One year ago today I was listed for a double lung transplant. So much has happened in these last 365 days. I started this journey not needing additional oxygen and now I'm using it 24/7. I had two phone calls for high-risk lungs, and I turned them both down because I knew deep down those lungs were not for me. Tom and I moved to a new home, which turned out to be a good thing in the end. This year has been filled with so many ups and downs and huge emotional growth on my part. It has taught me patience, perseverance, and how to hold onto hope. I have a lot to be thankful for, including the fact I am still here fighting for every breath.
September was our toughest month yet. It felt like it was never going to end. It had some good parts, but even the good parts came with stress. The bad parts were definitely rough. I lost my friend Kriss to this horrible disease. I was fortunate to spend a week with her at a CF retreat and conference at the beginning of August. Not long after that, her health took an unexpected downward spiral that ended tragically in her passing. She is no longer suffering, but a lot of us here on earth mourn her loss and her beautiful spirit. Her passing was and is more challenging for me to grasp because she wasn't much healthier than I am currently. Each horrible health event that she endured led to another, until she could take no more. Losing a friend, on top of life's normal stresses, I started to lose traction on my own health.
