I went to Emory this weekend to visit a man who had received a liver transplant just over a week ago. He was doing great and it was fun to get to talk to him and answer some questions that he had about his future. Things have turned out great for me and I gave him some encouraging feedback. As a transplant recipient, you never want to give people a false hope though. I know that there will more than likely be a few bumps in the road during his recovery. I let him know that, just as they told me, "everyone is different." What happened to me might not happen with him. I told him about my bouts with CMV and diabetes last year which is far from the fun part to tell. It was good to see him smile though when I told him that once I made it through that low point, it seems the mountain I am on just keeps rising. It is not always an easy climb but when you get to a vista point it only gets more and more beautiful.
I feel great as I stand on the edge of my second year of teaching since my transplant. I have never made it through a first day of school so naturally I am nervous about it coming. I am excited though because I know this year I should make it through it.
God has brought me so far in the past 16+ months. I am excited about where I am going and I am excited about where life is taking me. There have been some heartaches over that time but when I stand back and look at where I am, I have to thank God for the blessings. There have been many more blessings than I can begin to count. Many more good times than bad. I know that God knows what is best for my life; much more so than me. I am trusting Him that he will continue to bless me, but if he takes it all away tomorrow, I still have to thank Him for all He has done. I never thought I would feel as good as I do today, I have met some of the most wonderful people over the past few years, made relationships that will last forever, and have begun to see God work in my life with reckless abandon. I can't wait to see what the future holds for me.
2 comments:
Josh -
The web makes the world such a small place! I had emailed a link to your blog to my sister-in-law just last week (my brother is Carl Weinberger, a recent liver transplant patient who had PSC)as inspiration. I was looking for someone who had gone through the same thing. It is so amazing that you stumbled upon his blog as well! It was nice of you to post a comment. Hope things continue to go well for you. I am constantly amazed at the kindness of other transplant patients. I wish you all the best.
Sheryl Weinberger Papp
Wow! You are great with words. :) Keep looking Up! I hope your year is still going as great!
Post a Comment