4/10/2023 0 Comments Pike vs skeleton army![]() ![]() “IHQ knew that the transplant-when it happened-would be done in Canada, and they were willing for us to work remotely until it did,” explains Shona. Shona is prepped for surgery Ace in the HoleĪt around this time, Keith and Shona received orders transferring them to Salvation Army International Headquarters (IHQ) in London, England. She had to be excluded due to some complications that required further testing, which would take a year to rule out-time that Keith’s failing kidney did not have. Keith’s sister was an obvious transplant choice and began preliminary testing to donate her kidney. Of course, Keith’s doctors knew this would eventually occur, so the process of looking for a donor kidney began in earnest that summer. “The average lifespan for a transplanted organ is about 15 years, so I was fortunate it lasted almost 30.” Keith says, “I was thankful for the time I’d had with the first kidney,” which was donated by his brother, John. In early 2017, though, Keith’s doctor informed him that his healthy blood levels were beginning to decline, an indication that the kidney transplant he’d had in 1988 was failing. ![]() Over the next 29 years, the Pikes were posted to various appointments throughout the country. After commissioning, they were married in 1990. “We also felt the same calling to ministry,” adds Shona.īoth trained to become Salvation Army pastors, she in Toronto and he in St. “There was always a certain attraction,” says Keith, “and we connected on so many levels.” ![]() The two stayed in touch, and romance blossomed. As it happened, Keith had some health concerns, which necessitated his journeying to Toronto for a consultation with a nephrologist in 1986. Shona was attending university in Toronto, and the two started corresponding again. The friends lost track of each other after some years but reconnected through a mutual friend. They continued to correspond even after Keith’s pastor parents were transferred to Newfoundland and Labrador. “I tell people it was love at first sight for Shona,” smiles Keith, “but she doesn’t quite remember it that way.”īoth members of The Salvation Army, the 15-year-olds met while on an exchange trip between their respective church’s musical groups in 1980. Shona and Keith show off their "Team Pike" T-shirts “Normal” But now we have medical science to back up how compatible we are!” “When we met 39 years ago, I knew we were a pretty good match. “I was in a hospital room being prepped to donate a kidney to my husband,” says Shona. There are as many ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day as there are people to celebrate it, but few can match how Canadian Salvation Army pastors Majors Keith and Shona Pike spent February 14, 2018.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |