Snapshots of hope: Life on the other side of transplant.

Thank you! And yes makes these moments even more special!

You look great Jeff! I am just 3 months post-liver transplant, and I feel like my old-self already. I can only imagine how much better I will feel a year from now.
This picture is of me BBQing at a friend’s house here in FL about 2 weeks ago. I’m skinny (about 150lbs) but working on re-gaining weight now that my appetite has recovered.

Here’s the picture

I'm so happy to read all of these awesome stories and see their pictures for those of us who were given a second chance at life again. I'm too a heart transplant recipient and I will forever be grateful to my donor and family. Before getting my transplant I lived two years with an LVAD (mechanical heart device). Six months after healing from that survey I got together with some family and friends to celebrate my new life by going on a cruise that I called the "Celebration of Life Cruise", and I spearheaded the entire cruise for our group. I was so excited to get back my quality of life, that I couldn't wait to enjoy it once again. Now here I am 1 year out from my heart transplant and I'm looking to do it once again, except this time on a larger scale. I am planning a 2023 cruise for "Transplant Awareness", which will entail not just fun on the ship and port calls, but educational awareness, donor signup, meet and greet other donors and recipients, to name few.

What a joyous story of hope! You’re one of those people who just knows how to celebrate life and realizes every day is a gift. You possess, what we refer to in my family, the Spirit of Survival. It doesn’t sound like anything holds you back! ☺️
Love the idea of a cruise with friends and family for your first milestone. This next cruise, one with a mission of furthering transplant awareness is such a wonderful cause. That has to be an amazing amount of work for you to plan. Is there a foundation that helps you with the information for donor sign up, brochures, etc.?

Thank you, you look great as well!

@jeff22 @missveja @jackiez, I love all your pics. I'd love to also see them added to your profile to personalize your account. Member profiles lets you tell people about yourself and helps you find others.

Here's how to add a photo and bio:

1. Go to your Profile.
- Click the profile silhouette in the top right and select Profile & Settings.
2. Click EDIT to add or edit your:
- Name (optional)
- Bio (Tell us about you. Max 500 characters.)
- Profile photo (Use JPG, JPEG, JPE, PNG or GIF format. Less than 5MB in size.)
3. Click SAVE PROFILE.
4. Click “I’m Done Editing.”

Eh, voilà!

Hi! Inspirational? Well maybe, but I really never thought about my life as being inspirational. Life after transplant for me has been inspirational however! I had an emergency liver transplant in 2007 due to a rapidly disintegrating liver. It was determined by the pathologist that it most likely was due to a medication that I had been on. My symptoms were itching and lack of energy which started just after Thanksgiving and increased over Christmas 2006, and by Jan. 28, 2007, I was moved to the top of the transplant list with 48 hours to live. Within 2 hours after they put me at the top of the list, an almost exact match was found, and my life was saved by the expertise of Mayo Clinic and a wonderful young man who decided to check yes as a donor. His life unfortunately ended (I still experience grief for his family), but it gave me and many others the chance to live! Grateful-Thankful-Blessed. Six months after my transplant I needed to work, if not for living expenses, for insurance coverage. I found a job within a month (amazing, as I was 58 years old too!), and started my new life – both exciting and very scary. A job miraculously appeared in a local newspaper that seemed good, it had 100% paid health benefits and was located within a couple miles of where I was living. It was a job located in a federal facility, working because of an agreement between the government agency and a non-profit organization for people over the age of 55. I had a background in administrative work, and I found that learning about something new was taking my mind off my own situation. The people were super supportive and after I shared with them my transplant journey they participated in my “positive” journey, and I made many new and wonderful friends. Now, fast forward to 2022, and I am still working for the same organization! I was given a permanent staff position 7 years ago, and I have been promoted several times since! I work for a company that provides jobs to workers over the age of 55 years, some have health issues such as I had (which is really no issue), and the benefits have helped in so many ways, I’m now 73 years old (where did the time go?), and every day I learn something new. The photos I’ve attached show me now, I was surprised that my hair looks exactly like my Dad’s did, and a photo of last year’s Donate Life walk and celebration in my hometown. Just remember – with the super care your transplant team provides, your determination to live a full life – transplantation is really the opening of a door to a wonderful and fulfilling life – it is what you make it! Have a wonderful journey!!

You look vivacious and healthy! Pictures that wouldn’t be here without your second chance at life. It’s wonderful you’re doing so well with your transplant!

I don’t think most of us, with our journeys, set out to be inspirational. We’re just trying to get through one day at a time. But like you, I know I was inspired by so many things that have happened since my transplant. And, I also see that people are inspired by what we go through and it gives them hope. What we’ve endured and overcome will be someone else’s survival guide.

I see you’re new to Connect. What led you to our awesome forum?

Thank you Lori! I "stumbled" on the forum while looking for advice on anxiety. I found a recommendation from a mentor (don't recall the gentleman's name) to check out Dr Amit Sood's Resilient Option program. I took it and found it awesome! Still working on a truly happy brain, but it's working! I always perk up when I see something that is through Mayo, because I know it's reliable. So happy to find this forum!! Thank you!