beautifulsoul
Super Moderator
This is something I posted on my personal Facebook page earlier today. I realize not everyone has Facebook so I decided to share it here as well.
Dear Friends & Family,
Today as I sit here typing this I can think of two words to describe my life. Thankful & Blessed. The feelings I have right now are almost indescribable. My life changed drastically on this very day at 5 A.M. ten years ago when I was at the young age of fifteen years old. “We have lungs for Amber” I was given a new life. A second chance. A chance many people don’t receive in enough time. Sometimes I can’t help but sob with joy when I realize that I’m still here after all this time. I bypassed fifty percent of the people that survive longer than five years for a double lung transplant by doubling the number!
Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny -C.S. Lewis
This is a very small piece of my story:
The fact is; I wasn’t living a normal teenage life. At twelve years old my health was rapidly declining each passing year. I couldn’t attend school, I couldn’t hang out with my friends as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t leave the house for long periods of time for many reasons: My oxygen tank only lasted a few hours, I had I.V. medication that needed to be kept cold & I would become easily exhausted with little movement. I couldn’t walk across a small room without gasping for air. I simply couldn't enjoy a moment of laughter without physically getting sick from laughing too much. I had to bring my wheelchair everywhere. In most situations the only thing I could do was sit there and watch everyone else have fun. I had been dancing since I was six years old but I had to quit because I couldn’t breathe anymore. I used to listen to music but I could no longer do that either because I couldn’t hear. I was always attached to oxygen & I.V. tubes which was a constant reminder of how my life had changed dramatically. I was living in the hospital a couple times a year for weeks at a time. How did I get to this point? What did I do wrong? Why did I deserve this? My parents taught me to take my Cystic Fibrosis medication & hook up my breathing treatments everyday & this is my reward? I lived like this for three & a half years. It felt like a lifetime of suffering. While every other teenager was beginning a new journey through high school and making lasting memories I was dying. My life was over or so I thought. I was unprepared to tell my family what no fifteen year old should ever have to say “I give up. Please let me go” I had a good life but I couldn’t do it anymore. The more I thought about it the less I had the heart to actually look my parents in the eyes with such harsh words. What a selfish situation to put my family through. This conversation would have broken their hearts! All I could think about was causing them pain if I wasn’t here. I had no options left so I did what I’m sure anyone else would do. I prayed. I told God that my strength was too weak and I didn’t think I could make it up the hill much longer. I needed help. I needed a miracle. I had faith. With God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26)
God showed me His love on March 13, 2007. Life hasn’t been an easy road for me the past ten years but the time in between is precious. I cherish every little moment as it comes. I see my family & my husband smiling back at me through the exceptional times of my life while I silently thank The Lord that he didn’t let me go like I wanted to all those years ago.
So, Here I am at twenty five years old. I owe it all to my parents & my grandmother who never gave up on me. I survived. I made it. I won. I believed in my strength while I carried my heavy baggage up the hill & I reached the top. I’ll be damned if I don’t smile everyday for the rest of my life.
For this I have learned: God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. (1 Corinthians 10:13) AND Everything is possible for one who believes (Mark 9:23)
Join me in Prayer
Father,
Shine extra light on my donor family today. Comfort them during times of grief & sadness. Lift their never ending burdens & show them the way.
Amen.
]
Celebrating with dinner and dessert at Olive Garden
]
Dear Friends & Family,
Today as I sit here typing this I can think of two words to describe my life. Thankful & Blessed. The feelings I have right now are almost indescribable. My life changed drastically on this very day at 5 A.M. ten years ago when I was at the young age of fifteen years old. “We have lungs for Amber” I was given a new life. A second chance. A chance many people don’t receive in enough time. Sometimes I can’t help but sob with joy when I realize that I’m still here after all this time. I bypassed fifty percent of the people that survive longer than five years for a double lung transplant by doubling the number!
Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny -C.S. Lewis
This is a very small piece of my story:
The fact is; I wasn’t living a normal teenage life. At twelve years old my health was rapidly declining each passing year. I couldn’t attend school, I couldn’t hang out with my friends as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t leave the house for long periods of time for many reasons: My oxygen tank only lasted a few hours, I had I.V. medication that needed to be kept cold & I would become easily exhausted with little movement. I couldn’t walk across a small room without gasping for air. I simply couldn't enjoy a moment of laughter without physically getting sick from laughing too much. I had to bring my wheelchair everywhere. In most situations the only thing I could do was sit there and watch everyone else have fun. I had been dancing since I was six years old but I had to quit because I couldn’t breathe anymore. I used to listen to music but I could no longer do that either because I couldn’t hear. I was always attached to oxygen & I.V. tubes which was a constant reminder of how my life had changed dramatically. I was living in the hospital a couple times a year for weeks at a time. How did I get to this point? What did I do wrong? Why did I deserve this? My parents taught me to take my Cystic Fibrosis medication & hook up my breathing treatments everyday & this is my reward? I lived like this for three & a half years. It felt like a lifetime of suffering. While every other teenager was beginning a new journey through high school and making lasting memories I was dying. My life was over or so I thought. I was unprepared to tell my family what no fifteen year old should ever have to say “I give up. Please let me go” I had a good life but I couldn’t do it anymore. The more I thought about it the less I had the heart to actually look my parents in the eyes with such harsh words. What a selfish situation to put my family through. This conversation would have broken their hearts! All I could think about was causing them pain if I wasn’t here. I had no options left so I did what I’m sure anyone else would do. I prayed. I told God that my strength was too weak and I didn’t think I could make it up the hill much longer. I needed help. I needed a miracle. I had faith. With God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26)
God showed me His love on March 13, 2007. Life hasn’t been an easy road for me the past ten years but the time in between is precious. I cherish every little moment as it comes. I see my family & my husband smiling back at me through the exceptional times of my life while I silently thank The Lord that he didn’t let me go like I wanted to all those years ago.
So, Here I am at twenty five years old. I owe it all to my parents & my grandmother who never gave up on me. I survived. I made it. I won. I believed in my strength while I carried my heavy baggage up the hill & I reached the top. I’ll be damned if I don’t smile everyday for the rest of my life.
For this I have learned: God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. (1 Corinthians 10:13) AND Everything is possible for one who believes (Mark 9:23)
Join me in Prayer
Father,
Shine extra light on my donor family today. Comfort them during times of grief & sadness. Lift their never ending burdens & show them the way.
Amen.
]
Celebrating with dinner and dessert at Olive Garden
]
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