Today is the First Day of The Rest OF My Life

     How many times have we all said that ? A more apt question is: How many times have we actually understood the meaning of that sentence and carried it out?
     Every time I hear those words I wonder. Today I am 20 years old. Well , in all truthfulness it is the 20th anniversary of my first lung transplant- or my Lungiversary.
     On this day 20 years ago my life as I knew it changed forever!  I remember waking up in SICU on a respirator. Major panic! I had never been on a respirator before in my life, and honestly never considered this might happen to me. I remember after 3 days them attempting to remove the respirator, only to have my new lungs fill with fluid. Now I've always been the type you simply do NOT touch my nose! The nurse did try to prepare me for the placing of a tube down my nose into my lungs. To my defense  this was after little cooperation from her with regards to telling a person heavily medicated on pain meds to "hold your mask up so you get oxygen"  My addled mind kept trying to tele -communicate to her that I couldn't get the strap around my head. The rest is history. I woke up back on a respirator (most depressing day) and later was told - laughingly by my Dr. that as the nurse touched my nose with the tube, I punched her and tried to run away dragging machines and all. He said he had no idea that a person as sick as I was had that much strength.

      This was me on October 24, 1991. Not my best pre-birthday photo. But I got the best present anyone could ever ask for. I lived. I was so swollen from the Prednisone and massive amounts of immunosuppression that my family barely recognized me.  If you've never been intubated, believe me it is nothing like you see on the TV medical dramas. Either that or my drug induced foggy mind developed one horror story photo for me to remember the day they pulled that tube out. 

      After a few more days of trying to get my lungs to work, they removed this yet again. My Dr. sat on the edge of my bed calmly telling me that I may end up back here. Not everyone gets to stay out.  All the time I was thinking "Not me! No way! This fella has no idea who he's dealing with!"  I left and never looked back.

I later found out that my family was told the lungs I received had been badly damaged in the accident, but as my lungs were already removed and I was at the point of no return they put in the donated lungs. There was a strong chance I would be back on a respirator awaiting a re- transplant.   I knew I was a strong person, but I began to realize just how strong I truly was, mentally and emotionally.

     Yes there were pitfalls. I had a serious bout of rejection that I slept through (thankfully) . The Dr mentioned to my Daddy he may want to say an extra prayer because at that time it was all up to God. Thankfully He still considers me a work in progress with alot more work left to do here.  I did come out of that episode with my sat's at 100% and stayed that way.

     All I know of my donor was she was 34 years old, a white female, she died in a tragic accident, and we were a perfect match. It was all up to me to keep what she gave me so unselfishly  healthy and live my life as if I were dying. Every moment to the fullest!

So.. the next time you say, Today is the First Day of the Rest of MY Life will you live it differently?

October 23,1991

       It hardly seems that nineteen years have passed since one anonymous, caring family changed my life.
So many years have passed and I've experienced so many things I never thought possible, yet I remember this day as if it were yesterday......
       It was just past midnight on October 23,1991 when my mother woke me for a phone call. I should have known by the excitement in her eyes who the caller was. It was my pre-transplant coordinator from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) telling me there were lungs available and I was # 1 to receive. I also knew that I could get there, and it be a "no go" meaning the lungs deteriorated too much in transport or were too damaged to transplant.
     It is because of this one day, I learned to  have more patience than the normal person should need, and survival. The survival part will be explained to you soon.
      I contacted my Air Ambulance company who had ben contracted to fly me to Pittsburgh from Jacksonville, Florida. They were under contract to have a plane waiting in Alabama for just such an emergency. They returned my call with the grim news that a plane would be arriving from Houston, TX. Now being an airline ops agent I knew this would not get me to UPMC in my allotted 4 hours.  I mentioned that after the pilots got there, fueled, checked the weather, did a pre-flight and a 2 hour trip to JAX I would not make the 4 hour window necessary. I could feel my chances slowly slipping away. I mentioned I would call UPMC for the OK.
      Upon calling and speaking with my coordinator he mentioned they had a plane sitting in Tampa that had just taken a patient back to the US Virgin Islands and it would be sent to me. Hurray!!!! I called the air ambulance back with the news and he was visibly upset. When he started asking when the arrival was and the tail number alarm bells began going off and I asked why he needed this info since he was no longer in the equasion. "Merely making sure all goes well for you." Yeah right. I advised him I was in aviation ops and all was fine but thanks anyway.
       We headed out for the private section (FBO) of the airport to await my "chariot". While we were sitting in the lobby 3 customs agents walked in and glanced my way. "alarm bells again" I mentioned : "They better not be looking for my plane!" Well it turns out, they were.  The plane landed and the medical staff came looking for me and customs reared it's ugly head. Seems they had a tip (did I mention those alarm bells from the air ambulance) that a medical plane was landing that had not cleared customs prior to arrival. The Captain told them he was in the US Virgin Islands, then West Palm Beach and finally Tampa before flying to JAX to get me. He even showed them the log book. Well those lovely customs officials demanded to take apart all the medical equipment onboard and inspect it. No way said the DR. onboard, 'These are needed to keep her alive prior to transplant." The pilot offered to let them fly to Pittsburgh -take apart all the equipment upon landing and then he would fly them back to JAX-no way.
         I was slowly watching my chance at life slip away.... I made a snap decision and asked for a quarter. "Why?" I'm calling channel four news, they'll get my plane in the air. Without being noticed I walked to a pay phone and called the news station. I explained that customs was holding up a "life flight" air ambulance on a bogus tip. When I was asked why I was calling, my reponse was "This is truly a matter of life and death-and it happens to be MINE!"  Within seconds a loud voice boomed over the customs walkie talkie "Who the hell called channel four!!!!" They all looked at me as I politely smiled and held up the phone receiver. walkie-talkie "Get that damned plane in the air!" Our plane was released (not without dirty looks) and I was finally on my way.
         The medical staff onboard were fantastic. Any need was immediately seen to and I was told to relax and enjoy the trip. Flying through those clouds on a dark night felt like I was flying to a new life and new adventure. That feeling is still with me today. Each day is a new adventure to be enjoyed with absolute relish and abandon.
         Due to the delays we got to Pittsburgh airport late. I was rushed to UPMC where the Dr's said they were cutting the time very close. I should have been on the table, old lungs out and waiting for my new ones by 5AM. I didn't arrive until 5AM.... As I lay on a gurney in the ER telling the staff jokes one of the Dr's. looked at me and said :"Well are you ready to go?" My eyes got as big as saucers, I smiled and asked, "So, it's a go?" "Yep, hurry up with that punch line before we put you under."

And thus my new life began.....

        It was not all cakes and punch, don't let me kid you. After being taken off the respirator I had to be placed back on due to fluid build up in my lungs. That is a story in itself if anyone cares for a laugh. I know a nurse who certainly isn't laughing to this day. When I woke up and realized I was back on the respirator (the bane of my existence) it had to be the most depressing day of my life! "Why did I do this?" Alarms started going off! Staff rushing around and entering the cubicle next  to me. The recipient next to me turned critical! Talk about an attitude adjustment. "I opened my eyes. looked to heaven, and said "Thank you God, I never meant to think that way!" "Just please don't let me have to be shocked with all these (49) staples in my chest".

     I was extubated in a few days and transferred to the lung transplant wing. Whew.... Getting closer to home.  I did suffer a severe rejection, but came out of it with my sat levels at 100% not to shabby for a girl who lived on 46% room air for most of her life. I was told that the new lungs were severely damaged in the accident, and I may have to be placed back on a respirator to wait for another "good" set of lungs. I thought,"no way-YOU don't now me very well."

       Yes I have learned alot and organ transplantation has made me the character I am today. But would I trade one single minute good or bad? Not at all.
So today please take a moment, look up to the sky and thank my anonymous donor for giving me a life I never dreamed possible. She was only 34 and from Lancaster, PA.
And if you aren't an organ/tissue donor please consider it. Don't wait until it affects you or your family personally. There is a family out there just like yours watching the life slowly ebb out of a loved one with a terminal diagnosis.


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