Overwhelming doesn’t quite begin to describe my life this past week. I'm going to explain what happened, but my words will never truly capture the essence of what this experience has been like.
It all started last Wednesday night when I dreamt that my mom got the call that they had found a matching liver donor for her. When I woke up, I thought, “That was weird.” I even texted my sister about it. Then at 4 p.m., I was shopping at Target when I got a call from my dad – they really did find a liver for her! And she would go into surgery at 3 a.m.
The next 24 hours were hectic – my two sisters drove to my house so we could go to the airport together. I scrambled to pack, but we weren’t able to get a flight out until the next morning. We made it to San Francisco by 8 a.m. and we were able to see my mom as she got out of surgery around 10:30 a.m.
She did so well! While she was in quite a bit of pain immediately afterwards, there weren’t any complications and she has been making a text book recovery. Each day she is getting stronger and was released from the hospital just yesterday - only 5 days after the transplant. She’s still regaining her strength but is able to do a lot on her own already. We are so thankful and relieved!
Everyone’s been praying for my mom and sending her well wishes and I truly believe it has contributed to how well she’s recovering. My family is so thankful for everyone’s support - It has made a world of difference and we will never forget it.
I went to support group with my mom and met others who have had transplants, caregivers who help their family or friends with transplant recovery, and those who are still on the list waiting for a transplant. Everyone had such different and amazing stories to tell, but they all had one thing in common: hope. Everyone had a grip on the important things in life and were so thankful for every chance they had been given. It was uplifting to be surrounded by them. Even though I had only met them for 5 minutes, I only wanted the best for each and every person in that room.
Some people had experienced awful complications with their transplants, while others had their livers for 16 years and were doing fine. It was so great to hear everyone’s story and I know it meant a lot to my mom. They were all amazed that she was sitting with them only four days after her transplant.
After seeing all of these miracles this past week, I am sooo sooo happy that I signed up to be an organ donor. I got to see what this gift does firsthand for families and individuals. I hope that one day I’ll be able to provide that for somebody else.
Sticks and stones may break your bones, but organ donation is a miracle.
Stay tuned for some more adventures of this past week, including how my attempt at doing laundry landed me in the ER with stitches and crutches…yeah.
So happy for your mom's swift recovery. Her story is so inspiring to hear, and you told it beautifully. So proud of you for staying strong, with ER visits for cut knees and all!
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