Wow. Been a crazy eight months. Yep you heard that right -- 8 months.
8 months since a young man in Miami passed away, and by his selfless gift he saved my life. It still is almost unbelievable some times. The idea that my lungs are not my lungs. That part of me is not ME. And that my body works better without ME in it. Weird. Does that make sense?
I dunno. Don't guess it really needs to.
More news on my bionic body :: she dragged her ever-growing ass across the finish line of her very first 5k post transplant this past weekend - The Gr8 to Don8 Organ Donation 8k/5k. Well, it was really the first in about 11 years, so lets just say it wasn't the most exciting run, nor the prettiest, but it was 3.1 miles and I ran (almost) all of it. I crossed the finish line with a mildly embarrassing 48min (pretty sure it was somewhere between 45-48, I didn't look until i had already crossed and remembered they had a big clock posted for time) 5k speed. A far cry from the 20min 5ks from high school, but what can you do.
Organ Recipient 5k run number - 64! (Square root? = 8!)
Official run tshirt!
Runnin the track during the last .1 of the race
I realized half way through the run why I felt so sluggish opposed to the memories of how it used to feel when I ran. Aside from the obvious lack of muscle tone (its a work in progress people), I am enormous. Yup, officially hit the 152lb mark. Through the run I was VIVIDLY aware of the constant jiggle coming from a mysterious place behind me, one that I have never been aware of before. It was my ass. Its finally happened. I have an ass. Don't get too excited, we aren't talkin about a JLo booty...just one that fills in the seat of my jeans. No more frog/old man butt for me! But it has been quite an adjustment. There is just so MUCH of me. I mean, Im not FAT - but it definitely feels that way! I am OVER 30lbs heavier than I was the day of my transplant, and I have NEVER been this heavy in all my life. Learning how to maneuver this weighty body has been a strange, but welcome sensation. Except when I learned that it was partly to blame for the slow go through the neighborhood during the race...
At any rate. I ran. And it was pretty stellar. My donor lungs and my body worked pretty well together. I wasn't breathless at all, so that was pretty fantastic...and thinkin about my donor during that run made me more thankful than ever that he decided to donate his organs and that I was the lucky one to receive them. These bad boys are the real deal!
April is organ donation awareness month. By choosing to donate your organs when you pass you can potentially save the lives of eight people, not to mention the healing of many more through tissue and tendon donation. Be someone's hero and sign up to donate your organs! Learn more at www.donatelife.net or by reading the organ donation/transplantation section of this blog. Even if you don't think your organs would be accepted for one reason or the other - sign up anyway! You never know what can be used. Id love to hear from those who are donors - new donors and previous donors!
8 months, 8 lives that can saved through one organ donor, race number 64 (8x8), today is April 8.... I like 8s. 8 is a good number.... :)
Thanks again for all the continuous support! Remember to recycle your parts! :)
Much love...
Erin
8 months since a young man in Miami passed away, and by his selfless gift he saved my life. It still is almost unbelievable some times. The idea that my lungs are not my lungs. That part of me is not ME. And that my body works better without ME in it. Weird. Does that make sense?
I dunno. Don't guess it really needs to.
More news on my bionic body :: she dragged her ever-growing ass across the finish line of her very first 5k post transplant this past weekend - The Gr8 to Don8 Organ Donation 8k/5k. Well, it was really the first in about 11 years, so lets just say it wasn't the most exciting run, nor the prettiest, but it was 3.1 miles and I ran (almost) all of it. I crossed the finish line with a mildly embarrassing 48min (pretty sure it was somewhere between 45-48, I didn't look until i had already crossed and remembered they had a big clock posted for time) 5k speed. A far cry from the 20min 5ks from high school, but what can you do.
Organ Recipient 5k run number - 64! (Square root? = 8!)
Official run tshirt!
Runnin the track during the last .1 of the race
I realized half way through the run why I felt so sluggish opposed to the memories of how it used to feel when I ran. Aside from the obvious lack of muscle tone (its a work in progress people), I am enormous. Yup, officially hit the 152lb mark. Through the run I was VIVIDLY aware of the constant jiggle coming from a mysterious place behind me, one that I have never been aware of before. It was my ass. Its finally happened. I have an ass. Don't get too excited, we aren't talkin about a JLo booty...just one that fills in the seat of my jeans. No more frog/old man butt for me! But it has been quite an adjustment. There is just so MUCH of me. I mean, Im not FAT - but it definitely feels that way! I am OVER 30lbs heavier than I was the day of my transplant, and I have NEVER been this heavy in all my life. Learning how to maneuver this weighty body has been a strange, but welcome sensation. Except when I learned that it was partly to blame for the slow go through the neighborhood during the race...
At any rate. I ran. And it was pretty stellar. My donor lungs and my body worked pretty well together. I wasn't breathless at all, so that was pretty fantastic...and thinkin about my donor during that run made me more thankful than ever that he decided to donate his organs and that I was the lucky one to receive them. These bad boys are the real deal!
April is organ donation awareness month. By choosing to donate your organs when you pass you can potentially save the lives of eight people, not to mention the healing of many more through tissue and tendon donation. Be someone's hero and sign up to donate your organs! Learn more at www.donatelife.net or by reading the organ donation/transplantation section of this blog. Even if you don't think your organs would be accepted for one reason or the other - sign up anyway! You never know what can be used. Id love to hear from those who are donors - new donors and previous donors!
8 months, 8 lives that can saved through one organ donor, race number 64 (8x8), today is April 8.... I like 8s. 8 is a good number.... :)
Thanks again for all the continuous support! Remember to recycle your parts! :)
Much love...
Erin
"Weird. Does that make sense? I dunno. Don't guess it really needs to." AMEN. SO proud of you! Can't wait to run with you in Daytona! :)
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