This was the first year I was able to attend the Transplant Games, but I hope it isn’t the last. Carrie, Josh and I left the farm to make the drive to Birmingham, Alabama on the morning of Friday, July 5, which also happened to be Josh’s birthday. I had no idea what to expect. The experience was infinitely more impactful than I could have known, in terms of the depth of camaraderie, the level of intimate sharing and the loving support on the part of everyone. And, we sold about 100 books! There is just nothing like sharing our experiences with each other for strength and comfort.
Yes, the book is now published. It took a lot longer for Carrie to complete it than she thought, for several reasons. She tells me that it’s such an amazing story and she wanted to do it justice. From my perspective, it was challenging for me to proofread it with her because I ended up re-living it, and PTSD is real! In any event, we are both happy with the finished product and it’s our prayer that it makes a difference in the world in many ways.
Very importantly, we recognize that much more attention and funding need to be placed on organ donation by our government, so many more lives may be saved. Much more communication needs to happen between states regarding the availability of multi-visceral transplant surgeries. And always, we need more folks to sign up as organ donors.
The beautiful and miraculous part of organ donation is that it saves lives. We met donor families at the Transplant Games who selflessly shared the stories of the many lives saved by their loved ones. We met one father who shared with us the story of his daughter’s passing. He was obviously devastated, but he took great pride and it provided him some solace in knowing that her passing actually saved NINE LIVES. We met friends and siblings who had donated a kidney to each other, and donor families who didn’t have specific knowledge of who had benefited from their loved one’s passing but who were deeply comforted by being in a safe and loving space of folks who really knew what they had gone through.
Everything is possible together. Even miracles.