Transplant Experience Part 1
As most of you know and if there are any new readers to this blog,. I was the recipient of a heart transplant on May 26, 2007. I have actually done more writing on this than have spoken about this. I am trying to balance these events and not go around thinking that I am someone special or important because of this event in my life. I have over the course of the last few months and especially over the last month wanted to bring more awareness to organ donation and the great need there is for as many as would participate with me in becoming donors. But as I have already stated I want to find a balance on this subject as well as balance this against my faith and convictions of the Word of God. I would never want to offend anyone because of my strong belief in this important subject. But I guess when something like this happens to you, then for a while you do find something like this important and develop strong feelings about it. Over the next few days if you will indulge me I am going to make some post that I wrote, a week after my transplant and some observations of that week and the day of and the days preceding the transplant. It is my desire that you will find encouragement and rejoice with me in the Great God we serve.Keep in mind these where my thoughts the week after I got home, and started to keep a journal of the events of this event. After these post I will move on to some other subjects and try and leave this transplant alone for a while.
Transplanted and at Home!
May 25th, 2007
I received a cell phone call. at 11:13 am. I cannot identify the voice of the caller only by the caller ID I see it’s a transplant coordinator. She says “Steve?” “Have you taken your meds for today”, “are you alone or with someone?” “Have you eaten today?” I just thought she was calling me because I had voiced mailed her earlier about a test result I had done the day before. When I asked her what was going on she says “well there maybe something in the works today for a heart transplant” My stomach went immediately to my throat and thought this couldn’t be I have only been on the list since April 10.Cell phone call 2 came to me at 12:22pm. “Steve this is Lora, it looks like you need to come to the hospital and get checked in don’t rush but get her as soon as you can….I was stunned. No this couldn’t be, or could it really? Now let me fill in the blanks between phone calls. At about 10:45 that morning I had met with Pastor Andy to go to Sams Club to purchase some meat we were going to use for a cookout on Sunday. We stopped by a local elementary school so Andy could take a video of a presentation of a gift to a teacher. It was after that when on our way to Sam’s that I received the first call. We get to Sams and begin to shop while there we run into a man from our church that was there with his father-in-law. We get all that we needed for the cookout and try some sample’s they were having. We checkout and begin to load the car when the second phone call came. In the providence of our God the man I mentioned from our church had just also checked out. Andy asked him if he could take the meat and store it till Sunday. After being told to come to the hospital I started to get a hold of Susan my wife, my Son, Pastor Joe from Owensboro just to let them know what was going on. Pastor Andy had called his dad and was able to speak to Pastor Tom for a few minutes. On the way to the hospital I broke down several times, wondering what the rest of the day would hold. Would this be a real thing? or a false alarm. I had only began to prepare myself that if the transplant were to happen it may be in September, or Oct, because where I was placed on the list was serious but I knew there were others in worst shape ahead of me. But I also knew that I had a universal blood type that put me at maybe a better advantage. Andy was such a comfort, reminding me that I was a child of God, That God was watching over me, in every detail and to lean myself upon Him. He also was quoting scripture to me as we walked into the hospital. I get to the hospital check in and am wheeled into my room. I will stop here because the next few post will be a continuous unfolding of the days events.But there are some striking providences I would make mention of.
#1 God is his wise creativity of me, created in me this universal blood type.
#2 I was not alone but with Pastor Andy.
#3 The man we met from our church being there at Sam’s
#4 As Andy and I were discussing whether to go back to Anderson or hang around in Indy at that precise moment the second call came.I am overwhelmed beyond words at times to fully be able to express in words all the feelings and emotions that happened that day as well as the days to follow. I can barely sit and think of the goodness of God, and the loss of this family member whose heart is now beating in me without breaking down in tears of praise to God, and for the spirit of gratitude He has placed within me
