Letter from Shannon

Keith asked me to post this letter written by Shannon to Emily a few days ago. It was originally an email and then Shannon posted it as a comment but it quickly got buried.

FELICITACIONES!
That's congratulations in Spanish, (I wanted to say SOMETHING different from what everyone else must be saying and the rest of this email will probably be all the same stuff, so... there ya go!)

I can't tell you how shocked/excited I was when I got your email about the phone call and quick flight up to Seattle. I was expecting a long, impatient wait for all of us and then all of a sudden you are there, in the OR, getting new lungs. What an incredible feat, Emily. I wish, (but I don't really) that I could feel what you are feeling now- how it is to breathe in a new set of lungs when you are so used to those old, dirty, mucous filled ones you have been using for the past 25 years. Does it feel clearer, cleaner, or just the same but with less work? Or does it just feel painful.... Probably the latter, at least for now.

I'm so impressed with your attitude and spirit throughout this process. And not only THIS process of getting a lung transplant but this entire process, from when I met you in Edison, through Roosevelt and South Eugene and on through college. I have never seen you as anything different from anyone else. You played soccer, ran track, went to Activity Nights and all night graduation parties. You have always been a social butterfly and I continue to forget that you live with this gruesome disease everyday of your life. But at the same time you have also always been so open about talking about CF and spreading information to anyone who was willing to listen. For me, being incredibly interested in anything science or health related, it has been so great to feel comfortable asking you about the specifics of your latest procedure or listening to explanations about exactly how CF affects different parts of your body. I love hearing those stories because I'm a total science dork, but also because you always sounds so confident and informed. You and your parents know more about this disease than 99% of the nurses who have taken care of you, which has allowed you to make decisions about your health care, something that most patients can't, or don't have the guts to do.

Working in the hospital, especially at Doernbecher's, has really opened my eyes to the brutality of cystic fibrosis. Again, I never saw you as unhealthy. I only remember the massive amount of funny colored pills you took in the Edison cafeteria before lunch, and occasionally walking past the nurse's room and seeing you sitting with some sort of funny looking mask breathing out mist. But now I feel much closer to this disease because of working with these young kids. It has made me realize where you actually went during those few weeks every year that you disappeared from school and drove the 2 hours up to Portland. I can relate a little better now having talked with 17 year old young women having to put on that huge vest that pounds into their chests, coughing the entire time. And I now realize how different your life has been than mine. But somehow, through it all you have maintained close friendships and strong family relationships while continuing the activities of daily living that we all take for granted. Over the past 25 years you have found a delicate balance between making conservative decisions about your health while enjoying life and all it has to offer.

So, congratulations- for accepting this disease but keeping it at a good distance at the same time. You are truly an inspiration my friend! I hope to come up to Seattle and see you while you are recovering, but if I don't make it up before you go home, I'll see you soon enough in Eugene. I can't wait to hear the new and improved, cough-free Emily. Rest and recover.... I hope you have some good movies and maybe some seasons of Sex and the City to watch while you are up there!

Shannon