Sunday 13 May 2007

FINGERS CROSSED.


There is a young girl, 16, that I've taken on the two hour trip to the nearest transplant unit a couple of times now. She has cystic fibrosis and is awaiting a lung transplant. It's not happened yet but despite this she smiles and is full of hope and life. Her sister died from this a year or two ago. I can't begin to imagine how this effects her and her parents.

She smiles and talks, constantly, some may say too much but I like this and I cant help but admire her strength and optimism. She was back to the unit yesterday, all smiles and chat. I hope that the Donner is suitable and that all goes well for her.

While things don't ever seem to phase this amazing kid, they phases me though, it breaks my heart every time she's turned around and sent home. I hope that I never see or hear of this girl again. This would mean that all is well. Good luck Lass, fingers crossed.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bless her, good luck. I hope you never see her again either.

BreathinSteven said...

Hi Iain!

I agree partially with carmelo -- bless her... But I kinda hope you see her again when she seeks you out to thank you...

And I want to thank you just for caring about her -- and caring enough to post about her. I've met a number of CF patients and so very many of them seem to be "all smiles and full of hope and life", even though they've been through incredible struggles in their short lives... I am one of them CF patients...

When someone like you is helping someone like us, sometimes we know it's breaking your heart -- and sometimes it touches our hearts that you really care.

With all my heart, I hope that 16-year-old lass has an incredible person and family give her the gift she needs so desperately... I've lived a lot longer than her and I understand how much she deserves the gift she's looking for... Seven years ago I received two beautiful lungs from an incredible 17-year-old girl who had told her family twice in the month before she passed how strongly she felt about organ donation. Her name was Kari and her smile is on my mind when I wake up in the morning, and when I go to sleep... I hope your 16-year-old friend knows what I know, and feels how I feel very soon...

Send her my love if you ever do see her again -- tell her you know a crazy older CF patient across the pond with two girl's lungs who know knows that breathing "normally" makes CFers feel like superman or superwoman...

My princess helped create a little website with some of my story -- but mostly as a tribute to my donor... it's at www.ClimbingForKari.org

You take care, Iain -- thanks for caring... fingers crossed here too...

Love,

Steve

Steve Ferkau
Chicago, IL USA

Iain MacBain - or maybe not!!?? said...

Steve, I will tell her. Thats a promise.

BreathinSteven said...

Thank you, Iain...

I had a couple of paramedics respond and help save my life after a very bad hemoptsys that ultimately was the deciding moment to list me for my new lungs... My princess was also charged with listening to instructions from the operator/dispatcher and helping save my life until they got here...

Afterwards -- Laura brought two boxes of chocolates to the firehouse for the paramedics... She got an earful from the other firemen about the paramedics getting all the glory -- she told them that was not true, that I have six uncles who are ALL Chicago firemen, and they were pretty glorious in my eyes -- but I needed to thank these particular paramedics...

The surgeons and physicians get much of the glory -- but so very many people have been involved in keeping me here on this beautiful planet, and keeping a beautiful, hopeful, vivacious, 16-year-old girl on this beautiful planet. You are among those people...

She's in my prayers, as are you...

Love,

Steve