! While I could not take away the burden of her dialysis, I did everything I possibly could to smooth out her road.
During all this, if you can believe
it, Constance has also begun seeking her second Masters Degree, starting a
program at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education on Race, Gender, and School
Leadership.
And here is the most recent chapter to share…
On Sunday the 6th of September we were officially engaged to be married, with the ring being delivered by the cutest lion cub you ever saw! On Tuesday the 8th of September Constance had to be admitted to hospital because her red blood cell count was found to be dangerously low. On the 10th of September, with great sadness and Constance still in the hospital, I had to “repatriate” to Uganda as my school was calling me to return. During this time, Constance’s insurance company also finally officially approved her kidney transplant, and they also confirmed that they would cover all potential donors. This was a critical puzzle piece we had long been waiting for, and it finally fell into place. So, on the 1st of October Constance will fly back to Atlanta—where most of her family lives—so she can be near her transplant hospital and team of transplant doctors.The last critical missing piece to this life saving and life changing puzzle, is finding a donor with a kidney match for Constance. We send out a humble yet fervent plea to the world to help us find a kidney match. Constance and I so passionately and eagerly want to be together again, to share the rest of our lives, and endless adventures on our road ahead. But we can’t do so unless we find a kidney match.
Can you help us?
If you think you may be able to help, and are considering being a donor, please contact Constance’s donor coordinator, Leanne Whitehead, directly for more information at 404-605-4605.
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