Yesterday we were able to attend the Versiti “Donor Family Celebration.” It was good to see and hear from some other people whose family members gave the precious “Gift of Life.” Even though it’s called a day of celebration, it did seem like more of a day of remembrance and appreciation, as no one really appeared happy about the loss of their loved one. We were able to hear from the sister of a donor who left behind a wife and family in his passing but was able to save five others with his gift. We also heard from a man who is a recipient of a set of lungs. He shared a little bit about his life before the transplant. He spoke of his family, activities, and interests and in these he was living a “normal” life just like everyone else, until he began having difficulty breathing… He shared how he went from playing with his grandkids and a very active lifestyle to being confined to a lifestyle that revolved around his dependence on supplemental oxygen. He also shared a little about the life of a young man who had a tragic accident and was an organ donor. As he stood there yesterday, in good health and strong, he expressed his deep love and appreciation for the gift of life that he received. His speech was touching, and we appreciated hearing and seeing what this process can mean for people.
Another thing that we noted was that, to us, even in a group of donor families, our situation is still a bit unusual. All the people that we heard from shared about their loved one’s decision to donate life. Whether the donor saw someone else’s need or followed in the footsteps of a parent or other family member, of the people that we spoke with, the donors themselves, made this decision. To our understanding, we were the only ones who made this decision for a child, and gave the gift of a life that was so precious to us. We appreciated hearing the stories of these donor families, but, again, they were appreciating, honoring, and supporting the decision of their loved one, but we were the ones who made the decision on Hannah’s behalf. Even though we have no doubt that she would approve of this, making this decision for our own child, who was entering the prime of her life and with so much drive and potential, still seems incredibly different. Maybe it’s best to say that we feel the weight of the loss and a burden of responsibility for this decision.
The highlight of yesterday was our opportunity to see Dr. Charlie again. It was really good to see him and just to be able to spend some time with him. We are always impressed at what a smart and kind young man he is. Even though he was preparing for a HUGE test this week, he took time out to come and see us again! (By huge I mean that this test is broken up into two days! Today’s portion is seven hours of testing, then on Friday it’s nine hours more to complete it! It’s a comprehensive test on ALL aspects of medicine.) We talked with him about his life and about what an all-encompassing process it is to complete. On top of his studies, he is working tons of hours. As if only getting two or three days off a month isn’t enough, while working twelve-hour shifts, he was sharing that there are sometimes that he has to work twenty-eight hours straight! The monetary costs are extremely high too for all of this training. The life of an up-and-coming doctor is extremely sacrificial and not glamorous. He does it because he is an amazing person who wants to be able to help other people.
Speaking of busy, loving, and helpful, we were disappointed to find out that “Nurse Hannah” was not able to meet with us. She had been planning on coming to this event with us for months, but on the morning of, she was called into work. We were looking forward to seeing her again and meeting her family too. Nurse Jackie also had to work. It seems that word has gotten out, and our “heroes” are in high demand! As we have mentioned before, even in the darkest of times, there can be “rainbows.” People like Charlie, Hannah, Jackie, Taylor, Tess, and “Doc” Rachel will always hold special places in our hearts, and like rainbows, the memory of them will always shine brightly against the dark clouds of that week in the ICU.
We are blessed.
Hannah Helps 