< PreviousBILL WARRICK1948-2018Bill Warrick, 70, passed away Jan. 17, 2018, at his home in Mitchellville, Iowa. He graduated from Prairie City-Monroe and farmed with his dad on the Wm-Warrick & Son Farm where they raised Hampshire hogs. He and his dad went to the county and state fairs all summer and also to the hog conferences. They came home with grand cham-pion and reserve grand champion awards multiple times.Bill joined the Air Force in the 60’s and worked on F4 Jets. He was stationed in Puerto Rico where he made great friends and had plenty of stories to share about that time in his life. Bill married Linda Provost and they had a son, Matthew Warrick, in 1981. He married Kim Driscoll in 2000 and joined a large family, gaining four step sons, daughters-in-law, and eight grandkids.Bill enjoyed his family, fi shing in the backyard pond, gardening with Kim and meeting friends for breakfast. He loved going to fl ea markets and auctions. He could negotiate pricing until he won! Bill enjoyed watching football, especially the Minnesota Vikings. His family will be rooting for them all the way to the Super Bowl. Preceding him in death is father, William Warrick Sr., mom, Elise Warrick, and sister, Patricia Bruns.Condolences may be expressed online at: www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.comOBITUARIESCHARLES WILLIAM FOGLE 1932-2018Charles William Fogle, age 85, was released from his Earthly labors on Monday, Feb. 19, 2018, at his home.Charles was born on Sept. 13, 1932, in Marion County, the son of Ernest G. and Mary E. (Oswald) Fogle.On Sept. 2, 1951, he was united in marriage to Winona R. Prettyman at the Meeker Methodist Church. They have celebrated 66 years of marriage.Charles was a 1950 graduate of Meeker High School and Columbus Offi ce Training. He was a lifelong farmer, Big Island Clerk and Trustee for 42 years, 4-H leader for many years, past member of Ridgedale School Board, Montgomery Grange, Marion County Farm Bureau, Ridgedale Lions, Dekalb Seed dealer and member of Meeker Methodist Church.He is survived by his beloved wife, Winona R. Fogle; his children: Diane (Tom) Fetter, Kathleen (Rick) Fremont, Tim (Penny) Fogle, and Rick (JoAnn) Fogle; grandchildren: Tabitha (Ryan) Cook, Trevor (Natalie) Fremont, Shelby (Kyle) Brammell, Tim (Alyssa) Fogle, Jr., Ryan (Dani Faust) Fogle, Katie (Levi Criswell) Siegel, and Jenna Siegel; great grandchildren: Noah and Hannah Cook, Taylor, David and Renee Fremont, Brianna and Samantha Morgan, Brooke, Jake and Luke Brammell and Everly Fogle arriving in June; he is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.Charles is preceded in death by his parents; sister Ruth (Kenneth) Eichhorn, brother David (Jane) Fogle and grandsons: Torrey Fetter and Christopher Fremont.The family wishes to express their sincerest appre-ciation to Kindred Hospice and Joyce’s Angels for their support in Charles’s fi nal days.The visitation was held on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, at Snyder Funeral Homes, DENZER Chapel, 360 East Center St., Marion. Funeral services were held Thursday at the funeral home with visitation until time of service with Pastor Kathy Herr offi ciating; Burial was held at the Pleasant Hill Cemetery.In lieu of fl owers, donations may be made to Meeker Methodist Church, Ridgedale FFA or Marion County 4-H.The Snyder Funeral Homes of Marion are honored to be serving the Fogle family; condolences may be expressed to the family by visiting www.SnyderFuneralHomes.comMARKETING & COMM. INTERN: Bridget Halat, Genoa, Ill. Bridget has always seen herself ending up with a career within the swine industry, which she is extremely passionate about. She grew up on a diversifi ed-grain farm, while exhibiting showpigs at county, state and national shows. She started showing when she was just 5 years old at the county fair open show and is actively involved in showing on the Illinois Club Pig Association sanctioned shows. Throughout high school, Bridget was very active in 4-H as the club president and in FFA, being both the chapter president and Section 6 Secretary.Bridget will be a senior at Iowa State University working to obtain a degree in communication studies, while minoring in both advertising and international agriculture. At Iowa State, Bridget is very involved in the Block and Bridle Club, particularly in the Swine Interest Group serving as the president. Aside from Block and Bridle, Bridget is also involved in different committees for the Iowa State Bacon Expo. Bridget also has participated in two study abroad programs (Costa Rica and Argentina) and served as a marketing intern for Wyffels Hybrids this past summer.Bridget is excited to be able to share her passion for this industry that she cares so deeply about and work along-side some of the greatest individuals within the industry learning new skills.Bridget Halat M&C InternAPRIL/MAY 2018 | SEEDSTOCK EDGE2018 AprilMay SE Form.indd 204/4/2018 10:36:38 AMDOROTHY JEANNE HOLDER JOHNSON 1928-2018Dorothy Jeanne Holder Johnson, 89, North Henderson, died at 11:53 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018, at the Knox County Nursing Home in Knoxville.She was born Sept. 17, 1928, in Moline, the daughter of J.W. and Charlotte (Brega) Holder. Dorothy graduated from Moline High School in 1949. She later attended Augustana College from 1950 to 1951.Dorothy married George Johnson Jr. on Dec. 11, 1949, in Moline. He died on April 16, 2012.She was a homemaker and loved caring for her family. She also was employed for 27 years by the state of Illinois in the Galesburg offi ce of Illinois Department of Employment Security as an employment adviser.She was a member of Zion Lutheran Church where she served on the Church Board and taught Sunday school. In her younger years, she was president of the Rainbow Girls and a member of the Via Crucis Kings Daughters Circle. She also served as Brownie leader, 4-H leader, hospice volunteer for many years, and was a member of the Mercer County Home Extension.Survivors include her two sons, Jack (Jayne) Johnson of North Henderson and Scott (Paula) Johnson of Dixon; two daughters, Nancy (Jim Van De Bogart) Johnson of Beloit, Wisconsin, and Julie (Don Fiddes) Ray of Peoria; one son-in-law, Dennis (Joyce) Higgins of Alexis; 14 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren; along with nieces and nephews.She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; infant son, James Craig Johnson; daughter, Patti Higgins; one brother, H. Randolph Holder; and one sister, Helen Vickery.The funeral was held Monday, March 5, 2018, at Zion Lutheran Church, North Henderson. Burial followed in Oak Lawn Memorial Gardens, Galesburg. Memorials may be given to Zion Lutheran Church. For more information or to leave an online condolence please visit, www.mcguireanddaviesfuneralhome.com.DAVID ANDY "D.A." WATSON 1925-2018David Andy “D.A.” Watson, age 92 of Fleming County, husband of Leona Newsom Watson to whom he married in 1950, passed away Wednesday, March 28, 2018, at the University of Cincinnati Hospital. Born on Sept. 4, 1925, in Elliott County, Kentucky, he was a son of the late George and Plura Lewis Watson. A U.S. Army veteran, D.A. served his country during the Korean Confl ict. He graduated from Morehead State University and retired from teaching in the Fleming County School System. D.A. was a farmer and owner and operator of Watson's Store in Plummers Mill where he spent most of his days. Many lunches were shared at Watson’s Grocery while going to look at Yorkshire pigs at George Watson’s farm. He was also an avid reader and especially enjoyed Kentucky history. D.A. attended the Shiloh Methodist Church, was a Mason and he was a Kentucky Colonel. Besides his beloved wife, he is survived by: his son, Dave Watson, Jr. of Fleming County; his grandson, Andy (Courtney) Watson of Fleming County; his sister, Shelby Jean Fannin of Fleming County; nephew, George (Vickie) Watson of Fleming County; nieces, Judy (Evan) Conley of Fleming County, Penny (Bob) Rouhier of Dayton, OH, and Cindy (Jeff) Hedge of Georgetown, Kentucky. Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by: an infant daughter, Cheryl Lynn Watson; siblings, Wilbur F. Watson and Lena B. Scott; sister-in-law, Jean Watson; brothers-in-law, Louis B. Scott and Edward Fannin; and niece, Linda Campbell. Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 3, 2018, at the Watson Enterprise Baptist Church in Middlefork located in Elliott County, Kentucky, and offi ciated by Brother Richard Short. Visitation was held on Monday, April 2, at the Carpenter-Fritz & Vice Funeral Home in Flemingsburg and also on Tuesday at the Watson Enterprise Baptist Church in Elliott County. Burial was at the Watson Cemetery in Elliott County. Active pallbearers were Dave Watson, Andy Watson, George Watson, Michael Hedge, Mike Royse, Shawn Royse, Andrew Rouhier, and Ronnie Littleton. Honorary pallbearers were Jeff Hedge, Bob Rouhier, Anthony Rouhier, Terry Newsom, Rick Marshall, George Littleton, Gene Newsom, and Bill Newsom. In lieu of fl owers, memorials are suggested to the Muses Mills Fire Department, c/o Judith Compton, 3057 Muses Mills Rd., Wallingford, KY 41093. Funeral arrangements are in care of the Carpenter-Fritz & Vice Funeral Home. Condolences may be made online at www.carpenterfritzvicefh.com.21APRIL/MAY 2018 | SEEDSTOCK EDGE18 AprilMay SE Form.indd 214/4/2018 10:36:38 AMAPRIL/MAY 2018 | SEEDSTOCK EDGE2218 AprilMay SE Form.indd 224/4/2018 9:27:26 AMScott and Shara Evans saw the worst of it. When they learned their good friend, Kandy Schminke, was taken to the hospital in late July, they boarded an Iowa-bound plane to be there for Kandy and her husband, Al. Neither family likely knew how quickly the situation would turn dire. Together, they waited for a barrage of testing to be completed – blood draws, ultra sounds and a biopsy. All of those tests culminated to a diagnosis no one was prepared to hear: End-Stage Kidney Disease from RPGN with coexist ANCA positive and anti-GBM positive. By Katie Maupin MillerShara (left) and Kandy (right) in their hospital gowns, seeing each other in the hospital the fi rst time since the surgery. 23APRIL/MAY 2018 | SEEDSTOCK EDGE18 AprilMay SE Form.indd 234/4/2018 9:27:26 AM“I kind of describe it as an out-of-person experience,” Kandy says. “I was sitting there, and you’re almost in a cloud. You have so much information thrown at you, and you can’t believe that you’re even in the hospital.”It was hard to believe considering Kandy had judged a stock show the day before she landed in St. Lukes Hospital. Yet, on July 29, 2016, a simple blood panel ran by her family doctor had her admitted immediately. The nurses who read her chart told her, with those Creatinine and Hemoglobin levels, they expected Kandy to be crawling into the hospital, rather than walking in on her own volition. For those of us less familiar with medical jargon and scientifi c acronyms, the Schminkes were told Kandy’s kidneys were not functioning. They had failed due to two previously undetected autoimmune disease disorders. Her body was full of unfi ltered toxins, and Kandy had minutes to make some life-changing decisions, which most who suffered from renal failure could have months to ponder. “We were just shocked and stunned,” recalls Shara. “How can something get so drastic so quickly?”The answer was Kandy’s undiagnosed autoimmune diseases. Her body had been working overtime to fi ght something it viewed as a threat. The autoimmune diseases had “torched” her kidneys, as Shara puts it. Nothing Kandy was exposed to triggered the autoimmune disorders and nothing could have been done to necessarily stop her rapid renal decline. Luckily, the doctor overseeing Kandy’s case called a peer from college, one of the most accomplished kidney specialists you could fi nd and the person who the Schminkes call an angel – Dr. Cogdill. Dr. Cogdill wasn’t just a great specialist; he also possessed empathy only gained by personal experience. Some of his own family had been stricken with renal failure, so he knew what Kandy was facing. During those minutes, when she had to make months’ worth of decisions; Dr. Cogdill guided Kandy. “He really took care of me like I was his sister,” Kandy says.One decision was clear though, Kandy had to start dialysis immediately to begin fi ltering the many toxins from her body. Kandy recalls her fi rst experience being wheeled into the dialysis room, because she was too weak to walk. There were only about four chairs in the hospital’s dialysis room, but as fate would have it, Kandy sat next to an older farmer who struck up a conversation.“We just started talking,” she says. “We talked about everything he had been through. He had been through so many different surgeries and cancer. I thought, if he can make it then I can too.”Kandy never dreamed she’d end up on dialysis, but for months prior, she had been fi ghting the feeling something wasn’t quite right. Shara recalls, Kandy mentioning she felt off at a sale in January, and by the Team Purebred summer show in Springfi eld, Illinois, Kandy reported she felt even worse. It wasn’t from lack of trying though. When Kandy seemed to be getting a lot of sinus infections, she sought out an ear, nose and throat specialist (ENT). Even after Kandy pointed out the odd patch of tan skin on her nose, the ENT deemed her condition to be allergy related. Kandy started the prescribed allergy shots, but quietly wondered how now she could have all these allergies, when she didn't have any of these growing up.By May, Kandy was seeing a gastroenterologist about her frequent bouts of heartburn and her increasingly unsettled stomach. In July, she returned. It was now hard to keep any foods down. Kandy was tired and couldn’t seem to fi nd the right things to eat to calm her stomach. The digestive specialists ran some tests, but concluded it was an issue with Kandy’s throat, due to some problems she’d had in the past. They scoped her throat, and then performed a throat opening procedure. Unbeknownst to those specialists, Kandy’s progressing renal failure, caused by her combination of autoimmune disorders, made her throat procedure not only unnecessary, but potentially deadly. No doctor connected the metallic taste Kandy often told them about with kidney disease, even though it’s a common symptom. A nurse fi nally suggested Kandy return to her family doctor, since the specialist’s advice didn’t seem to help.“The day after my throat procedure, I went to my local doctor,” Kandy says. “She knows me and knows I don’t come in unless I’m feeling really ill.”It was this doctor who ordered the blood draw, which found Kandy’s off-the-charts Creatinine and Hemoglobin levels. Rather than "I never really thought that I have two of something, and I can share one to give someone life.” — Shara Evans(l to r) Shara Evans, her daughter, Paisley, and Kandy SchminkeAPRIL/MAY 2018 | SEEDSTOCK EDGE2418 AprilMay SE Form.indd 244/4/2018 9:27:28 AMsending Kandy a letter with the summary of her test, the offi ce called her immediately and told her to get to the hospital for a blood transfusion. “I remember that I thought it was odd, because I never had allergies, but I was taking allergy shots and still was having upper respiratory problems, which was due to the autoimmune disease which affects your nose, eyes, lungs and vascular system. The brown spot on my nose was actually my nose dying; it was dead tissue. People have gone blind due to this disease. I was very lucky that I only had a few nodulars on my lungs at that time, and I was not coughing up blood,” Kandy says. “When you look back it’s clear, if your gut doesn’t tell you that you’re on the right path, just get a second opinion, then a third. Just keep going after it.”While watching the Schminke family reel with the diagnosis, Shara’s gut feeling was to help. This wasn’t surprising because, as the Five Love Languages will tell you, she shows she cares by acts of service. Shara Evans is a doer.When your dear friend of more than a decade is seriously ill, you want to fi nd a way to help. For Shara, it was signing up to be a potential living organ donor. Shara didn’t know a lot about being an organ donor. She’d signed the back of her driver’s license, giving permission to pass some of her life-giving organs on after she’d passed, but she hadn’t given a lot of thought to donating one right now. Ironically, Shara had seen the living donor promotions. She’d pushed PR pieces about living organ donors out on her local hospital's social media platforms, when she worked in their marketing department. Without knowing anyone on a transplant list though, those posts took up more room on the content calendar than her mind. “I was kind of passive to it,” Shara admits. “It is kind of like when you know someone with cancer, those stories pull on your heartstring more. Now, I know the need … a kidney or liver isn’t something that they’ve artifi cially produced. They really rely on the living donor program. I never really thought that I have two of something, and I can share one to give someone life.”Once Kandy’s name was added to the transplant waiting list though, Shara thought about it a lot. According to the Living Kidney Donor Network, there are more than 93,000 people waiting for a transplant. Most will have to wait an average of fi ve years to receive a kidney from a deceased donor, and like Kandy, 80 percent of the people on the list must do dialysis.Kandy’s case was even more diffi cult. Her antibodies were high from the blood transfusions, and her blood type was so rare that 87 percent of the population wouldn’t be a match as her potential donor. It was clear, fi nding the perfect donor for Kandy could take some time. To complicate it even more, dialysis itself, while fi ltering toxins, also begins to shut your body down. To Kandy, it was a blessing so many individuals came forward and went through the testing procedure on her behalf. “We will forever be humbled by all of their kindness and thoughtfulness,” she says.Shara hoped her kidney would be the perfect match for Kandy, so she fi lled out the appropriate forms online. A kit came in the mail from Mayo’s donor registry, which asked for a blood draw. Shara had it completed and mailed it back. In a few days, she received a call from the clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Her blood type matched Kandy’s, and they needed to do further testing. Shara fl ew to Rochester and underwent very comprehensive testing, which lasted three days. Unfortunately, at the end of those three days, Shara learned she wasn’t Kandy’s match. But, there was another way she might be able to help Kandy – the Paired Living Donor Program.Mayo Clinic explains the program as, “Kidney donors and their recipients aren't compatible for a kidney transplant. However, the donor of each pair is compatible with the recipient of the other pair.”Shara describes it as a kidney BOGO deal. After learning she wasn’t a match for Kandy, she signed up for the paired donor program with Kandy in May 2017, and then she heard nothing. While Shara seemed to be getting the silent treatment from the Mayo Clinic, Kandy was trying to navigate life on dialysis. While she waited for her transplant, Kandy had both common types of dialysis. For the fi rst four months, she had hemodialysis, which was done through a port. This type of dialysis is done at a clinic.Kandy went to Davita, a daily dialysis center. It had about 20 chairs, and in her words, you see a lot. There are diabetics who have lost limbs, and people who were very ill. In a way, that room was a reminder of just how frail and fi ckle human bodies can be at times. At the hospital and dialysis center, they fi lter the toxins out of your blood using a port placed in an artery. Each session lasts four hours, and Kandy went every other day.Kandy and her husband, Al Schminke25APRIL/MAY 2018 | SEEDSTOCK EDGE18 AprilMay SE Form.indd 254/4/2018 9:27:29 AMUpon Dr. Cogdill’s urging, Kandy underwent surgery, while in the hospital, which placed a catheter in her lower abdomen that would take four months to heal before she could start doing Peritoneal dialysis (PD). At that time, she was taking classes to learn how to do PD at home, unlike hemodialysis which must be done at a clinic. This system fi lters the toxins from the patient’s abdomen. Kandy would have to be hooked up to the PD machine for 12 hours each evening. To make the best of the situation, she and Al moved their bed to the main fl oor, and the long hose that hooked to the fi lter allowed her just enough freedom that she could walk around while the process was fi nishing. For the last 35 years, Kandy and Al had raised livestock together. Al was the third generation to raise Chester swine on his family farm in Van Horne, Iowa, and he knew once he married Kandy that the sheep were coming with her. “It’s always been a joke,” Kandy laughs. “Al really didn’t like sheep, and I didn’t really like the hogs, when we started. We kept an open mind about it though because we both love the daily grind that goes into running the operation and putting these genetics together.”By her admission, Kandy and Al ran their lives at full tilt. They spent countless hours putting together good livestock. They both judged stock shows all over the country, and Al’s job, as a ShowTec national feed specialist, called him to various shows, showmanship clinics, dealer events and helping youth with their projects.“The biggest thing about this whole disease was it changed our lives dramatically,” Kandy says. “I got to stop and smell the roses a little more and slow down a little.”While Kandy says she “got” to smell the roses, being tied to dialysis forced her to. The Schminke schedule was no longer run by livestock shows; instead, it revolved around dialysis. Kandy’s rare blood type meant it would be even harder for her to fi nd the perfect donor, and her trusted specialist, Dr. Cogdill encouraged her to register with both the hospital in Iowa and the Mayo Clinic. With three health campuses, Minnesota, Florida and Arizona, the Mayo Clinic provides extra hope for people awaiting transplants, since their donor registry large. Kandy’s fi rst trip to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, impressed her. The surgeon assigned to her case was a Texas A&M graduate who was surprisingly familiar with the livestock industry. His name was Dr. Stegall.“They always give me the diffi cult ones,” he said, as he fl ipped through Kandy’s fi le. But after setting it down, he looked right at Kandy and told her that he "got" her. Through this whole process, Dr. Stegall was the fi rst surgeon who let Kandy know it was going to be OK.As they left the Mayo Clinic, Kandy turned to Al and simply said, “This is where I want it done.”After months of not hearing from the Mayo Clinic living donor program, Shara suddenly received an email around Christmas, last year. The email said to log-in to her health portal to receive a message. It had been seven months since her last log-in, and Shara couldn’t even remember her password. When she fi nally opened the message, it said they had found a match for Kandace, and Shara was needed to donate through the donor pairs program. Shara vividly remembers thinking this was the fi rst time she’d ever heard Kandy referred to by her full name, and the surgery was scheduled for Jan. 22.In Iowa, Kandy had received the call about the potential pair donation earlier that morning. She was truly excited about the revelation, but by this point, Kandy had already had two other calls about potential donors that didn’t work out at the last minute. “I guess it was something you prayed for every day,” she says. “I was excited because I thought with the kidney pair program our chances were stronger that it can go through, but it was just so hard to see the expressions on people’s faces, when it didn’t go through, in the past.”Kandy asked Al to keep it quiet that there might be a potential match, so people wouldn’t get their hopes up too high. While Kandy was cautiously optimistic, the Evans family home, in Ohio, was receiving box after box from the Mayo Clinic with instructions for more blood draws and tests. Shara would complete the test locally and have it sent back to Rochester. While it might seem like three weeks are quick, Shara says they were also agonizingly slow. Her and Scott wanted to get the surgery over with and see Kandy on the mend as soon as possible. Each Mayo box that arrived proved they were one step closer, but it could also be the test, which would eliminate Shara from being a match for the kidney Kandy was paired with. While Shara knows it sounds extreme to give one of your organs, she doesn’t consider herself brave and wouldn’t say she was overly scared. She avoided Googling the procedure. Instead, Shara treated it much like the birth of her daughter, telling herself these doctors were professionals, and they get these things out all the time. The morning of the surgery, Kandy rode to the hospital in complete silence. “That actual morning that we loaded up to go, that’s the fi rst time that I thought it could actually happen today,” she says. “I was pretty quiet, because I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.”No other shoe dropped on Jan. 22 though, both Kandy and Shara were whisked away to surgery. Shara recalls waking up in recovery feeling like she’d done 5,000 crunches. While she will admit, she’s never actually done 5,000 crunches, Shara adds the discomfort wore off in less than a week. Kandy’s fi rst memory was a little hazier. In recovery, the nurses were having a hard time getting her low blood pressure to raise to a normal range, so they put her in ICU. Her family waited an agonizing nearly 12 hours to see her, but when they did, one of the fi rst things she asked was how Shara was doing. Now, a few weeks post op, both Kandy and Shara are growing stronger every day. In fact, they often have to remind themselves of the 10-pound weight limit, and their scars are healing.Al laughs at Kandy’s cravings – Pepsi and peanut butter toast. While dialysis limited the amount of Phosphorus Kandy could have, a real kidney needs those nutrients. After months of bland, restricted diets, Kandy is enjoying a doctor-prescribed Pepsi a day, and peanut butter toast tastes like prime rib. “This has been quite a journey,” Al says. “There have been lots APRIL/MAY 2018 | SEEDSTOCK EDGE2618 AprilMay SE Form.indd 264/4/2018 9:27:31 AMof people who have been willing to help. It brings out the best in people; I tell you. It’s one of those deals where you get challenged, but it just makes you stronger.” Kandy is still facing challenges. The fi rst six months of a transplant are the most critical, and her immune suppressant medications make it hard to be around people, in case she would get sick. She also must stay away from saw dust and dirt for the time being, which makes raising livestock a bit hard. Kandy doesn’t know what will happen in the future. But, she feels blessed to know one autoimmune disease died with her damaged kidneys, and the other is currently gone too, with little chance of reoccurrence. Most of all, she is humbled by the amount of good this has allowed her to see in the world, and the countless people, including Shara, who would literally share a part of themselves to help her heal. “I wouldn't have made it through without our family and friends that were always there to help,” Kandy says. "Our children, Cody and Chelsea, and their spouses, Taylor and Paul, did whatever that was needed without a question.”Of course, Kandy’s husband, Al, served as a source of strength through this entire journey. “Al was a true rock that was by my side through the good and bad, always encouraging me. He would hold my hand through the rough stuff and look at me saying, ‘We will get through this,’” Kandy says. “There were many tears and days that were tough, but looking at my family and grandbaby only made me want to beat this more.”After everything, the Evans family, who’ve been the Schminkes dear friends for decades, now seem closer to family.“My thoughts are with Scotty and Shara and all the sacrifi ces they made for us,” Kandy says. “Al and I just feel so blessed that they’re in our ‘family’ and part of our lives. They’re a blessing.” Shara simply remains in awe of Kandy’s strength, determination and fortitude.“Her optimism through it all was just completely unwavered,” she says. “If I were to get sick and get handed that news I would have just curled up in a ball and stopped fi ghting. But, there were no gray areas, she was going to get better.”Shara’s husband teases her that she has cried more in the last few weeks than their entire marriage. Her tears weren’t out of sadness though, Shara says it’s just amazing to help other people. Her kidney went to a 27-year-old man whose mother wrote Shara about how much it had changed their life. In total, more than 11 people received transplants in the living donor pair chain Kandy and Shara were a part of. Ironically, this whole transplant chain started with one person who just wanted to donate a kidney and didn’t know anyone to donate it to.After surgery, Kandy gave Shara a card she wrote during her time in the hospital. Shara can’t read it without coming to tears, she always chokes over the most powerful line. “Surgery morning, I didn’t know exactly what to say other than, ‘Thank you for giving me my life back,’” it reads. On her desk sits a photo Kandy’s sister took. It’s a photo of Shara and Kandy seeing each other in the hospital the fi rst time since the surgery. They’re both wearing their hospital gowns. At the bottom, her sister wrote, “One friend can change your whole world.”“There were many tears and days that were tough, but looking at my family and grandbaby only made me want to beat this more.” — Kandy Schminke27APRIL/MAY 2018 | SEEDSTOCK EDGE18 AprilMay SE Form.indd 274/4/2018 9:27:32 AM2018 CHAMPION DARK CROSSHOUSTONSired By: STRAIGHT SURVIVOR!Congratulations to the Wolf Family!**CLONE OF SCARED STRAIGHT**(MAIN EVENT X WARFARE 73-6)Stress NegativeAPRIL/MAY 2018 | SEEDSTOCK EDGE2818 AprilMay SE Form.indd 284/4/2018 9:27:33 AM2018 CHAMPION COMMERCIAL GILTOKLAHOMA YOUTH EXPOCongratulations to the Martin Family!5/12 Farm Sale | 5/31 thepigplanet.com | 6/21 thepigplanet.com 6/28 thepigplanet.comLadies of our LegacyBRED SOW DISPERSAL29APRIL/MAY 2018 | SEEDSTOCK EDGE18 AprilMay SE Form.indd 294/4/2018 9:27:33 AMNext >