June 5, 2021
Carol and her family are so grateful for your support. While awaiting results from pre-transplant testing, Carol developed an infection and was hospitalized for a few days while they got it under control. She is doing much better now but as a result it has led to more testing and doctor visits to determine whether they do corrective treatment prior to the transplant. The sheer number of doctor visits can be exhausting but the doctors want to make sure that Carol will have the best results possible with the transplant by eliminating potential complications in advance. It’s a balancing act to do as much as possible in advance that then delays transplantation. The challenge is that her lungs don’t get to take a time out and the disease continues to progress making it more difficult to breathe. Carol has been doing her best to build up her strength. Anything she can do to get stronger now will help with recovery later. Carol has been a trooper and so far she’s in good spirits taking it one day at a time.
Thank you again for all your prayers and support!
May 21, 2021
Carol and her family want to thank all who contributed or participated in the Help Hope Live 5k event in honor of Carol. In addition to raising money for a great cause, it was nice to see family and friends gather together.
May 7, 2021
Carol and her family thank you so very much for all of your generous donations, prayers, and well wishes! We are very grateful for your support!
May 4, 2021
So Close and Yet So Far
Once my initial diagnosis was completed, I was immediately put on autoimmune suppressants. This means that my white cells are medically held back to prevent them from attacking my lungs as they try to fight the disease. Not only do I have to worry about the scarring on my lungs which restricts my breathing, but my body is actually doing itself harm in trying to save itself. Now, this is scary, but can you imagine what it was like to be told this just as COVID 19 scare is escalating? Oxygen equipment suddenly became scarce. Carting around heavy oxygen tanks and constantly monitoring remaining capacity while trying to get to all my doctor’s appointments was extremely difficult. In the beginning, there was so much we didn't know about how to protect ourselves. It was terrifying to see how quickly the virus spread like wildfire across the country and the rising death toll. Not only was I like everyone else trying to be smart to avoid contracting the virus, but my disease and medications made me more vulnerable, taking away what little protection I had!
So, I did what I could and self-isolated. The only people I could even chance being around was an extremely small, small circle. My immediate family became my remote bubble and that was only on the rarest of occasions. Since they still regularly interfaced with many people it made it dangerous to get together. If we did get together, it was with extreme caution. We also made sure on those few times we did meet it was outside rather than inside. That meant, especially in the beginning I never saw them for months.
Before my lung disease was diagnosed and COVID became a nightmare, my plan was to have a great big party for my birthday. This one was particularly important to me, and I was really, really looking forward to being together with my friends and family. There was even talk about several different family members coming from out of state to visit me last year. Unfortunately, all these plans were made before COVID hit and took off! It changed everything! It was so incredibly hard to admit and acknowledge, we had to postpone all travel as getting together wasn't safe. I was going through major withdrawals! I had to pause to rethink my plans. I had to be practical and strong about not being able to see anyone. Several times my friends and I had to postpone visiting too. So, I thought I could plan a get-together on a much smaller scale (still not ready to give up completely), something outside, in the summer with only a few friends and family. But the COVID numbers kept climbing, the positivity rates were at an all-time high and the risk was still growing even higher. My window for a celebration came and went. By the fall it was too cold outside, and I accepted that this was going to be an incredibly quiet year.
But then, my son surprised me. They had a plan!! They took showers, put on fresh clothes and masks right before visiting. They opened all the windows in the house, and we were only inside long enough to eat. I was so happy! I was with my family!!! It was only for an hour or two, but it didn't matter, I was with my family!!
When the weather changed it got harder and harder to see everyone. I missed so many birthdays, holidays, and the fun of all our family traditions. But the worst, the absolute worst thing was NO HUGS!! Now, I can tolerate the loneliness and the deadly quiet. I fought off boredom by attacking a "To Do" list with a vengeance every day. But despite that, by far the hardest thing to bear was not being able to see any of my family, friends, and or my granddaughters!! I hated not being involved in their lives and doing things with them... AND... especially not being able to give them great big Hugs!!! (Yes, I am a hugger! I own it!!!) And I was in major hug withdrawals!!! That has been the very hardest thing for me in all of this!
So, I got to thinking the other day, I can't change the self-isolation just yet, and even though we do group video calls, chats, and we can always text, my grandkids are teenagers who often reply with one or two words. They don't always have time for face time outside their friends, so I decided to change it up and give the kids a different experience (being that they too are isolated). I thought and smiled, wouldn't it be a fun experience for them to get an unexpected letter, addressed only to them. I've started writing letters to my grandkids. I thought they would get a kick out of it and to just remind them even though I couldn't be with them, they (and all of you, who I am writing to now) are always on my mind, in my heart, and in my prayers!
I look forward to a day when we can give HUGS again!!!
Forever grateful for your love and support!!
Carol
April 25, 2021
I Am Blessed!
I shake my head and I still can't believe how lucky I am! When the Lung Transplant team told me that I would be required to always have two caregivers with me after leaving the hospital and they would need to stay with me for anywhere from 3 to 6 months or more (depending on how well and fast I am able to recover), my very first thought was "what am I going to do?" Everyone I know has busy lives, they are working, they have families. What am I going to do? Then just like that…there was my family. I got calls, emails, texts, and most importantly I got love! By the bucket loads!!!! Within what felt like only minutes I had 3 who said they would come.
And those who couldn't, they have been sending me love and prayers. Friends have been reaching out showing their support as well. Some I haven't heard from in a very long time, have reached out to send their support! I can't possibly thank you all enough for your prayers and encouragement!
I know I will get through this because of you! Thank you!!
And even though we are still in the middle of Covid, know I am sending each of you hugs and love right back!!
Thank You So Much!!
Carol
April 23, 2021
Thank you all sooooo much!
Your love and support mean the world to me!
You give me the strength to get through this. Thank you!
XXOOXX
Carol
April 11, 2021
Carol has spent the last few weeks on a battery of tests that help determine her overall health and ability to withstand the complicated surgery. Although her current condition is that both lungs need to be replaced, one final round of testing is expected to determine whether or not her body can withstand the stress of a double lung transplant. In the next few weeks, they expect to make that final determination and get her on the transplant list.
Carol is so grateful for all of your prayers and donations! It has been humbling, to say the least.
Rest assured, any donations made through this site or mailed in to Help Hope Live with the note "In honor of Carol Savage" are tax-deductible and will be dedicated to Carol's expenses related to this transplant.
Thank you for all of your kindness and prayers!
