One more year....

Yesterday was a somber day for it to be the day on which I was born. Maybe my transplantiversary held so much fanfare that my real birthday paled in comparison. I don't know what it was that made the day different, but it was.

It was my first birthday since I have been back on my feet and the first birthday that I was told I might not get to celebrate. I was not upset, sad, or anything of the like just reflective. Maybe some of the emotion of the transplant is just now starting to hit me.

I don't want to come off as not enjoying yesterday because it was a great day. Heck, it was a great weekend and I did absolutely nothing! Mowing the grass, sitting on the couch, a soccer game, church, eating, and a new bible study made for one of the best weekends I have had in a long time.

I was thinking yesterday about how far I have come in a year. Many times I lose sight of that when I have a goal and I want to meet it now. On my birthday last year, I was in my cousin's wedding with 56 staples in my stomach unable to stand up straight. I was tired walking from the back of the church to the front and thought I was going to pass out more than one time during the ceremony. I was yelled at for picking up my little cousin when she came running to me and constantly asked if I was okay. In contrast to last year, I spent yesterday sore from a heavy leg workout on Friday and from playing in an alumni soccer game on Saturday.

It is still hard to believe how far God has brought me in a year. I try not to get too religious on this blog, but as a Christian I feel that I need to thank God publicly for the gift that he blessed me with and for the health that he restored. I feel a bit like Job after everything had been taken from him and restored to him double what he had. I have been given a new life and I intend to live it double what I did the first one for Christ. There have been a lot of people pray for me and help out along the way in various ways. To those people, I want to say thank you for everything, the money, the phone calls, the prayers, the support, the questions, the smiles, and so many other things.

To the family who was able to show the greatest compassion to me that anyone ever has in their greatest time of need, I say thank you. I have no doubt that, short a miracle from God, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for their unselfish decision. I hope that one day I will get to meet them and thank them for donating their loved ones organs to me and possibly others.

As Donate Life month draws to a close, I urge everyone who reads this blog to donate your organs upon your death. Sign a card, tell your family you want to be a donor, and be a hero to a few of the 95,000+ people on the transplant waiting lists. Transplantation works!

Update on Me- Good News

Not a lot going on currently in the organ donation world concerning me. There is a ton going on with me right now being the final 20 days of the school year. I feel that I am running crazy doing absolutely nothing and getting absolutely nowhere.

Anyways, good news on the transplant front. I went to the clinic on Wednesday and my liver numbers were the best they have been since the transplant. This was good news since they lowered my prednisone. The last three times they tried to lower me from 15mg to 10mg a day my numbers went NUTS!!! This time they held steady and actually dropped even more. The doctors seemed happy with this because they are thinking that the CMV kept returning because they had my immune system too low. Lowering my prednisone should boost my immune system hopefully keeping that monster away. They also mentioned that my prograf (the most important immunosuppressant, or so they act like it is) levels were getting on the upper end of the scale so they may be able to lower it in the near future as well. I am scared to brag too much on how I am doing because it always seems that shortly after I end up staying a night or three at the Emory Express.

I am starting to gain weight and my lifts in the gym are starting to go up. It is pretty exciting starting to feel healthy again and having energy to go along with that feeling. Anyways, that is all the news that is fit to report about me and my new liver.

It is still organ donation month, don't forget to sign up to be an organ donor and let your family know that upon your death you want your organs donated. Transplantation works!! I am living proof!

Virginia Tech Donor

First off, my prayers and thought are with all of the families and students affected by the senseless massacre that took place on the Virginia Tech campus. I have NEVER, and hope that I never will have to, experience death at the hands of something so tragic and unexpected. I can't imagine what the families and friends of those victims must be going through. I do not want this post to sound like I am insensitive to what happened, that is not the case at all.

With that said, I heard somewhere that one of the victims was an organ donor and they performed a transplant with their organs on April 16. (I wish I could remember where, and if I do I will link to the story) Congratulations to the person or persons who received the organs and were given a second chance at life! I wonder if they will feel more guilt than most of us because of the high profile case surrounding their transplant. I wonder if they even know if their organs came from the victim mentioned. Every time they turn on the TV they are seeing the story of how they got their second chance. Just something I have been thinking about since I heard the story. Most of us recipients are oblivious (at least for a time) to the heartache that the families went through so we could have our second chance. These recipients may or may not be oblivious to that heartache. I am sure they are grateful for their gift, but the reason for that gift is in their face with each click of the remote.

Donate Life Walk

On Saturday, I made my way to Jasper to take part in walk to support organ donation. I was able to meet a few new people who have had a transplant (victim's...as some people call us). I always enjoy meeting new people who have been affected by organ donation and transplantation. There were a couple of recipients there with their donor families. This was a neat experience to see them together. It made me start thinking that I really need to begin writing my letter. (more on that later)

The turnout for the walk was not what was expected because of the warning for rain. The rain held off and we had a great time walking through town letting people know about organ donation. I want to thank everyone who donated some money to me. I ended up raising $500 that I turned over to the people in charge of the walk to give to the Georgia Transplant Foundation. I received an email late yesterday saying that they had raised about $2000 total.

After taking part in the walk, I am considering trying to get something going to support organ donation. I am not sure what that will be and I do not know what it entails to get something like that up. I know that it would be a HUGE undertaking, but I can always use one more thing to keep me busy! Maybe I will post more on this in a future blog. If any of you have any ideas, email me or leave them as a comment on this post.

Organ Donation Month

IT'S NATIONAL DONATE LIFE MONTH!!!!

I meant to post this yesterday but life got in the way. I had plenty of time yesterday to sit down and write a little bit, I guess I was just lazy and let it slip by me. So on the 2nd day of April I will let everyone know that this is an important month for me and all the other transplant recipients of the world. April is National Donate Life Month!! So with that I want everyone to be aware of the fact that there is an extreme shortage of organs in the world. At the bottom of this post I will post the current numbers on how many people are currently waiting for an organ transplant.

If you want to be an organ donor, (hopefully, if you are reading my story, you do) be sure to sign a donor card and LET YOUR FAMILY KNOW OF YOUR WISH TO BE AN ORGAN DONOR!! Upon your death, no matter if you signed a card or not, the choice of organ donation goes to your family. Even if it is in your will to donate, the procurement agency (Lifelink of Georgia, Florida, and Puerto Rico, anyways) will not take your organs. They do this out of respect for your family who are grieving at the moment. They do not want to cause your family any more heartache than they are already experiencing. So let your family know that you want to be an organ donor today!! Remind them often too! Transplantation works! I am living proof as well as some others who have links on the left side of my page.

Last year, I got out of Emory Express on April 5 (my dad's birthday) after 10 days in the hospital. I had not been outside since the surgery and was happy to be out. The first thing I noticed was a banner with a green ribbon declaring April Organ Donation Month on the bridge that joins the hospital and clinic. I remember thinking that I never knew about Organ Donation month before, and never really cared, but that banner meant the world to me at the time. For the next month, I passed that banner going to the clinic for bloodwork every morning. I never got tired of seeing the banner on the bridge knowing that thousands of people saw it everyday as they drove back and forth to work, school, or wherever else they may go. I think now, how my family, and even me, bought into the myths that surround organ donation and was not sold on the idea that it worked. Then it all hit home, I was affected with a condition that would require my family to count on someone who did not know me to save my life. I thank God everyday for that person and the family who made the decision. I will never be able to put into words how much they mean to me. If I ever do get to meet them, that will be one of the greatest days of my life. I do not know if they had been personally affected by organ donation and transplatation, but their decision saved my life. Become an organ donor and save someone else's life if something happens to yours. Organ donation is supported by every religion as it is the greatest gift, unselfish love to another!

"Don't take your organs to heaven, cause the Lord knows we need them here!!"

I drive with one of those same green ribbons on the back of my truck today and I love when people ask me what it stands for (I chuckle inside every time they ask because it says "Support Organ Donation" on it), and why I have it. It gives me the opportunity to talk to them about organ donation and get a feel for what they think about the process. I enjoy talking to people about organ donation and telling my story. I am not one to talk openly about myself, though most people who don't know me and read this probably don't believe. I tend to shy away from all conversation with people I don't know unless the topic of organ donation comes up, then I am an open book. So ask me about my transplant and about organ donation. I will not try to change your mind about organ donation. I will give you the facts and let you be a big boy or girl, and make the decision for yourself!!



Here are the current numbers from OPTN:

Waiting list candidates as of today 4/2/07 at 6:37pm
All	95,791
Kidney	70,866
Pancreas	1,730
Kidney/Pancreas	2,363
Liver	16,913
Intestine	230
Heart	2,830
Lung	2,810
Heart/Lung	121
All candidates will be less than the sum due to candidates waiting for multiple organs

Find a different way to stand

That Oprah lady has some good things to say every now and then.

This quote by her sums up what I want to tell people when they ask me how I have made it through these trials at such a young age.


"Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity. Don't fight them. Just find a different way to stand."
--Oprah Winfrey

Find a different way to stand! That's deep enough..nothing else to add.

One Year - So Much To Be Thankful For

Today marks one year since this journey with my new liver began. I have been thinking a lot about how things were before. I do this to keep perspective on how far I have come in the past year. There are mixed feelings about almost everything as I look back. There are things that I have done since surgery that I wish I hadn't. There are many more things that I wish I would have had the courage to do.

The past year has both flown and creeped by all at once. Looking back, I can't believe that a year has past, but as I was going through some of the trials it seemed so slow. I have had relatively few setbacks, the main one being the sinister CMV.

Today was a great day, though I was tired. Craig and I spent the weekend in Bristol at the race and got home around 3:30 AM. Three hours later, I was out of bed and getting ready for work. The day was non-stop with surprise after surprise. The people that I work with went completely out of their way to make today all about me and the transplant. Through some sneaky planning, my class made pancakes for me(blueberry with peanut butter, my favorite), my co-workers made a huge spread for lunch, and the faculty showed up for a party at the end of the day. They also had a lady from Lifelink (the organ procurement agency for Georgia, Florida, and Puerto Rico) come discuss organ donation with the faculty and give out some Donate Life goodies. The school wore green today for organ donation awareness and I knew nothing of the entire thing. I, of course, was wearing my green "Recycle" t-shirt (photo to come). There were some sneaking suspicions, but I never imagined the extent they would go to make me feel special. I am not the type who enjoys being the center of attention. I actually tend to shy away from the spotlight, but today was nice. It is a great feeling to know that you have people who are there for you. That people are willing to take time out of their busy schedules as moms and teachers to plan something that is special to me. Organ donation has become one of my passions and I am trying my hardest to get more and more into furthering the cause in any way that I can. The people that I work with realize this and are helping me to meet this goal. These types of things do not go unnoticed. I will honestly remember this day for the rest of my life. I cannot remember a day where so many people came together to show me that they love me. It still amazes me and more than once today it choked me up, and is again as I type this.

It is so easy to lose sight of all that you have to be thankful for. There is the obvious, the transplant, that is the reason that I am here and able to type this today. But there are many other things that I have to be thankful for. I am thankful for the donor family, who in extremely hard times, were unselfish enough to donate their loved ones organs to me and possibly others. I intend on writing a letter to them when I find words that can BEGIN to wrap around the love that I have for those people. There are my friends and coworkers who show their love everyday, in ways they do not even know. They show their love even in times where I am extremely close to unlovable. My family, who has stood beside me through this entire process. There have been many ups and downs that they only know about, and even more that Craig only knows about. He has been the one that I lean on, he has been the one that I can tell when I hit rock bottom. He is the one who constantly pulls me back up when I am ready to give up. That has been more than once. Sarah, though she came after the surgery, has been another person that I can tell anything to in confidence and know that I will not be judged. She has been my motivator and does not let me use the transplant as an excuse to give up on anything. For that I am thankful because there are times that I get lazy and would use it as a crutch. She pushes me to better myself constantly. There are so many people that I could name that have been an inspiration to me. There are the doctors and the nurses on 9E and in the transplant clinic who never told me that my goals were unreachable. They told me they were lofty, but that I should shoot for them. If any of them happen to read this, I want them to know that each one was met. I returned to work in August, I went hiking, I am back on my mountain bike, I am working out, and I am enjoying life like I never thought that I would again.

There are many things that I haven't done and at times I feel like I am still not living. I want to step out of my comfort zone and make a difference in the world. I don't need to make a big difference, just a little ripple will be fine with me. I want to make my donor and their family proud. I want them to know that their decision was not made in vain. Their loved one is living on inside me and I tell our story everywhere I go. I am thankful for so much and this post barely scrapes the surface of all that I am feeling at the moment. I thank God for giving me the faith to trust in him, the strength to carry on through hard times, and the time to make a difference in the world for him. I want Him to be proud of me when it is my time to go more than anything else. Happy 1st transplantiversary to me! Happy 1st transplantiversary to my donor! Happy 1st transplantiversary to all those who have stood by me and loved me through it all.

2 for 1 deal

As I was checking my email this morning, I noticed the top story on Yahoo! was about liver transplantation. It was an awesome story which will no doubt raise ethical concerns in the near future. As a transplant recipient and knowing about the organ shortage it was nice to see that organ donation and transplantation had front row seats on one of the most popular websites on the internet!

The story told of a 21 year old college student who got the call that she was to receive a new liver. When she got to the hospital, she learned there was a baby girl who was in serious need of a liver as well. She asked the doctor if he could split the liver and give part to the baby. The liver is able to regenerate itself in about a month with enough blood flow. Most pediatric livers use only one lobe of the liver and often times the other is given to someone else or thrown away. The doctor agreed to split the liver and now two lives were saved with one organ.

This is a fascinating story about a brave girl who was willing to risk her chances to save someone else. She is my newest hero! That is one heck of an example of unselfish love for your fellow man. I applaud the doctor for taking the chance as well as the young lady who was able to be so unselfish at a time when she had every right to be selfish!

Q&A update

Yesterday was the Q&A at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. It went surprisingly well even though I could barely talk! It never fails that I lose my voice on the days that I am required to talk in front of people. Oh well, it was a very informal support group type meeting so no big deal. I think that Jenn and I did a pretty good job and hopefully calmed some of the parent's fears. I feel for the parents of these children who are never going to know a life without medication and doctor's appointments. I hope that seeing Jenn and me as productive citizens post-transplant will give them hope for their children to live fulfilling lives.

We got some good feedback from some of the people running the show and have invited us back for something similar in the future. I can't wait to go again. I honestly think I could do that everyday. It has been exciting meeting so many people here lately who are passionate about organ donation and transplantation. I admire each one of them, but some have never even been directly affected, those I really admire. They have a love and a passion for others that hopefully one day I will realize. They amaze me.

18 days until my 1st transplantiversary!!

Walking and Riding for Organ Donation

Next Wednesday is the big day! I am going to talk to the group of parents at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and I am getting excited about going. I am going into this blind, not knowing what to expect but I am looking forward to talking to people about my experience with transplantation. I have no idea what I am going to say. I hope that I will be able to say something worthwhile to the parents. Brent left a comment on my earlier post telling me to be honest about my feelings. He said that the parents are wanting to know what is going on inside of their children emotionally so they can help. I think that was great advice and I will be taking that with me to the session.

I have also been in contact with others who are active in the organ donation world. It seems I have been meeting lots of wonderful people lately. First there was Kim, from Pensacola, which I mentioned in an earlier post.

In the past week, I have been fortunate enough to speak with two other people through email. The first was a lady named Amanda Prather from Jasper, Ga. Her father received a kidney from her sister through the living donor process two years ago. She is organizing a walk for organ donation in Jasper on April 14, 2007. The name of the walk is Donate Life Walk: Raising Awareness One Friend At A Time. Here are pictures from last years 1st annual walk. If any of you are willing to walk, I am going to try and get a group from Dahlonega to head over to Jasper that morning to show our support for organ donation as well. If you are interested let me know and I will get you a registration form. There is a registration fee that includes a T-shirt. All of the proceeds will go to support the Georgia Transplant Foundation.

The other person that I have been talking to is from California. (This is where technology amazes me. I never would have known about Team Donate Life, let alone talk to someone involved if it weren't for the internet.) Kent Mulkey and I have been exchanging emails lately about biking and organ donation. Mr. Mulkey is riding in the Race Across America (RAAM) for Team Donate Life. He will be riding over 1500 miles in 8 days on a bicycle. He became involved in organ donation after his best friend and best friend's dad went through the living donor process. He is now the main man in charge of Team Donate Life as well as his own life. Check out Kent's blog, An Unfinished Life. It is an inspiring one!

I think that it is cool how many doors have been opening up lately for me to get to know so many people in the organ donation community. I enjoy meeting everyone and hope to meet many more in the future!