Feeling a little guilty.... | Tuesday, November 20, 2012

This thought was gut-wrenching for me... the thought of someone dying, so I could live. But, this very thought was part of Sandi's existence for several years as she waited for lungs to breathe and ultimately live.

Suffering long term illness after a brain tumor in college, Sandi's health continued to deteriorate over the years until at age 57 was told she would require a lung transplant to survive any longer. When presented with this desperate option, she says, "There are worse things than the prospect of facing death."Her life had become so limited, with the simple effort of breathing, that she was unable to even hold her newborn grandson until he was 18 months old.... the effort was simply too much.

After being hospitalized for quite some time and given the prospect of maybe a couple more days of life in her lungs, the thought finally crossed her mind and brought guilt with it...."is it wrong to hope for lungs, knowing that someone will have to die to get them?"

2 short days later....thanks to the generosity of a family of a 19 year old boy named Joshua, Sandi received the gift of life through new lungs.

"Faith gets you through it- faith in God, your family and doing the right thing... Giving up was never an option." She still is reminded of the ordeal she went through and the gift she was given...she wants to make the most of the gift she now enjoys. She's taken up a previous love of painting and has created some lovely images of joy!

Sandi was literally given the 'gift of life' because another human being's life ended. Consider the gift you could give if faced with the same tragedy. Please consider becoming an organ donor and giving the ultimate gift.

Labels: #beadonor, #bebold, Be Bold Feel Beautiful, lung donor, lung transplant, michigan donor registry, Terri Shaver, The Oldham Project

0 Comments | Link directly

Feeling a little guilty.... | Tuesday, November 20, 2012

0 Comments :

Post a Comment