From Kidney Stones to Calling: My Sacred Transformation

Michele Renee
Jul 9, 2025
4 min read

✨ Kidney Stone Fight, Women, World Issues, Purpose, My Projects, Transforming, St. Matt’s ACTS, God’s Grace, Peace ✨ 🗓️ October 4, 2015

I hadn’t really slept the past four days. My heart knew what my stubborn mind kept resisting: it’s time. I can’t keep fighting my kidneys any longer. Enough is enough.

💥 Passing 11 kidney stones of all sizes and pain levels has completely worn me down physically, mentally, emotionally. Over a year of high fevers, pain, infections, and constant misery... and for what? The truth? It’s simple. Healing only begins when I choose to do something different. Let go of the fight, let go of the pride, and let God work. 💧🍋🙏

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DJvL5znFhY

Doctors once told me anything over 7-8mm wouldn’t pass naturally. My ureters were too narrow. But you know me I passed nine smaller stones, then two large ones I "wasn’t supposed to." I still had one left. I clung to cranberry juice, lemons, and gallons of water, convinced I could beat this my way. No one could tell me I couldn’t... because time and time again, I did. 😤💪🍋

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVjLdBwTVjM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIZjowyxJCg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGHwLgKQLA8

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ONCE AGAIN

But I was stuck on a merry-go-round, not the rollercoaster I imagined life to be. I felt foolish.

Surgery was there the whole time. I could’ve stopped the pain. What bothered me most was the realization that I was the one holding myself hostage in this cycle. 🙈⏳

That same pride... the fierce independence... it had once served me. I’d been a champion for others: women, families, the broken. 💖🛡️ But now? It was time to be that champion for myself.

📸 I lifted souls.

Shared my story. Inspired others to rise.

Advocated against abuse, helped rebuild families, mentored women toward empowerment and light.

But in all that noise and effort, I forgot something vital: to listen to my own soul. To seek my peace. To be quiet. 😌🌿🕊️

I had become a master of transformation for everyone but me.

My mission work, my purpose... all sacred, yes. But now, I felt God whispering: "It’s your turn."

🌅 Saturday morning, October 3rd. I dropped off my kids early it was their dad's weekend and headed to St. Matthew Church by 8:15 AM for Mass and Commissioning of the 2015 Women's ACTS Retreat Team. ✝️👭

This team? Divinely crafted. Inspirational. Empowering. Real. Over two months of meetings had already transformed my spirit. I was falling in love with these women, with the sacred trust we were building. 💞🔥🙏

I’d prayed for years at CPS: "God, send me the people." And He did. Every job from CPS to SAHA to Haven for Hope each mission stretched my capacity for love, wisdom, and service.

At CPS, I dug deep. Helped families heal from abuse, educated them, assessed their unique risks with compassion and truth. Then, at SAHA, I assisted families living in poverty to find hope and housing. 💼🏡❤️

💬 I was honored to work under amazing leaders Deborah Bell, Valerie Ochoa, and the quietly powerful Gary Baxter. These mentors became my extended family. 🙏👥

Then Haven for Hope came calling. Unexpected. Scary. Yet exhilarating. Could I leave SAHA, my comfort zone, for a chance to help the homeless and take on a new mission? Yes. And I did. And there, I met Lisa Vera my guide. And Joyce Walker a fierce, brilliant woman leader I’ll never forget.

🎄 My first Christmas there? I was delivering beds to families on Christmas Eve. And it felt right. I was making change happen. But then... my kidneys started to fail. My body gave out. My spirit struggled.

I asked God: Why? I was making a difference. Why stop me now?

But He wasn’t stopping me.

He was redirecting me.

✨ It wasn’t punishment. It was preparation. A new mission was coming, one years in the making.

Now, the ACTS journey has begun. And in just a month, we will lead a sacred retreat. God hand-picked this team. This mission? It's the biggest yet. 💗✝️

On this Commissioning Day, I stood beside strong, purpose-filled women, receiving blessings from one of my favorite spiritual leaders: Father Michel. His grace, his humor, his teaching style all divine. His blessing? An answer to prayer. 🙌📿

Being on the St. Matt’s YOUTH Retreat team had been familiar. This was different. Now, I would be led, not just lead. I felt nervous, weak from pain, but radiant in spirit.

💖 Pink was my armor that day a Breast Cancer Awareness bandana, soft pink makeup, and lips ready to speak life. 💗👚👄