On Monday, July 5, 2010, Hattie Dunstan got the call at 1am to come to Toronto General Hospital for new lungs. By 4pm, the miracle of transplantation was complete and her cystic fibrosis-riddled lungs were gone. Her new life, while still heavily sedated until the next morning, had begun.
I love reading these stories, because it was one more person on my blogroll who went from the purple “Waiting for new lungs” status to the green “Transplant recipient” status. I’m looking forward to not being able to find anyone on the list blogging away their days waiting for new lungs. I’d rather that my list be all green “new lung” blogs, white “I’m doing fine” blogs, and pink “I’m sticking by my CFer” blogs. Say “no” to purple!
Two more on the list to go! Hang in there Beth and Dustin. I was just reading Hattie’s post from July 2nd a moment ago, and I got choked up remembering reading it on the 4th, with none of us knowing she was getting new lungs the very next day! Here is what she wrote:
The word breathless has taken on a whole new meaning. I thought I knew what being out of breath was. I thought I knew what not breathing was like…no…not until this week did I know what it is like to struggle…and that’s saying something!
I cannot even get over how much my breath has now been taken from me. Doing anything leaves me gasping, haunted, winded, exploded, breathless. It is absolutely insane, terrifying and unbelievable that something as breathing can be soooo hard, even harder then before!
Amazing! Go, Hattie, go!