Tech-Lover, Researcher and Cook: Meet @contentandwell

Member Spotlights feature interviews with fellow Connect members. Learn more about members you’ve connected with and some you haven’t met yet. Nominate a member you think should share the spotlight.

ROSEMARY: What brought you to Mayo Clinic Connect? What motivates you to take part in the community?

@contentandwell: I honestly cannot recall what exactly what brought me to Connect. I am sure it simply must have have been that I Googled something to do with liver transplants and found it that way. It was gratifying to be able to "connect" with other people who had gone through having a transplant, or to answer questions for people who were waiting for a transplant. I wished that I had known about it when I was waiting.

ROSEMARY: What about Connect makes you feel comfortable to share and to be open with the community?

@contentandwell: The people on Connect seem nonjudgmental. That makes it much easier to share. Everyone seems to genuinely care about the other Connect members.

ROSEMARY: What groups do you participate in?

@contentandwell: I am most experienced in liver transplant, having had one in September 2016, so I participate in the Transplants group. I also participate in Joint Replacements, having had two total knee replacements (TKRs). I am not an expert, of course — just another person who has been through these things and can share my experiences. I also go to other groups because I have friends or family who have had those problems, or sometimes just because I want to learn more about some medical condition.

ROSEMARY: Who has been a special connection for you on Connect?

@contentandwell: I have enjoyed getting to know many of the other Connect members. It would be difficult to single out any one person, but @rosemarya, @hopeful33250 and @keggebraaten have always been very helpful and present. And @jodeej has such a positive attitude and looks for the bright side, so it’s always a joy to read her messages.

I appreciate greatly how positive the members are and how they genuinely try to be helpful and/or comforting to other members. Even being two years past my own transplant, I find some very helpful and informative things mentioned.

ROSEMARY: What surprised you the most about Connect?

@contentandwell: Hmmm, I don't think I had any surprises.  

ROSEMARY: What energizes you, or how do you find balance in your life?

@contentandwell: I try to exercise, even though I hate it! When I goad myself into going to my health club, which is almost every day, I am happy afterward that I did. I enjoy my time on the computer also, being an ex-information technology (IT) person and also one who has always enjoyed researching things. I just have a curiosity about everything. Computers and tech devices were made for me: I have three devices charging almost every night. I also find communicating to be energizing. I am not an extrovert, but I really like and enjoy people and relating on a one-to-one basis. This is something that developed in me relatively late in life.

ROSEMARY: Tell us about your favorite pastime or activity.

@contentandwell: When I tear myself away from the computer, I enjoy cooking. I don't do it nearly as much as I did when my son and daughter were young and living with us, and also because I tend to want to eat what I bake, but I generally do cook a pretty good meal. My husband considers himself lucky!

ROSEMARY: Do you have a favorite quote, life motto or personal mantra?

@contentandwell: “Some days there won't be a song in your heart. Sing anyway.” —Emory Austin, motivational speaker

I also love quotes from Kahlil Gibran — there are many of them — and the Billy Joel song "Shades of Grey" rings very true.

ROSEMARY: What do you appreciate the most in your friends?

@contentandwell: Loyalty and sincerity. I like this quote from an unknown author about that: "Friendship isn’t about whom you have known the longest. It’s about who came and never left your side."  

It was something I really learned when my health was failing.

ROSEMARY: If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see cast as you?

@contentandwell: Meryl Streep. I think she's a very real person and does not really glam it up.

ROSEMARY: What do you love about where you live or vacation?

@contentandwell: I positively loved the beauty of Hawaii and the peacefulness of sitting on a lanai overlooking the ocean, but I have only vacationed there one time.  

ROSEMARY: Puppies or kittens?

@contentandwell: Love them both.

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