In the pre-op waiting room, right before she was escorted to the OR waiting room, Alex told me that she named the gift she was giving me "Mabel".
A little over twelve years ago, a beautiful girl in Iowa named Kari told her family how strongly she felt about organ donation. Twice. I was in Chicago, my lungs were failing after a short lifetime living with cystic fibrosis... I was dying. In April, 2000, at the age of 17, Kari passed away. At the most devastating moment in their lives, Kari's family honored her desire to become an organ donor. I breathe with Kari's lungs. All of my life, I'd never imagined breathing could feel this good, this fulfilling- I think of Kari throughout the day, every day...
It was a few years after I received her beautiful lungs that we learned about Kari and her family... About a year later, we drove out to Algona, Iowa and we met them... We also met a few of Kari's friends. Over the next few years, Kari's Mom put me in contact with several of her friends... Over the past 7 or 8 years, more than a dozen of her friends have come out to climb with me - I've come to love them dearly...
One of Kari's friends I met early on was Alex... Actually, we met Alex and her brother when we were at a restaurant with Kari's family, when we met them... Alex was among the first groups of Kari's friends to come out to climb with me - and she's back every year...
A few years ago, I got an email from Alex... She explained that there was a young girl in Iowa who needed a kidney, and the girl's grandfather was being tested. Alex told me that if the grandfather was not eligible, she wanted to step up to the plate. And, if the grandfather worked out - she wanted to know how she might go about giving a kidney altruistically to someone who needed one... I told Alex that I was in awe of her, and what she wanted to do - and that she gave me hope, because I knew that, in a matter of years, it was inevitable that I would need a kidney... And knowing that there are people like her in the world helps me worry less... A few weeks later, I got an email from Alex about something-or-other, and it ended with a p.s. that she has a type A+ kidney with my name on it...
In August, 2011, my kidney function got to the point where I was officially listed for a kidney transplant. I felt very loved when a number of people stepped forward and told me they wanted to be tested... I emailed Alex and told her - and I told her about all my fears - for her, not me - whether this could impact her insurability, her future health, or if, God forbid, she could be injured... I got an email back from her telling me to "Stop being such a scairdy-cat" and give her the number to call to get this rolling...
About three months later, I was doing a presentation for Iowa Donor Network and Alex left me a voice message - I still have it on my phone... At the end of her message, she said, "SOOooo, I guess there must be something special about Algona, Iowa, and the girls who come from there...". Yes - I guess there is... Alex was letting me know that University of Chicago had called her and let her know she was a good match... She just wanted to let me know, "You have a kidney!"
Four days before our surgeries, Nesita Kwan from NBC/5-Chicago, interviewed Alex and me at home... They rolled tape for an awful long time and pulled a very nice 90-second spot that aired a few times on May 4th... I wish you could hear everything Alex talked about - about life with Kari, climbing with me, and why she wanted to give me a kidney... Here is the video that aired:
View more videos at: http://nbcchicago.com.
Kari wore #13 on her high school volleyball team - Alex wore #7... On May 8, 2012, #7 gave me one of her kidneys to keep me alive a good while longer... I'm pretty sure that, on that day, my lungs reached down and hugged my beautiful, new kidney...
Can you imagine what it feels like to have your life saved by an incredible, beautiful, thoughtful & compassionate girl - who allows you to breathe and live in a way you'd never imagined... Then, 12 years later, you find yourself in trouble again - and you have another incredible, beautiful, thoughtful & compassionate girl, who grew up with and loved Kari - reach out and save your life again?!?!
Alex gave me her kidney on a Tuesday afternoon... An amazing surgeon, Dr. Yolanda Becker, did the installation work... She had already had me opened up last Christmas during my last surgical stunt, and had a look around and knew what she had to work with!!! That Tuesday night I peed five liters...
I woke up the next morning and was still intubated, for precautionary purposes... Laura said I was rather anxious, trying to say something and no one understood - and finally, Laura said, "Alex is fine...", and I immediately calmed down... I then got a pen & paper and, in my propofol haze, wrote a note about how much I love Laura, Alex, Dr Becker & Dr Garrity and luckily then I ran out of paper... When they were about to extubate me - my lung transplant nurses, Penny & Pat, had stopped to visit, so they gloved up and helped... Right before they sent Laura out so they could pull the tube, she asked for another minute - to enjoy the silence - since there would no longer be any of that in a matter of seconds!!!
Alex's parents came out to be with Alex during her surgery and recovery... We'd met them in Algona last November... At least three families told us that when we meet her parents, we will understand how Alex became Alex. We completely agree with that statement! Alex recovered well - I have to believe she was in more pain than she lead me to believe - but I never saw anything but smiles, from her or her folks... Ironically - she had no appetite and was a little nauseous for 4-5-6 days after surgery, where I was looking for a grilled cheese sandwich practically as they were extubating me!!! Alex was released from the hospital 3 days after her surgery...
In two days, my kidney function was normal... It probably hadn't been there in 20 years - years of cystic fibrosis meds had already compromised them before I got my beautiful lungs... Four days after I was opened up on the table - I walked to our local restaurant, Hackney's, and had a ham & cheese sandwich! The next day, Laura and I went on two 2-mile walks!
I promise I will honor and care for Mabel with the same love I've taken care of her beautiful friend's lungs... Since the moment I knew her face, Kari's smile has been on my mind throughout the day, every day - now there will be another smile right next to Kari's - Alex... And the wonderful thing about this smile - is that, every now and then, I get to hug her... Kari gave me 12 more years with Laura, and all of the other people I love... She gave me more than I'd ever dreamed possible. I was a little worried that run might have been coming to an end - but Kari's friend, and my friend, Alex, has just given me who-knows-how-many more years to be with Laura, and to be with all of the people I love, and to leap tall buildings and whatever other kind of trouble I can drag others into with me... Can you imagine a gift like that?!?! Thank you, Alex - I'll love you always...
I'm hoping that I'll soon qualify for honorary Iowa citizenship - because it does seem that I'm slowly being rebuilt into a girl from Iowa.
p.s. It's almost midnight, but today is Alex & Mabel's birthday - Happy Birthday to Both of us...
