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@katgob

What a wonderful story to read. Optimism and love all around you through those 2years. A medical team that did not give-up and you and your team did not give up. Six no go transplants before the winning 7th. Being a bone marrow transplant patient, I know my donor remains alive. I was a platelet donor for 25 years, never thinking my blood would be the problem down the road. I never met my donor, but it has only been 1 year.
I love seeing these interviews on Mayo. I was not a patient here, but I found support from people who had transplants before me. Exactly what you wrote. The truth is shared here through our experiences. Your post of a life well lived post-transplant is why your donor's gift is such a testament that walking through the process just may lead to a life you never dreamed of. What a blessing. You and your donor.

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Replies to "What a wonderful story to read. Optimism and love all around you through those 2years. A..."

Thank you. I think so many of us take our good health for granted. I know I did - until I didn’t have it anymore. I recognized fairly early on that the only way out of the mess I found myself in - was to go through the fire - the transplant process - even though I never, ever expected to be in the position of needing an organ transplant. But I did not do it alone. My wife and kids, extended family, friends and even strangers helped to push & pull me along. And of course, my medical team both at MGH and Mayo. It wasn’t always easy - but the outcome has been better than I could have ever imagined. And yes, my life on the other side is something I never expected. Living in Florida? Never in my thoughts, but yet here I am and I LOVE IT. I have lived to welcome our first grandchild. Our son will be married this summer. All things I wasn’t sure that I would ever live to see. All this because a stranger said “yes” to being an organ donor. So many blessings. I count them everyday.