National Organ & Tissue Donation Awareness Week

It's that time of year again. The week that focuses on improving lives, saving lives and the heroes that make that happen.

National Organ & Tissue Donation Awareness Week.

Let's make some noise, shall we? I had another opportunity to chat with our local news station about the need for an online registry in Nova Scotia. I'm like a huge star - with my 6.7 second interview. I know you are all likely wondering how I do it. How I avoid the paparazzi. Well, I have my ways. My stealthy ninjaesque ways. However, that's for a later post.

I do my best year round to advocate and raise awareness. It's about educating and sharing my story in the hopes that it touches people and stimulates conversation. Let's converse!

I would not have this incredible life if this hadn't happened to me. If you followed my blog from day 1, or day 96 (I'll forgive), than you  know how my life has transformed. I am a walking miracle. I am proof that organ donation really works.

Let's reminisce, shall we?

2012

Oxygen 24/7
Barely an appetite - Feeding Tube due to malnutrition
Wheelchair and scooter (better known as Archie) due to incredible lack of energy and strength
Hospital visits on the daily (that's how the cool kids say it)
ICU visit looking remarkably similar to Hannibal Lecter
Coughing as the soundtrack to my life
Constant struggle to breathe
Months to live

Fast forward to 2015

No oxygen tubing - I suck that in all by myself
An appetite that would impress Homer Simpson
Legs that go up stairs like a boss
Hospital - what's that? (okay, perhaps 4x/year)
ICU - ain't nobody got time for that
Coughing - I don't really know how to do that these days
Struggle to breathe? Only when I'm laughing too hard to have time to breathe

As far as months to live...nobody knows how long they have to live. We are all on a clock. A clock that we can't see and probably wouldn't want to see. What I do know is that I am not on an obvious time frame; my weeks are not being depleted while my body slowly shuts down.

I'm alive. I'm breathing. I'm cool. Oh, whoops, did I throw that in there? Weird.

But true.

I am just eternally grateful for life. I do need a reminder once in awhile. It's easy to forget the struggles I had; the fight I had. It's easy to get caught up in the "problems" of regular life.

But we all need to relax.

Cause we are breathing. We are breathing.

Thank you donor. Thank you donor family. I owe you my life.

I owe you my life.

***Please register to be an organ & tissue donor. You will save a life. Or you may need to have your life saved. Raising the number of registered donors helps everyone. You just might not realize it yet. Perhaps not until it's too late and you too have lost a loved one because an organ didn't come in time. #beadonor

(Hashtags (#) are also what the cool kids use.)