A sudden health setback turned my eventual lung transplant into an immediate one. Although the transplant didn’t go exactly to plan, my preparation helped the process go more smoothly.
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I have faced the continuous need to self-advocate to manage my life with cystic fibrosis, particularly when facing complications post-transplant.
My mom was always my biggest advocate and most selfless caretaker, but she went above and beyond when she also took my friend under her wing.
My daughter, Lauren, didn’t know that having a lung transplant would greatly increase her risk for cancer until it was too late. Her death has taught me how important it is to know the health risks faced after transplant and our need to advocate for ourselves.
While waiting for another lung transplant, I learned that time is a wicked concept: there is so much of it, but never enough.
My wife and I opted for a surrogate to carry our child following her double-lung transplant. After five years of struggling with a bad surrogacy agency, we finally switched providers and found a surrogate who is now carrying our child.
I spent 2020 in COVID-19 quarantine and in the hospital separated from my family while waiting for transplant. I'm very grateful that the call came and I have new lungs -- and a new life.
When I met my husband, who has cystic fibrosis, he was listed for a double-lung transplant. I thought I was prepared for that. I wasn't.
Although they have been full of physical and emotional challenges, as well as life interruptions, multiple transplants have helped me become the person I am.
As cystic fibrosis damaged my lungs, I did all I could to make it to my university graduation before I underwent lung transplant.