January 7, 2021

One more thing I forgot to mention… It may take me awhile, but I promise to thank each one of you individually (I’ve never been good at writing thank you notes!), just please be patient with me! 😉

January 7, 2021

1/6/21

Happy New Year to all of you! I hope you can agree with me that it has already been better than 2020! For those of you who don’t know, I received the best Christmas gift I could ever possibly ask for – a viable donor! One of my Mom’s oldest friend’s daughter has not only agreed to be a donor, but she is a match as well! Meaning I will have my transplant surgery on Jan 20th.

I am not only nervous and happy, but excited and to be honest, a little scared too. My surgery will last 12-16 hours, my donor’s surgery about 12 hours, and we will be on our own. We are allowed one visitor at a time, but only 2 total. (I REALLY detest COVID at this point). But, the real work will start after the surgery.

Recovery is going to be difficult and painful. I will have to be on steroids, antibiotics, anti-rejection meds, and any other “anti” drug you can think of. I will have drains coming out of everywhere, I will be intubated, I’ll have pretty close to 100 staples for my incision. I will have daily labs and check-ups daily for the the first week, at least. I will probably be required to get out of bed and walk the day after surgery. I will feel great at first, but then worse as time goes on. I won’t be able to drive for a month (small sacrifices, right..?), but , I’m not sure if I will even feel up to it. My donor will have it a little easier than me, but she will still need time to recover. She will have time off from her job, but it will be unpaid. I’m hoping, with this foundation, we can help her pay a lot of her bills since she is giving the most selfless gift for me. So, I’m asking again, for your help. This time it’s not just for me, but for my donor, as well.

I have been astounded by the generosity, support, prayers, thoughts, and help I have received from so many people. Truth be known, I am overwhelmed. I know I can never repay any of you for all you have done for me and my family, but I know that as soon as I recover completely, I will be paying it forward to others that are in a difficult time in there lives. I can never say it enough, but thank you. Thank you for EVERYTHING you have done for my family.