My Second Chance At Living

On October 25, 2016 I received a phone call that changed my life. It was my hospital calling to let me know that they had a new set of lungs for me and that I needed to be at the hospital at 5:00 am the next day. I was confident that when this call came, I would turn into a hot mess, but I was actually very calm. This must have been due to the fact that I had been waiting for this day, just one day shy of 1,000 days. I was very tired of waiting and I was ill enough to welcome this gift.

My surgery took just 5.5 hours and was a success. I was soon talking and then walking and then riding a nu-step exercise bike. It felt amazing to breathe without supplemental oxygen! Unfortunately, an unrelated complication occurred and I remained in the hospital for 45 days for treatment. To make matters worse, I had no internet connection during my stay which meant no WA for me.

2016, prior to my transplant, had been a challenging year for me health wise. Even though I was plagued with fatigue, I devoted many hours to creating content for my website. I was also creating my next site! I was engaged and excited for the upcoming holiday season with all it's possibilities. As it turned out, life had a different plan for me.

Today I am regaining my strength, learning to live with many medications and all of their side-effects, enjoying the simple act of breathing and giving thanks to my donor and their family for this ultimate gift. I am well enough to come back to WA where I am wading through a lot of emails and coming up with new content ideas. I am happy to say that I still have my passion and excitement and am looking for my new "mojo". I am determined more than ever to become another WA success story.