Birthday Post

Hello family, friends, and others!
So today is my birthday, and it is a particularly special birthday for me and my parents. This is the third birthday I have had since my transplant, and each birthday I have post-transplant where I wake up happy and healthy is quite the milestone.
Another thing that is special, significant, and unique about this birthday is that I tuned 28. When I was first diagnosed with cystic fibrosis the average life expectancy at that time was to the age of 18. Today I have beaten that diagnosis by ten years. That feels fucking awesome.
I have my donor to thank for being alive today, without her I would not be here. I also have my parents, my friends, everyone who supported us through the transplant and ensuing months, my doctors, every health professional who has ever treated me, and my transplant team to thank for me being alive today. A special thank you goes to Nicky Connors, who so selflessly came with us to all the surgeries, spent countless nights with me in the hospital, spent months of her time not working and staying with us in Seattle, and always being there, even at 4 in the morning. Most importantly she kept me and my parents sane. Thank you Nicky, it is hard for me to tell you how important you are in my life.
This has been a bumpy year, but where I find myself today is happy and at peace with a lot of things that in the past have caused me turmoil and stress. I look forward to this new year and what it will it bring; good, bad, exciting, stressful, frustrating, and happy. Whatever it is I am excited to live it, after all that is why I have fought so fucking hard to stay alive and why I got this transplant, so that I could live.
So much love to all of you. I hope you find many blessings and love in your life.

Hello friends and family. Today is my two year anniversary for transplant!!!! The time has gone by so fast, and yet so slow at the same time. This year has been filled with many a deep breath as I find my way through the transition of healing and recovering, to figuring out how to live a normal life. (normal being a relative term of course.)

Today I am reflecting on many things, and continue to be in awe of this whole transplant process. This day of February 16th will always be a duality for me. While I and all of you celebrate the fact that I am alive and continuing on with these new lungs, there is a family somewhere who is grieving. This day is a reminder to them of the loss of their loved one.

That duality of celebration and grief is something that I will always be turning over in my head, trying to understand the philosophy and meaning of it all.

I do not dwell on it and I do not feel guilty. However, the fact that today marks the anniversary of one person's death and another's life is a duality I cannot quite wrap my mind around.

What I can do is breath deeply and live fully for my donor and her family, and for me and my family.

To the right you see me and an extremely phallic looking Eiffel tower. I am holding a sign that says "Thank You UWMC." (as in University of Washington Medical Center.) I spent about 8 weeks traveling in Europe this past September and October. That trip was a mixture of experiencing the joy of traveling by myself, a victory lap for getting my transplant, and a big Fuck You to cystic fibrosis. It was amazing!

I hope this finds everyone well. I continue to prove that I suck at blogging, the last post was in May 2010, so most likely see you next you year, same time, same place. Except that it will be a thursday and not a wednesday. Much love to you all.

-emily