After being at my daughter's home for some time
improvement came slowly. I had blood tests two days a week
for the first two months, and I saw the doctors every other
week. The 50 to 60 pills I was on slowly decreased to 40 to
50. Now I am taking 31 pills.
I still could not do much and was extremely tired. I
had two iron infusions and waited for weeks for the iron
to kick in. Waiting for increased strength and energy seemed
to take forever.
Since there was little I could do about any of this, I
had a lot of time to think. I knew months before that this
experience was not necessarily about me. Sure, I needed
a kidney transplant, but there was a much bigger picture.
What was truly wonderful was realizing that my daughter
and I had the opportunity to help many more people
because of our experience.
We found out about different community activities
we could participate in (such as a 5K fundraiser) that was
coming up in Aug. of this year. We realized that we could
send articles into publications interested in human experience
stories. My doctor in California requested that I become a
kidney transplant ambassador and share my experience at
educational events helping people learn more about transplants
and organ donation. (My daughter has also been asked to
be an ambassador of sorts for organ donation from the
donor side; stay tuned in the next blog post for ways you
can help in this important effort.) We realized that we could
also help more people just by seeing the needs around us.
I think we have more empathy and can be of greater
service to our fellow human beings because of what we have
experienced. I know for myself and my daughter, we have
such a passion to spread the word about organ donation and
all the many ways people can help save lives.
This started out as a trail, it then became a journey,
and now an eye opening adventure. I have learned many
things about myself, my life's mission, and the goodness
that is still in people (despite the chaos out in the world),
and especially the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the
eternal love of a Heavenly Father.
I am so grateful for all that has happened to me, to
help me understand better where I need to go with my life
and better serve the needs of family, friends, and people
around me. It has been a wonderful learning opportunity
for all of us.