Obviously having a lung transplant has been on my mind a lot over the last few years and it has and still is my goal. I don't know why God has chosen me to be the one who just seems to be getting better and better, but I sure do know that it is not because I am in any way special. I like to think that it has more to do with compliance and doing, or at least trying to do what the doctors tell me to do. It is and has not been easy, and everyone who is close to me will tell you that there are days when they want to pull their hair out with me - especially my mom - but I know that they are a right royal pain in my butt because they love me. You will often read of others who compliment and say thank you over and over again to their 'support system' and the same goes for me too. Truth be told, if they didn't care as much as they do, then I would probably not have pulled through all those years ago.
My mom is my moral fibre and if I even think about doing something that the doctors have said no to, then she has the ability to turn my way of thinking to one of absolute compliance. My brother and I have been brought up with our parents drumming into our heads, that for every action there is a reaction. It certainly has set us on the path to righteousness and in my case honouring my body. Yes I went through the usual things any CF does, like hiding my medication away so no one would know that I had to take pills every day; and not being completely truthful about the extent of my disease, but at the end of the day, I have tried. The last 3 years have made me more determined than ever and now having finally been listed, I see that I am one step closer to the reality of a transplant taking place.
You may wonder where I am going with this, but just be patient - and read on....
The first CF that I knew personally to be listed for a transplant was Shaun McLaughlin. He and his, now wife , came to visit a few times pre his transplant, and once post transplant. It was interesting to hear Shaun speak about his life, his diagnosis, his treatment, his doctors and finally his transplant. Shaun's recovery post transplant went exceptionally well and considering where he was pre-transplant, it gave me something to look forward to.
For some time I heard about Alice Vogt - the 'voice' of CF in South Africa, and I got to 'know' her through her blog and on Facebook. I read about her journey leading up to her transplant and what she has done and achieved since then. Another more recent 'famous' CFer is Fawn Rogers. She too has had a life changing experience since her transplant. So last year August, I finally got to meet both of these wonderful ladies and I have to admit that seeing them both made me realize yet again that I have made the right choice in seeking out a transplant.
This visit to hospital I heard there was someone else in the ward who recently had a lung transplant and my interest was piqued yet again to find out how they were progressing. It is now the end of my IV treatment and after hearing lots of stories whispered in the corridors and seeing beds moving out of wards and into ICU and then back again, it has been a privilege to meet, a hopefully one day, fellow transplant patients family and chat with them AND finally see the patient through the window, showing proof of their recovery. I have discovered along my journey to transplant that whereas each and every patient may undergo the same operation by the same team of doctors, each one of them is an individual with a journey of their own; a story as similar as it is different, as short as it may be for one, it may be ten times longer for the next, but behind every one of them they have a support system that counts... a support system that matters to them.
I want to thank my support system...my mom and my dad who felt my life mattered enough for them to take me in and give me a chance, my brother who initially decided he wanted nothing to do with a girl but then changed his mind when he saw how cute I was in hospital - lol, my gran, my aunts and uncles and cousins and more recently, my sister-in-law and my fiancee...YOU ALL ROCK!!!!!!
Awww thanks for the mention :-)
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