Walk down memory lane

This week, August 9th to the 13th, CBC will be re-airing the segments that they did on my transplant journey. On the 13th however they will run a new segment that we filmed while Martin and I were on vacation in northern Ontario a few weeks ago. Though I was apprehensive about doing any more interviews (as I really don't feel like re-living it all, over and over again) I thought that this one, the last, is the most important, as it will show so many people the true gift that is organ donation. I would also like to inspire all those that are waiting for their new lungs, or are recovering after the very difficult surgery.

I know there are many people out there wondering how things are with us, so please pass on the news of the CBC segments. They will air nightly, on CBC with Mark Kelley. I believe at 8pm.

Everything is still great. Scarlett is now a year old and starting to walk with the help of various objects around the house. She is big and strong. Healthy, and extremely happy. Martin is doing very well. Working away like always. Keeping busy, taking care of us as he's always done. As for me, I am busy busy. I tend not to have time to think about what if's....that's the magic of a 1 year old. All day I run around after Scarlett, try to keep up with the house, the garden, friends, groceries, blah blah blah....boring mom stuff. Life's pretty good.

Oh and the lungs are super.

CBC Coverage

CBC will be airing a third installment on Natalia and her family tomorrow night (Friday) on their primetime show "Connect with Mark Kelley" during their 7:00-8:00pm and 8:00-9:00pm (Eastern Standard Time) cycles, covering aspects of the current stage of Natalia's journey.

The goal of the coverage was and still is to tell Natalia's compelling story to bring a human face to the national issue of Canada's terribly low organ donor rates with the hope that it would motivate viewers and readers to discuss their wishes with their loved ones, sign their donor cards, register their wishes with their provincial organ donation agency and/or even better, make their wishes known in a living will (links to further info will be provided in an upcoming post to help you do exactly that).

Best case scenerio, this coverage will help bring a direct donor for Natalia, help in it's own way to alleviate our national organ donor shortage, and hopefully help save and enhance the lives of other Canadians.

Worse case scenerio, the latter two still apply.

So tune in if you can.

If unable to see it tomorrow, we'll be posting a link to it once it's up online.

For those that may not have seen the first two installments:

CBC PART 1:
http://www.cbc.ca/connect/2009/11/on-a-mission-new-lungs.html
CBC PART 2:
http://www.cbc.ca/connect/2009/11/on-a-mission-new-lungs-pt-two.html

Special thanks to Producer/Reporter Nick Purdon - he and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation are growing members of Team Get Nat Lungs.

Myles

Good things keep happening

Today was another great day. I have been put on steroids to help these tight chest episodes that I had last week, and though I do not love being on steroids, I should get used to the idea going into transplant. So I don't mind. The good news, I am eating. Food has taste again!! It's amazing!! I have not eaten normally for months and months, and today I ate cheese bread for lunch and it tasted so good!! (you can tell it's the steroids when I am excited about cheese bread....) The point is, when you eat, you gain weight, and I would love to gain a bit before I go in to the OR. The faster the recovery will be on the other end.

The other great, in fact AMAZING news is that we got the CBC story. I hope I am allowed to talk about it, oh well, I'm talking about it. I am so excited. It will be 3 segments, 3 nights, about 4 minutes each, which in prime time is a big chunk of TV they say, about my story and that of my family! It's beyond what we could ever ask for !! And the CBC? We love the CBC!! They will interview me here Thursday for 3 hours. And then go to my house and interview my mom and Scarlett (who will have lots to say!! haha) and Martin, John and my dad. The show is about people that overcome great obstacles in life. They will talk about my eagerness to get past this, continue my life as a mom and wife, and my goals of wanting to play tennis and seriously get into running after I get my new lungs. The cool part is that they will also be there for when I go into the OR, and later post transplant as I am 'living my dream'.

As well as the CBC, a Toronto newspaper will be running a story about organ donation and my situation sometime soon. I am being interviewed for that tomorrow. Very excited about that also! I will be sure to post a link to it here for many of your guys out there not from Toronto. It's all so cool, the word is getting out and will do so much, I have no doubt, for organ donation.

The producer and I spoke tonight on the phone, a really nice guy, and he told me how much my blog moved him. I am so amazed when people say that. I love it. It has given me, this blog, something to turn to when I seemed to have nothing else. I never ever thought that I would enjoy writing so much, I never really wrote before I started this blog. But it has this life of it's own now, and I think it's incredible. The support I get. The amazing people that have helped me find my way through all this. It has really been incredible. The praise is something that I don't always understand, but I love. It makes me feel useful, when at times I can't do so much physically. I feel like I touch people.

Again, today I am reminded, how quickly things change. I spoke about this in my Happiness 101 post, this just proves my point. From a week ago, from a few nights ago, things change. Today was another good day. What made it so good, is that I did not waste a second worrying about if tomorrow will be as good, since I know better, it might not. I just enjoyed it. I ate, and it was SO good. I enjoyed my daughter, and that was way better than eating! She was incredible to hold and kiss. I saw my mom, my brother, and my husband all in one day. And I spoke to my dad on the phone, and texted Angie, so I got everyone. I thought about the fact that in less than a month we will have another baby in the family. I cannot wait to meet her, my niece! I had a great nap, I kissed my husband, I got my favourite nurse tonight, her and I had GOOD laughs together, I used my day well. Not a minute today, however, did I worry.