Heart transplant recipient, Revive Hope blogger, endless organ/tissue donation advocate and our dear friend Melissa Simon has allowed me to pull over a great post that she published on the Revive blog. Some of you may recall that Melissa received a lifesaving heart transplant in June 2007.
Soon, Melissa will be meeting her donor family for the first time and decided to share her thoughts, excitement and anticipation below.
Thanks Melissa,
-Scott
___________________________
“The Day”
The sun will wake us that morning as it peaks through the shades letting us know that this special day has arrived. Dave will pull the bed cover over my bare shoulder, turning to me with a smile and the words “are you ready?” I won’t have a response but will rise, feeling my blood travel swift and deep through my heart and to my body. All of the possible preparations and plans have been tucked away for some time now.
We will do our daily routine even though today is extraordinary. Sydney will have a sense about it like she does with all things related to feelings and she’ll wonder why she had to get a bath and why her mommy is so quiet. I’ll busy myself around the house, doing odds and ends things to make the time pass. I’ll search for ways to remember the sick times and try my best to put together all of the pieces. Dave will help and he’s good at the “big” stuff. It’s no wonder he made a heart transplant seem like a one block long walk in our life together. Today that walk starts to get bigger.
The doorbell will ring and for the first time, I will lay eyes on the souls of struggling parents who did everything they could do save their dear Chloe, but when that wasn’t enough, reached beyond their pain to take away mine. Their peach faces and southern smiles will compliment dime sized drops of tears. In an instant, my quiet demeanor will turn to a quiet sob. Our time together, our very first meeting, has just begun. All of this because just one, 14-year-old girl, saved me when no one else could.
The tears will be therapy and the stories will be plenty. We’ll show them how we live our lives and we’ll be proud. The 94 flights of stairs in the John Hancock Center will be more momentous than ever before – knowing that they are on the other side, waiting, cheering and supporting me that day. They’ll be thinking about how Chloe would have beat us all to the top. Her heart and her life will be the highlight of our time together. She is the highlight of our life.
Chloe’s dad said, “We have some good days and some bad days, but we are certain that the day we meet you, will be a good day.” This post is dedicated to recipients and donor families who haven’t met but want nothing more than to experience “The Day.”
~ Melissa Simon
Heart Recipient
Heart transplant recipient, Revive Hope blogger, endless organ/tissue donation advocate and our dear friend Melissa Simon has allowed me to pull over a great post that she published on the Revive blog. Some of you may recall that Melissa received a lifesaving heart transplant in June 2007.
Soon, Melissa will be meeting her donor family for the first time and decided to share her thoughts, excitement and anticipation below.
Thanks Melissa,
-Scott
___________________________
“The Day”
The sun will wake us that morning as it peaks through the shades letting us know that this special day has arrived. Dave will pull the bed cover over my bare shoulder, turning to me with a smile and the words “are you ready?” I won’t have a response but will rise, feeling my blood travel swift and deep through my heart and to my body. All of the possible preparations and plans have been tucked away for some time now.
We will do our daily routine even though today is extraordinary. Sydney will have a sense about it like she does with all things related to feelings and she’ll wonder why she had to get a bath and why her mommy is so quiet. I’ll busy myself around the house, doing odds and ends things to make the time pass. I’ll search for ways to remember the sick times and try my best to put together all of the pieces. Dave will help and he’s good at the “big” stuff. It’s no wonder he made a heart transplant seem like a one block long walk in our life together. Today that walk starts to get bigger.
The doorbell will ring and for the first time, I will lay eyes on the souls of struggling parents who did everything they could do save their dear Chloe, but when that wasn’t enough, reached beyond their pain to take away mine. Their peach faces and southern smiles will compliment dime sized drops of tears. In an instant, my quiet demeanor will turn to a quiet sob. Our time together, our very first meeting, has just begun. All of this because just one, 14-year-old girl, saved me when no one else could.
The tears will be therapy and the stories will be plenty. We’ll show them how we live our lives and we’ll be proud. The 94 flights of stairs in the John Hancock Center will be more momentous than ever before – knowing that they are on the other side, waiting, cheering and supporting me that day. They’ll be thinking about how Chloe would have beat us all to the top. Her heart and her life will be the highlight of our time together. She is the highlight of our life.
Chloe’s dad said, “We have some good days and some bad days, but we are certain that the day we meet you, will be a good day.” This post is dedicated to recipients and donor families who haven’t met but want nothing more than to experience “The Day.”
~ Melissa Simon
Heart Recipient