Next of Kin Program

Will first responders know who to contact if you had an emergency? Several hours may pass before loved ones are contacted if you have been injured and are unable to speak. Without contact information, it takes, on average, six hours before law enforcement can locate next of kin.

Next of Kin was initiated by two women who lost their sons in car accidents. Because emergency workers did not have their contact information, they were not notified until many hours after the accidents. Not wanting this to happen to others, they urged the passage of legislation that would give first responders access to contact information. A bill was passed in 2008 allowing anyone with a driver's license, learner's permit, or state-issued ID to submit two emergency contacts through the Ohio BMV (Bureau of Motor Vehicles).

If you have not done so already, I urge you to take advantage of what Next of Kin offers and provide your contact information today.

Dear Donor

Dear Donor, Thank you for the opportunity to experience another Spring. Today I baked cupcakes, just because. And walked in my neighborhood. Walked! Breathed in the crisp air. Birds were singing their springtime tunes. Little silky catkins dotted the pussywillow's branches and the green tips of daffodils peeked through the dark layer of winter. The world awakens, anew, as do I. Forever grateful for your gift, The Recipient

Two months and counting...

Last week I intended to give a two month update. I wrote a blog post later in the week, mentioning that I started my two-month anniversary with a blood draw at a local lab and then spent the rest of the day in bed with a terrible migraine. As I read over it, I thought it sounded like I was complaining. Anyway, who cares if I left the lab with with matching needle marks on each arm? Who cares the UPS drop off nearby doesn't open until 8:30 and that due to my driving restrictions, the tubes I must mail to Cleveland Clinic didn't make it out until lunchtime? Does it really matter in the scheme of things?

As the week went on I felt better. I still have an annoying dry cough but there is nothing to make me concerned otherwise. I am breathing well and completing every day tasks. The body aches and the side effects from the medications are tolerable. As I resisted publishing my blog post, I learned of two new deaths among those on my support group. And, one of my best friends is in the hospital again, with health issues so few can imagine. The blood draws? Over it. The migraine? It dissipated. And, I now know not to show up at the UPS at 8 a.m.

And, what about that update I promised? The coordinator called later in the week and said the bloodwork is fine and there are no changes at this time. I can continue complaining about the small stuff if I wish.

New Journey

I had my six-week follow-up and another bronchoscopy this week. No rejection. How lucky I feel. I'm still sore from surgery and I'm still weak but I get stronger every day. Despite that and the side effects from all the medications, I can do more now than I did this time last year.

I'm still trying to wrap my brain around everything that has happened and is happening to me--the illness, the surgery (and the world I lived  in while sedated and on narcotics in the ICU), the new lungs, my donor, my new life. Honestly, I feel a bit lost. I'm finding my way back to a world I was part of. But everything is different--my life, things around me, what I can and cannot do, my friends and family... and my perspective. Another paradigm shift. This time, so great that I'm overstimulated and overwhelmed.

Since returning home I've spent most afternoons on the phone with mail-order and specialty pharmacies, doctors, insurance companies, etc. We had to switch insurance plans (long story). It's nothing short of a headache trying to to get all the medicines I need for survival. When I'm not on the phone, I take pills. I realize it will get easier and things will resolve. It already feels wonderful--producing the oxygen my body needs--even though I haven't done anything overly significant lately. Oh, but I suppose I have. I survived the greatest battle I've ever faced in my life. And, my friends and family, I could not have done it without your help and to my donor and his family. 

I'll never be out of the woods. I'll always have restrictions of some sort. I'll always be on medicines. My immune system will always be compromised. I'll always have the burden of medical costs. I'll always be tethered to Cleveland Clinic. But that's okay. I've accepted that. So please, my friends, have patience with me as I start this new journey.