Up The Farway Tree

4 Year Transplant Anniversary!

Tomorrow (25th) will be four years since my transplant.  Hard to believe really.  So four years ago today I was sitting at home, spending my day as I usually did - sitting on the sofa, propped up on all my cushions, probably on my laptop.  This photo below was actually taken that evening - the balloon was sent to me by LLTGL (Robyns rainbows) when I had my horrendous false alarm and 'fake transplant' three weeks earlier.  I think it's rather fitting that the smiley face is rather deflated and looks like it's on its last legs - I think this really did reflect how I felt at the time.  I had managed to recover (as much as possible) from the false alarm but felt so desperate.  I felt like I couldn't go on much longer and the thought of 'the call' was in my mind all the time.  Although I do remember after that photo was taken that I thought it would be a good idea to inhale the helium and make my voice all squeaky haha.  This is clearly a sensible thing to do when you can hardly breathe ;-)

So I went to bed that night after my evening dose of IV antibiotics and a long physio session and connected up to my overnight feeding tube and oxygen.  At 3.45am the house phone rang but by the time I had disconnected all my tubing the phone had rung off.  2 seconds later and my mobile started belting out 'working 9-5' and I knew that no one else would call my mobile in the middle of the night.  It was The Call.  I remember a feeling of calm washing over me.  At my false alarm I had been quite excitable and chatty - phoning a couple of friends and texting like mad.  This time I was more measured - I didn't want to get my hopes up but at the same time had a good feeling about what would happen.   I cancelled my online Tesco order, due to be delivered the following day and wrote two birthday cards - one for my friend Gillian, and one for my friend Fi (who sadly passed away since) as I knew I would still be in HDU and unable to send their cards.  I then added some last minute items to my pre packed suitcase, and climbed into the ambulance 10 minutes later.

The journey down was amazing as we were flown from Glasgow airport and as we came into Newcastle there was an amazing sunrise.  I knew all would be well.

And all was well.   Here I am 4 years later, healthy and happy.   Life has been jam packed over the last 4 years and I have enjoyed every second of it.  I plan to continue living life to the full and appreciating every moment I have been given. 

I always of course remember my donor and her family at this time.  The decision they made that night saved my life and changed it beyond my wildest dreams and I am forever grateful.   I came across this quote, which sums up how I feel.   My words can seem inadequate but hopefully I can show my gratitude through my efforts to spread the word and raise awareness.

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. "
- John F. Kennedy