A bit of Red Sox Nation at Safeco Field in Seattle!A huge heart greeting to all my stars and angels out there, near and far!!
Believe it or not, one year ago today, tonight really, Pete was writing from the Univ. Hospital surgery waiting room as I was beginning the 7.5 hour heart transplant surgery!!! As he, his brother Chas, and my sister Kate stayed up that night, the surgeons and nurses were performing a miracle on me. What an absolutely amazing thing.
I am fighting back tears as I think of all of you who prayed for me, sent me love, light, energy, blessings, etc., and as I think about my donor, Tony, and his parents/family. It was both difficult and wonderful to learn of his identity, when his parents wrote me back just before Christmas. I am now comfortable enough with the fact that he gave me his heart to share this with you now. I thank Tony and his parents every day (morning and night), and I am so very grateful for this chance at life I have been given. To be sure, this last year has not been easy or all smooth sailing, but despite the bumps (even the big abdominal one 6 weeks ago!), I am still grateful.
SO MUCH MORE GRATITUDE:
First, I have to say a special thanks and love to my dearest Pete and our two crazy and wonderful boys Mason and Liam.
Another special thank you to Mom, Dad, Kate, Caroline, Christopher, Christina, Noah, and Wylie, as well as to Pete's family -- Sally, Allen, Chas, Sara, Walker, Reed, Dave, and Carol. Thank you all for your love and support these many months/years!!
Our deepest thanks and love to our Allie, and her family, as well as to Melissa and Ben and their family for all the amazing support and friendship their two families have given our family.
A big massive thanks to my doctors, nurses, PAs, MAs, technicians, etc. for all their dedication and hard work and their fantastic care of me.
I am thankful for new friends such as Kate M., who is helping me regain my energy and has taught me much in the few weeks I have known her.
Finally, I thank my colleagues and bosses at the Solicitor's Office who have been so very supportive over this last year. Thanks for giving me the time I need to heal, for picking up my slack, and for simply caring.
A request: I ask again that you direct some of your prayers, blessing, energy and light to my friend Jim Jablonski who just passed three-years of waiting for a new heart and is currently hospitalized and waiting anxiously for a new heart.
So, on this day, this week, I look back with a heart full of all kinds of emotions, and I look FORWARD to every day I am given on this earth, with a heart ready and willing to live to my full potential!!
One last note:
For those of you afar, I wanted to let you know we are having a celebration of my anniversary and fundraiser on Saturday, June 27, 2009. You did not get the evite if you are not local, but we are holding an afternoon open-house at the park one-mile down the hill from our house to celebrate my transplant anniversary and to raise funds and organ donation awareness to benefit Intermountain Donor Services (IDS), http://www.idslife.org/. IDS is the organization that really makes transplants happen (facilitates/coordinates the matching, works with/counsels donor families, etc.) in our region (there is one for every region of the National Transplant list managed by UNOS (United Netword for Organ Sharing)).
This is from the website: IDS is a "federally designated nonprofit community service organization dedicated to the recovery and transplantation of organs and tissues. IDS serves Utah, south eastern Idaho, and Western Wyoming encompassing 2.7 million residents, 79 hospitals, and 4 transplant centers. IDS performs its procurement role, combined with community awareness and education, with the following goals in mind: To provide high quality organ and tissue procurement services to the medical and public communities we serve. To educate medical professionals and the public sector on the benefits of organ and tissue donation in order to provide, in a sensitive manner, the option of donation to all individuals. To provide an organizational environment that attracts, retains, and motivates qualified employees who are dedicated to our mission, vision, and values."
Assuming you cannot attend our shindig, I wanted to invite you all to become registered organ donors in the state in which you reside, if you are not currently a donor.
Also, if you are interested in contributing to our cause, please make a check out to Intermountain Donor Services or IDS, and send to us at 7318 Pinebrook Rd., Park City, UT 84098.
IF there is anyone local who receives this posting but did not get the evite - I humbly apologize!! You ARE invited and it was simply an oversight on my part. We have invited lots of people, which is why this is an "open-house," and we do not want to exclude anyone!! Please call or email me or call Melissa Wiczek (801.419.1508) or Laura Climaco (435.659.9812) for details.
Lots of love, peace, and thanks,
Emily
