Monday, October 5, 2015

5th year Tx Anniversary - A Few Months of Pain, Another Year of My Life

Sorry That it has been a while since I have Blogged.
Quite a few things have happened, not all good, but things have started to improve now :) 
So I thought I would fill in the gaps and update everyone with the details.....

First I would like to say there have been some changes in my blog list unfortunately Jodie Smith who I had followed since her heart and lung transplant. Went into rejection and despite being on the transplant list again, she didn't get her chance and passed away still waiting.I have added her blog to the right hand side column of the blog with others who are no longer with us.  
She is survived by her daughter shown in this lovely picture from her blog back in 2010 She suffered from CF and was in her mid 30s when she passed on! 
Jodie RIP
 Another person who may have been saved by a transplant that never came :(

I have added a new lady called Parris who is 17 years and just starting on her journey towards a possible transplant she is finding it hard to deal with the emotions that this change in her life is bringing  and would surely like to get some comments and encouragement to help her through!!

One thing I had hoped is that this blog would be an encouragement to others on the transplant journey Sometimes though it is a record of the fact that, although Transplant can give someone a new chance at life it is not a cure 

On a positive note George who writes My Journey the Beginning of the end  on my blog list has had a transplant and is two weeks out into her new journey please have a read

So what has been happening with me???
Back in March I went to visit a friend of mine in Oxford and was on my way home on my 800cc Honda Crossrunner motorbike when I was undercut by a car on a local roundabout. The lady in question had taken the wrong line around the roundabout despite the signs, then decided to cut across my path upon leaving the roundabout by the wrong exit I made a decision to overtake her to avoid a collision but I had not accounted for the pedestrian island just after the  roundabout.I was unable to continue the overtake without hitting the island I made a choice to get off the bike and slid down the road on my right side the bike luckily missed me an slid down the road to my left.
I came to a stop painfully and thought I have really done it now!!! 
I tried to breath but couldn't I was really scared 
The thought came to me -  You have damaged yourself so much that you are just going to sit here and suffocate to death now!!!
I tried to inspire again this time success....
Thank you God!

I managed to tell a driver who had stopped to dial 999 and tell the services That I have had a double lung transplant.Then gave her my phone and asked her to phone Liz my Wife and tell her where I was, only two mile from home at the time.The ambulance arrived within a very short time and then so did Liz and my son.I was in agony with 8 broken ribs and a bone exposed where I had lost all the skin from my left knee.

I spent a month in Hospital on oxygen and loads of pain killers and have been recovering every since even now my knee has not fully healed but I am looking forward and getting better all the time. Another year of my life passed with my birthday in August and I was able to get a holiday to Hastings to visit Liz's family before that, after getting discharged from wound care appointments at the plastic surgery outpatients

what happened to my Bike? It got sold to the repair firm who made me an offer that I could not turn down £1000 less than I paid for it two years earlier.The money is sitting in my bank now waiting till I can get a new bike.My son has passed his bike test now and is able to get a bigger bike so we hope to be on new machines for the spring! 

Five years ago I was sitting in Harefield Hospital waiting to hear if I would receive a new set of Lungs!
I am feeling so grateful to the 45yr old man who had signed to Donor register and allowed my dream of a second chance at life to come true.
It has been a great five yrs but not all plain sailing,I am so grateful to my Donor and to my family Alex Ellie and my Lovely wife Liz for supporting me through all the ups & downs 
At 5am I went into the operation and received a gift I can never repay I came out of theatre at about 11.30am and my life started again:) It is a sobering thought that statistics for survival rates mean that I am one of the 50% that are alive after 5 years 
I am so grateful !!!

This month I will celebrate my Wedding Anniversary. Six years since Liz and myself have been married and 28 yrs together 
My daughter turns 21 at the end of the month while studying English degree at Manchester
My son has started two jobs and is presently in college and working part time for ALDI
me?
 Thanks to my donor and the Will of God
I am able to have a life I never dreamed would happen
I an truly blessed 

I would like to wish all my Tx friends a happy and healthy time and what every the next years bring lets us all celebrate this great life we have to live