Remember me showing you that article about my nephew’s friend? We just got word that he’s had a successful lung transplant. He’s still not out of the woods, but at least he’s got a path to get there now.
Lung transplant
3 thoughts on “Lung transplant”
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I hope Asher’s recovery is quick and his journey is wonderful!
The article, and you, quoted Asher’s Mom as saying, “It’s strange, of course, because it means that we’re waiting for a donor to… well, die.” Though that’s true — it’s not complete… People die every day, and their families grieve the loss of a loved one — but Asher and his Mom were waiting for some compassionate, generous family to step back from their pain for a moment, and reach out and save Asher’s life. They were waiting for a family in their time of incredible pain — to consider another family… And, perhaps, keep that family from going through what they are experiencing — and give them the greatest of all gifts; life.
A very special 55-year-old lady once wrote to me that she did not understand why a beautiful 17-year-old girl was no longer with us and she was still on this planet… I told her that Kari did not die because of us — rather, we lived because of Kari. That 55-year-old lady received Kari’s heart. I received Kari’s lungs.
Kari was an amazing and precious young lady who was healthy as a horse, yet in the month before she passed, she told her family twice how strongly she felt about organ donation. I’m very lucky to have learned of her — her smile crosses my mind several times throughout every single day…
I blogged about another beautiful girl named Megan who received two lungs last Wednesday night on Revive Hope…
And here is tribute to my donor, Kari…
Thank your nephew for being one of Asher’s friends, and let him know that Asher is in my thoughts and prayers as he recovers…
And thank you, Mary, for telling us about Asher — and for spreading a little good news about organ donation… It’s really an amazing gift…
Love,
Steve
Steve Ferkau
Chicago, IL
Steve: Thanks for putting that into perspective for me. I’ve had “donor” marked on my driver’s license since I first got it. Hearing from you really brings home how important it is.
You’re so very welcome, Mary. I speak a fair amount for Gift of Hope in Illinois. I tell people about organ donation — I tell people about saving lives like Ashers. But mostly, I tell people about Kari — It’s my way of honoring her.
I’ve met her family and friends — they are such incredible people… And I truly do think about her several times throughout the day. I had a pretty wonderful life with my lousy, cystic fibrosis lungs — but Kari gave me something I’d never imagined possible. It’s been seven years and I still walk around in awe of how this feels. I wish I could give her back to her family, but I can’t… But I can keep her spirit and her memory alive until I take my last breath.
You take care! Thanks for letting me know you’ve signed your license! It is a truly incredible gift you’ll give someone someday — I hope it’s a LONG ways away! And isn’t it kinda neat to think that you’ll be someone’s hero 7 or 8 or 10 or 20 years after you’ve left this beautiful planet?
Love,
Steve
p.s. Here’s a post I wrote about one of Kari’s precious friends, Jenn, with a beautiful poem I usually start my presentations with…