What does relationship have to do with love, dying, and organ transplants? This powerful Facebook post from our daughter who is in the end stages of PSC, a liver duct disease, illustrates the importance of loving relationships at times of crisis. I shortened it a little:
Hello everyone! Enough cannot be said about the power of love and prayer! As many of you know, I’m not afraid to die. It’s just that there’s so much to live for. It’s a very strange sensation to wake up where you didn’t expect to be and be told that, instead of day 4, this was actually day 11….and then to see the faces of such dear loved ones that I don’t see in that setting or don’t even usually see that time of the year.
Many of you asked questions about being a living donor and several even made the phone call to UCSF. We, all my family and I, thought that I would probably be kept there until after I get a new liver but things are often not what we expect. I’m now in a new phase, however, that includes trying to recover from what just happened and, although not really possible, trying to minimize the risk of it happening again. I’m also not allowed to be left at home alone, which is especially hard to wrap my mind around. I was alone when I started vomiting blood and I managed to call 911.
A lot of you know I have had four people go through the donor evaluation process. I don’t know what the final chapter to all this will be, but I do know that I’m becoming bonded to many heroes! It’s quite an overwhelming feeling!
Please know my faith is strong as I hope yours is. Yet, I also know that community is an essential part of wholeness and survival. I don’t know what I’d do without each of you! I pray that I will be allowed the privilege of giving back some day soon.
I love you all so much!
Janee’
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