Boy, what a difference a year makes! I keep reflecting that
last year at this time I was completing pulmonary rehab and jumping through
final hoops to be listed for transplant and Garry, Shelly and I were
celebrating Christmas (with our little Christmas tree), hundreds of miles away
from Dakota and other family.
Quality of life this year is SO much better and I am so
thankful to God and to my donor and his/her family for this gift. If I could, I
would ask you to please say a prayer for my donor's family as they are going
through the first Holiday Season without their loved one. The one year
anniversary is also coming up next month (seems hard to believe!), so I am
mindful of their grief during this time as well. I did write a letter to my
donor family and I so appreciate their generosity during most likely the most tragic
time of their lives. As you can imagine, it was a hard letter to write, as
there are no words to thank someone for saving your life...
It's during the small things in life that I reflect and
rejoice over the changes; walking up stairs without stopping to take a breath,
walking on the treadmill (quickly, I might add! lol) without oxygen tubing
being draped over the rail, going to the mall with Dakota and not having to
look for the nearest bench to rest on, laughing without having a coughing fit, walking
in a doctor's office and not needing to find a place to catch my breath as soon
as I get in the door, even checking the mail at the end of the driveway without
needing to put on oxygen first. It's
just been amazing, and if you can do these things with ease, please take a
moment to appreciate it :) Although this
may not be possible, my wish is for all of my CF friends to be able to have a
successful lung transplant some day. I have met many others suffering from
other respiratory illnesses that I wish this for as well.
God Bless you all as we celebrate the birth of Christ this year! Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
