Maria Isidoro Schalalci, a petite mail-order bride from the Orient, is the second wife of Albert Schalaci, a lanky, stubborn fanatic, who has kidney failure, but refuses to accept the standard form of medicine. Explanations, constant urgings and threats, fail to dissuade him from his unorthodox ways and belief. He insists on his own herbal remedies with near-deadly consequences. Despite his curmudgeonly personality, however, she stays with him, perseveres, and tolerates his shenanigans. Only through her vicarious sacrifices, determination, and tenacity, her husband escapes the inevitable. The willow tree by the pond, her retreat for prayers, meditation, and a hiding place from her obnoxious husband, helps maintain her sanity. This story, although a dramatization, is based on the author's professional knowledge and personal experiences with renal failure and its treatment. It portrays patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD): the etiologies, symptomatology, physiology, processes, and benefits of the accepted treatment options. It is an aid to the understanding of the plight of patients and families with CKD: their miseries, frustrations, disappointments, and the successes and failures in the quest for compatible kidney donors. The author aims to give the readers and the public a better understanding of the disease's processes and its ultimate remedy, kidney transplantation, and hopes to erase the clouds of doubt, skepticism, and fear. Life is sweet, help the unfortunates.
