In memory

One of the Children's transplant patients died yesterday, which makes everyone involved in the program sad, especially since we're a tight-knit group (there aren't too many of us, yet...and those of us who were transplanted earlier [like this one] tend to know each other fairly well since we were the founding patients, so to speak). Any time I hear of a transplant patient's death, especially one of the Children's kids, I am reminded of how truly fleeting life is for all of us and how grateful I am for my transplant. We need to be grateful for every day, every moment that we get, because you never know when it's going to be it. Rejection, for us, can happen any time, and sometimes there aren't even any symptoms. In this case, the little boy was sick for a few months, but he seemed to be getting better. His mom had just talked to my mom the other day about the possibility of baby-sitting for them sometime.

It has been a sobering day for all of us. Prayers and good thoughts would be especially appreciated. He had a great family who loved him so much, and they are wonderful people. His short life was totally filled with love.