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Snapshots of hope: Life on the other side of transplant.
Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) & CAR-T Cell Therapy | Last Active: Jun 21 11:30am | Replies (100)Comment receiving replies
Hi to All those that have been given a new phase of their lives thru the greatest gift of all organ donation. I myself am so in debt to some ones act of kindness and during a very painful time for any family the passing of a Loved one. But to further decide to Help others thru Organ Donation just means so much to those who may not have been able to see those special moments we all sometimes take for granted . The Pictures I have added below were taken at a Veterans Day Event I was invited too November 2018 after receiving my new Heart January of that same year. The 3 kids you see are 3 of my 10 Grandchildren and one of them (in uniform) is also in the Jr ROTC at Her High School. Her Brother my Oldest Grandchild just Blessed me with my first Great Grandchild this past year.
What other words are needed, but to say I Thank God and my Donor every day for a chance to continue Helping Give back some of the blessings I have received and to further see my Children, Grandchildren and Now Great Grandchildren Grow Up.
My story began when a virus caused my Heart to enlarge, 10 years of different treatments, pacemakers and operations led to the Night of Jan 4th 2018 when the Heart Surgeon came to our room to let My wife and I know he had a potential Heart for me. I wanted to just mention this part as I was told after I returned to my Home and Church families the comments that really struck me was WOW you look great, You were so ashen looking before and now so healthy. I had not realized I was basically waking death prior to the transplant. So that's my story in a nut shell.
I have now retired due to the transplant but have moved on to volunteering Here on Connect and At my Church Giving back to my community.
My other activates are hiking, golfing, walking 3-5 miles at least 5 days a week and enjoying time eating out with friends when the weather is nice
( I'm still avoiding crowded restaurant's due to covid ).
I would like to ask the following fellow heart transplant recipients to come and share their Life after Transplant @estrada53 @jackiez and @azdan99
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Thanks to you and your family for your service. Your story is a wonderful example of the benefits of organ transplant and hope for many others.
One year ago my husband and I had driven from IL to FL for our two week vacation. Despite Covid we took this trip with the encouragement of my Mayo transplant docs, as I was going to be placed on the list as soon as I returned. Being down here in Florida this week really hits home about how different I felt just a year ago. I had an infusion pump of metroprolol 24/7 with a PIC line. I could hardly walk more than a few blocks. I received my heart/lung transplant less than a month after returning back to the Midwest.
Today I am spending my days walking at least an hour every day, lifting weights each day and doing yoga several times a week. What a difference the transplant and a year made! I feel pretty much normal and am able to walk at a quick pace and enjoy all aspects of life. The journey was more than worth it as I look forward to upcoming events with family and friends.