Revive Hope

Karen Range

Subtitle: Today I am an organ donor.

First of all – there is a beautiful little video below about a friend who I have never met in person. Yet.  I will meet her in person someday.  I met her electronically on Transplant Buddies while she was a little afraid and waiting for lungs, and dreaming about dancing with her toddler son, Sammy. I found her compassion and care towards other people to be amazing – reading her responses to questions from others who were suffering or struggling, would never give you an idea that she was struggling herself…

Karen received her beautiful, new lungs on December 1, 2009.  She has danced with Sammy… The video below, produced by Maddie McGarvey, is titled “My Name is Karen Range” – and more of Karen’s story, written by Karen, is available at this link…

But I want to touch on another way Karen touched a life. As much as I’ve grown to adore Karen and what she does and says – the photographer/producer added a little prologue that I found truly moving:

STATEMENT FROM PHOTOGRAPHER MADDIE MCGARVEY: "I started this project not really knowing what to expect. Honestly, I didn’t know much about organ donation, and at first I struggled with this project. Karen lived almost two hours away from me and I was shooting throughout the winter when the roads were treacherous and all I wanted to do was hide in bed. But I knew this was an important project that could actually make a difference in somebody’s life so I pushed myself to do a good job. I met Karen a few weeks before she got the call that changed her life. She was frail, couldn’t get around very well, and yet so full of hope. I took a few pictures of her and her son and told her I would be back as soon as I was on winter break from school. A couple of weeks later I got an email saying that Karen had her double lung transplant and was doing well. I was thrilled for her, and hoped that she would still let me follow her around and document her life with her new lungs. I can honestly say that Karen and her family have changed my life for the better. I witnessed Karen transform from someone barely able to breathe on her own to being able to run up the stairs. I am so thankful that Karen let me into her life. I have definitely learned not to take life for granted. I didn’t care about organ donation until I met Karen. As she invited me into her life, I met a woman no different than my own mother. Today I am an organ donor."

Karen Range | Lung Recipient | By Maddie McGarvey from David Y. Lee on Vimeo.

There is not much that says more about us, or about the beautiful person who saved our life, than after telling our story to someone – to have them come up to you and say, “Today I am an organ donor.”

Karen’s dream was to dance with Sammy… Her new dream is to dance at Sammy’s wedding… If you’re not already registered, how about considering making some dreams come true? Register at your state’s registry so that you can say, “Today I am an organ donor.”

Megan Herdegen 1979-2010

 

This is a picture of Megan and me at the U.S. Transplant Games in Madison, Wisconsin, this past August… We’re both enjoying Dippin’ Dots – the breakfast of champions…

Organ donation and transplant are precarious things… It’s a gift spawned from devastation – In someone’s death, life is given to others… Maybe a little like a phoenix, with life rising from the ashes… And the life that results from this incredible gift is often fragile. We recipients and our families and friends are thankful beyond measure for the extra time we are given… And we’re on toxic drugs that keep our immune systems from attacking the gift we were given – while taxing the rest of our body. Some of us live much longer than we ever expected. And some of us don’t get nearly as much time as would seem fair…

I lost a beautiful friend named Megan this week. I’ve posted about her in the past, here and here and here… Sometimes – OK, often – I’m a little disappointed in myself that I don’t spend more time with the people I love – with my friends… We get new lungs, go back to work, get involved with all manner of things – and life is moving at 100 miles per hour, and you hope that the people you love know that you love them…

Megan was transplanted a little over three years ago – she went into rejection over the past year or so, and she was not a candidate to be re-transplanted… A few weeks ago, she got sick enough to be placed on a ventilator – and she couldn’t be weaned off of it… This Monday, Megan chose to remove herself from the ventilator. I cannot imagine the level of strength and courage she had in her little body. The week before – she left a message on Facebook that she was upset… She was hurt because she found out that because of an unknown pathogen in her lungs – she would not qualify to be an organ donor when she passed away… She was upset because she would not be able to give gifts like those she was given… But she did give gifts – she gave hope and inspiration to so many people.

If you are one of Megan’s Facebook friends – you know the outpouring of love that Megan has experienced over these past few weeks. That outpouring of love was no less than the result of seeds that Megan has planted and watered over the years – now blooming for her.

I cannot imagine all she’s been through in her short life… She packed more pain in her 30-some years than 10 people pack in 100 years each… Yet, the spirit I saw was always joyful… She would always greet me with a beaming smile – then hit me and ask me why I hadn’t seen her in so long – then forgive me… I know that she would have liked to have known about the precious donor who gave her her new lungs – I have to believe that she’s with him or her right now… And I know whomever it was, they would be proud of what they’ve done for her – and what she’s done with the gift they gave her…

Megan didn’t deserve the problems she was born with – she didn’t deserve all she went through then, and now… She deserved so much more than three years with beautiful, new lungs… Life is kinda puzzling sometimes and what happened to our Megan was not fair. But life isn’t fair or unfair – life just is – life just happens… We’re all given a battle plan in life – and some of us seem to draw much more difficult assignments than others… But we all fight with the spirit we’re given – and I’ll always admire your spirit, Megan…

Along with so many of us – Megan got to attend the U.S. Transplant Games in Madison this year… I know how much she wanted to compete – she was already too compromised to do that… But if anyone should get a gold medal for cheering and spirit, on behalf of all of Team Illinois I would nominate Megan… At the opening ceremony, Megan and all of us listened to a beautiful lady named Holly who lost her infant son Jake, who became a donor.  Holly sang a song from the musical Wicked…

It well may be, That we will never meet again
In this lifetime – So let me say before we part
So much of me, Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me – Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend…

Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a skybird
In a distant wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
I do believe I have been changed for the better…

Because I knew you
Because I knew you
I have been changed for good.

I’ll never forget your smile and I’ll always love you, Megan… And I know that, because they knew you, many, many people on this planet have been changed for good.

 

Lauren: An Unfortunate Hero

Last night I was watching the news and the included video of Lauren Huddleston aired. Lauren was tragically injured last week while out for a run and she passed away yesterday. Lauren told her family only months ago that she would want to be an organ donor and sadly, her family had to make that difficult decision yesterday.

Lauren reminds us of the importance of having crucial conversations with your loved ones! She reminds us that life is too short so please don't take a minute for granted. She also reminds us that true heros are just normal every day people who understand the importance of compassion and the power of hope!

 

 

 

 

Please talk to your loved ones about your final wishes! As difficult as it may be to talk about, it may make a difficult time for them much less painful!

If you want to leave a legacy, like Lauren and be a true hero please register to be an organ donor. Click here for more information from your state registry!

 

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Huddleston family throughout this difficult time!