“Written in response to The Daily Post prompt Finite Creatures.

DAILY PROMPT
At what age did you realize you were not immortal? How did you react to that discovery?

I have this question, are we immortal or not.

A couple of years ago when my daughter was very sick in the hospital, I still have a hard time saying, dying, is when it really hit me, dr.’s can’t fix everything. We are not immortal. There are some things beyond our control. Only the Dear Lord knows. All I could do for my daughter at that point was to just hold on to her and tell her to hang on.

We may not be immortal in body, but parts of us can be immoral for a longer time.

If you are an organ donor, then it can happen.

My daughter Lauren, received her gift of life, a new heart. The person that was the donor, may have died, but is not completely gone. Her heart is beating strong in my daughter’s body. We pray and hope we will meet the family that gave my daughter back her life. A part of their daughter is still alive in my daughter.

So I guess I am thinking, if you are an organ donor, would you think you could be immortal.

Something to think about………

Become an organ donor today.

Lynne

Sunday a day to relax

July 19, 2015July 19, 2015 Lynne13245 Comments

Today I decided that I am going to devote this day to myself. My husband took my nephew to the NASCAR race in Loudon New Hampshire.

They have VIP passes, so here they are on the track. My nephew Ryan is so excited, not only being at the race but he has his uncle Dean all to himself. They just sent me this picture so I thought I would post it.

My plan is to sit by the pool with a book and take some quite time for me.

The sun is shining, morning housework is done so now it’s time to find that book and relax.

Hope everyone is have a super Sunday.

Lynne

Echo Donate Life

July 17, 2015 Lynne1324Leave a comment

Please take a minute to read this post……

ECHO, which stands for : Every Community Has Opportunity

The Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation (AMAT) Teams Up with Donate Life America (DLA) to Launch New National Observance: Donate Life ECHO

(Richmond, VA—July 6, 2015)—The Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation (AMAT) and Donate Life America (DLA) are joining forces to launch “Donate Life ECHO,” a new national observance designed to reach multicultural communities. ECHO, which stands for: Every Community Has Opportunity, is being launched to bolster engagement with African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latino, and other multicultural communities.

The new observance, ECHO, has two objectives: one is to focus on the power of sharing one’s personal decision to register as an organ, eye and tissue donor with members of one’s community; the second is to encourage registered donors to ask members of their personal networks and extended communities to register as donors. Through the ECHO concept of reiteration and repetition—with people sharing the life-affirming message of donation within their community—more lives will be saved and healed.

“This strategic initiative is about empowering individuals to echo the message of donation throughout their respective communities, while building momentum together,” said Remonia Chapman, president of AMAT. “We are delighted to collaborate with DLA for this groundbreaking effort to equip people from all backgrounds with a host of culturally relevant tools and resources that have been designed to foster meaningful conversations and personal testimonies about the vitally important health topic of organ, eye and tissue donation and transplantation.”

The two-week observance will be held during the second and third full weeks in July. This year’s inaugural observance will be held July 12 – July 25. ECHO is not intended to replace current programs and commemorations; rather, it offers a new mid-year opportunity with tremendous social media and community potential. As nearly 60 percent of the current U.S. transplant waiting list is comprised of ethnically diverse patients, the need for increased education efforts and new strategic approaches is a critical step toward increasing the number of registered donors in multicultural communities.

David Fleming, DLA President and CEO, added: “DLA is excited to be working with AMAT on this new observance, which has the potential to reach specific communities in an innovative way. It is no coincidence that the words ‘community’ and ‘opportunity’ both include the word ‘unity,’ as together, we can create lifesaving change. This transformative observance highlights that great good that can come from sharing the importance of registering as a donor with our family, friends and communities.”

The new observance will be translated into multiple languages, including Spanish. Done Vida ECO, which stands for Esperanza, Comunidad y Oportunidad, translates to “hope,” “community,” and “opportunity.” Together, AMAT and DLA will offer a Donate Life ECHO digital toolkit that will include: social media banners, graphics, talking points, and an array of resources that can be customized for specific audiences. To learn more, visit: http://www.amat1.org/programs/echo and http://www.DonateLife.net/echo.

About the Association of Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation (AMAT)
AMAT was established in 1992 to address the increasing need for organ and tissue donors in the multicultural communities while simultaneously offering support, shared expertise and professional development opportunities for its members as they save and heal lives. AMAT is a self-sustaining, self-governed organization operating solely on voluntary contributions from individuals, corporations, and other affiliated organizations. For more information, visit: http://www.AMAT1.org.

About Donate Life America (DLA)
Donate Life America is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit alliance of national organizations and Donate Life State Teams across the United States committed to saving and healing lives through increased organ, eye and tissue donation. Donate Life America, with the help of its corporate partners, is dedicated to spreading the word about the importance of being a registered donor so that others may live. For more information, visit: http://www.DonateLife.net.

Media Contacts:

AMAT
Ayanna Anderson, Public Relations Chair
aanderson [at] dnwest [dot] org, Ph: (510) 251.7003
Donate Life America
Aaron Kelchner
akelchner [at] donatelife [dot] net, Ph: (804) 377.3584

Today is the waiting day, Lauren’s biopsy results……….

July 14, 2015 Lynne13244 Comments

Yesterday, Lauren had her heart biopsy. Off to Boston. Her last biopsy was 3 months ago all good. Lauren had her heart transplant on Dec. 30, 2013. Since the transplant she has had 2 slight rejections, the dr.’s told us that is normal. Well, it might be normal to have a slight rejection, those are the words you do not want to hear. They needed to adjust her medication to correct rejection. The rejections were at the beginning of her journey after transplant, we haven’t had one in a while. Thank God.

If you read my last post, it explains the biopsy process. When a body receives a new organ through transplant it will always see it as a foreign organ. That is why a recipient must always take rejection medication every day.

So anyway, it was a long day yesterday for Lauren. Biopsy, echo, then a visit to the clinic to talk with the dr. From what they saw everything looks good. Her pressures where a little high, but they always have been. After the biopsy, they send it to the lab and check for rejection. That process takes 24 hours. So, by the end of the day we will receive a phone call with the news. Please, say a prayer…no rejection.

Lynne

Lauren and Mike took to the road yesterday, Harley Ride

July 13, 2015July 13, 2015 Lynne1324Leave a comment

Lauren and Mike Thibault, after the ride all smiles

Yesterday, Lauren and Mike took to the road on his Harley. The participated in the Motorcycle Driving Awareness Benefit Ride & Concert for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

They had a great time, riding and meeting people. I really think Lauren was destin to be a biker baby. She loves it. This is her second ride with Mike, they participated in a breast cancer ride a couple of months ago.

Life should be about getting involved and helping whenever you can. Very proud of these two.

If anyone knows of any events coming up, let me know. I will post it on my site, plus you never know, these two might just show up.

Lynne

Lauren’s Donor, blogging 101

July 9, 2015July 13, 2015 Lynne13244 Comments

Identify Your Audience

I guess my audience is you if you are reading this. I would like to send a heart-felt “thank you”for following my blog.

Today’s post is about organ donor’s and their families. One in particular, Lauren’s heart donor.

When Lauren was placed on the heart transplant list, I knew that someone had to die for my daughter to live. It took me a long time to comprehend this thought. As days turned into weeks, than months of living in the hospital waiting, I had a lot of talks with the Dear Lord. My daughter was getting sicker and sicker, and all I kept thinking was maybe today. Now, here I am, praying Lauren would receive a heart, in the back of my mind out of all the deaths every day, please be Lauren’s match.

Lauren’s donor

To this date we still have no idea who Lauren’s donor was. The picture above, I believe could be her. The only thing the doctors would tell us was “if you just had a baby, the baby would be wearing pink”. So we know it was a female.

To all the families out there that have lost a loved one, and they were an organ donor. I am so, so sorry for your loss. Please take a little comfort in knowing that they saved others. Also with respect, as a mother of a child who is an organ recipient we know it is your choice to be known to the other family.

This song is dedicated to all the organ donors