10 days ago at work at the U Wi Hospital. She was a lung transplant coordinator, was in a meeting but had a lot of pressure in her chest. She was on her way to the ER when she collapsed, they were unable to resusatate her in a world class hospital. They feel it as an embolism. She had suffered some valve damage when diagnosed with kidney failure because she had IgA neuopathy, her kidneys had stopped functioning, and she had 50 lbs of fluid in her body causing heart failure. The valve perhaps released a clot. She went suddenly.
Her fist transplant came from a close family friend, he beat me out with a 5/6 match, I was 4/6. That transplant lasted her 9 years. She was a surgical nurse, during that time and was taking classes for her Masters degree. After getting her Masters, and then getting my kidney, she moved into the lung transplant coordinator position. She loved her work.
She loved her family, she was the best aunt to her nieces and nephew, she loved her friends, if you were in her circle, you were gold, she loved to travel and taking cruises, she was the family story teller and scrapbooker, she took photos, lots or photos, she is the one that brought the silly hats, glasses and deelyboppers for all the occasions, she also had her faith, which had helped her immensly at the times she needed it most.
Her sister is expecting her second child, this one will be a boy. She had already bought the Christening gown and had matching outfits bought for all the little ones to get pictures taken in, plus the first Halloween, first Thanksgiving and first Christmas clothes for the new boy. She always was planning ahead.
We found a notebook that had her grocery list, clothes she was going to order, and some other things in there, always the planner.
This young woman, not quite 39, lived her life to the fullest, perhaps not knowing when her freedom of being on dialysis might end, perhaps she knew her time was short. But she really lived!
The line at her wake just never ended until an hour after the published time. So many lives she had touched, friends flew in, family they had just seen from out of state, family that hadn't seen her for some time, Co workers from 10 years ago to present, doctors, nurses. Her parents received a letter from a former patient of hers that spoke glowingly of what a wonderful person she had been, made them feel comfortable and never talked down to them.
My sister and husband of course were shell chocked at first, but the more they saw how much their daughter had impacked others, they were consoled. The out pouring of love for their daughter blew them away.
They were always so thankful to the donors for their daughter life, but really, we the donors were the lucky ones. We got to see a person grow and become someone that faced adversity and made the most out of it.
At the funeral ceramony, the lights when out for a second, no storm mind you, I turned to my husband and said "she is here". The priest mentioned the same thing and many others did also later. From that moment, I decided not to be sad anymore, but to be joyful and celebrate as that is what she would have wanted all of us to be.
I did read a good saying, "sometimes a memory falls out of my eye and falls down my face" but no more sadness.
I needed to share with you other donors as only you will know the feelings I am having. Thank you for reading this.
Topic: My niece recipient died........ (Read 9121 times)