hello fabulous friends! we have a new blog with a wonderful message to share with you all today. enjoy and stay tuned for new things coming up!
Hello everyone! You may remember me from a previous feature post for my main blog, The (Not Always) Happy Homemaker Diary. I'm Missy and I'll be your tour guide for my BRAND NEW blog, "Our Transplanted Life" on this Blog Feature, thanks to For The Love Of Blogs.
Almost a year and a half ago, I had been given a precious gift. One that tops any and all Christmas gifts combined. Or even birthday gifts.
Since I was eighteen, a legal adult, I have always checked the little box that says that in the event of my death (be it timely or untimely), that the doctors can take any organs or tissues, or even my eyes to give someone else a second chance at life, or at the very least improve their lives.
Yes, I am a registered Organ/Eye/Tissue Donor.
But there is more to this story than meets the (proverbial) eye...
In 2004, during the latter part of my last pregnancy, I had an extremely bad case of acne that we thought was hormone-induced. And at one point, I had even started having problems with my eyes. They would get infected constantly. At one point, I thought that I had pink eye (2009).
Later on as the year went by, after going in several times for treatment of my "Keratitis" infection, my eye was only getting worse because I apparently had the wrong diagnosis and the wrong treatment.
It wasn't until the first week of October of 2009 that I had my life change forever. I had perforated (created a hole) in my Cornea. And I came to find out, via an emergency visit to a specialist (on a Saturday no less) that my "acne" was really a skin disorder called Roseacea. And that BEFORE I poked myself in the eye (REALLY!), the damage was already done by the Roseacea because it ate most of my cornea away.
After sending me to Duke Medical Center for treatment, I was sent back LESS than a week later after the gluing (to help my chances with infection being gone and preparing mentally) procedure failed for an emergent CORNEAL TRANSPLANT.
Ever since then (October 29, 2009, which was the 20th anniv. of my mother's passing, is when I received a new chance at having all of my sight back), I have become more avid in spreading the word about Transplants and Organ/Eye/Tissue Donation.
Just the other day, I had asked a few Transplant Community buddies if they wanted to co-author a blog tailored specifically around the topic of Transplants and Donation. So far, yes...And I am now awaiting for some of my friends to "officialize" their authorship.
We all come from various backgrounds, life experiences, places of residency and from various areas of the Transplant Community. Some of us are caregivers. Some are transplant recipients. And some are Live Donors or Donor Families.
Our blog is aptly named "Our Transplanted Life" and with good reason. Each one of us were inadvertently thrusted in to a world of the unknown. We all have had our lives drastically changed in one form or another by Donation and Transplantation.
With this blog you will NEVER know who may post when. We have it set up so that our contributors can post at ANY time, day or night.
Also you can "Meet Our Contributors" under one of our page tabs, and find reputable and informational links regarding Transplantation and Donation. As well as a page tab to see Donation/Transplantation related pictures (nothing gross or gory).
We want you, the world to know what OUR world is like on the inside, not just see it from the outside haze of the window. This includes raw, real stories of our experiences and posts (in the future) to dispel MYTHS and provide the TRUTHS about transplantation and donation.
I urge each of you reading this to please join us at Our Transplanted Life. Thanks to those who gave freely of themselves, or their families who made the heart-wrenching decision, we recipients are THANKFUL and we LOVE our donors and their families. They helped better and/or save our lives with their gifts of life and of hope.
And the best way to know the REAL ins and outs about this highly heart-wrenching and 'touchy' subject is to "see" it from OUR eyes and from OUR real-life experiences.
----------------------------------------
Hello everyone! You may remember me from a previous feature post for my main blog, The (Not Always) Happy Homemaker Diary. I'm Missy and I'll be your tour guide for my BRAND NEW blog, "Our Transplanted Life" on this Blog Feature, thanks to For The Love Of Blogs.
Almost a year and a half ago, I had been given a precious gift. One that tops any and all Christmas gifts combined. Or even birthday gifts.
Since I was eighteen, a legal adult, I have always checked the little box that says that in the event of my death (be it timely or untimely), that the doctors can take any organs or tissues, or even my eyes to give someone else a second chance at life, or at the very least improve their lives.
Yes, I am a registered Organ/Eye/Tissue Donor.
But there is more to this story than meets the (proverbial) eye...
In 2004, during the latter part of my last pregnancy, I had an extremely bad case of acne that we thought was hormone-induced. And at one point, I had even started having problems with my eyes. They would get infected constantly. At one point, I thought that I had pink eye (2009).
Later on as the year went by, after going in several times for treatment of my "Keratitis" infection, my eye was only getting worse because I apparently had the wrong diagnosis and the wrong treatment.
It wasn't until the first week of October of 2009 that I had my life change forever. I had perforated (created a hole) in my Cornea. And I came to find out, via an emergency visit to a specialist (on a Saturday no less) that my "acne" was really a skin disorder called Roseacea. And that BEFORE I poked myself in the eye (REALLY!), the damage was already done by the Roseacea because it ate most of my cornea away.
After sending me to Duke Medical Center for treatment, I was sent back LESS than a week later after the gluing (to help my chances with infection being gone and preparing mentally) procedure failed for an emergent CORNEAL TRANSPLANT.
Ever since then (October 29, 2009, which was the 20th anniv. of my mother's passing, is when I received a new chance at having all of my sight back), I have become more avid in spreading the word about Transplants and Organ/Eye/Tissue Donation.
Just the other day, I had asked a few Transplant Community buddies if they wanted to co-author a blog tailored specifically around the topic of Transplants and Donation. So far, yes...And I am now awaiting for some of my friends to "officialize" their authorship.
We all come from various backgrounds, life experiences, places of residency and from various areas of the Transplant Community. Some of us are caregivers. Some are transplant recipients. And some are Live Donors or Donor Families.
With this blog you will NEVER know who may post when. We have it set up so that our contributors can post at ANY time, day or night.
Also you can "Meet Our Contributors" under one of our page tabs, and find reputable and informational links regarding Transplantation and Donation. As well as a page tab to see Donation/Transplantation related pictures (nothing gross or gory).
We want you, the world to know what OUR world is like on the inside, not just see it from the outside haze of the window. This includes raw, real stories of our experiences and posts (in the future) to dispel MYTHS and provide the TRUTHS about transplantation and donation.
And the best way to know the REAL ins and outs about this highly heart-wrenching and 'touchy' subject is to "see" it from OUR eyes and from OUR real-life experiences.
Comments
It's my pleasure in already following her so all I can do here and now is leave her some big {{{{{Missy}}}}}HUGS!!
http://www.alexbutts.com/2011/04/donate-life.html
Tahnie
http:::ahappygirl.com
I can't wait to read your stories.
I will be an organ donor too. I think it's so important to give people a second chance at life if they can have it!
Thanks everyone. I hope you all will find the blog (those of who choose to read/follow) informative, inspirational and educational.
I'm apparently the only one writing at this time, when I can. I'm still looking for CO-AUTHORS for various areas (caregivers, heart, kidney, etc) to blog about their experiences.
I'm wanting whomever is willing to step up to the plate. And no, I don't mind having more than just one of a certain Tx on there...
We may have the same transplant, but our experience(s) can/do widely differ.
Thank you SO very much. I can't wait to read your post for the "Meet Your Contributors Section. (=