Extraordinary days can be joyous and they can be devastating, but rarely are they both at the same time. That’s the thing that makes organ transplants so profound. While recipients and their loved ones rejoice at the gift of life, they accept it with reverence at the realization that it comes in the face of someone else’s heartbreak and loss. I’m thankful for the bravery and generosity exhibited by donors and their families. I’m thankful that because of you, I am able to look forward to more extraordinarily good days with my mother who now can breathe easy after years of battling pulmonary fibrosis.
Update: April 5, 2018
Extraordinarily good days they were indeed. My mother passed away on April 3, 2018. My heart is sad, but I am also still just as thankful as I was in 2009. Because of her transplant, she was able to see her sons get married, start families, and start careers. She was able to meet and impact the lives of her grandchildren.
She built up and fixed the people around her without even having to touch the pieces. Her positive, unconditionally loving spirit will live on in all of us.
Thank you to organ donors everywhere, Methodist Hospital in Houston, and to my Dad (pill wrangler and steadfast guardian).
Rest in peace, Mimi.