April is National Donate Life Month. To raise awareness about the importance of organ donation and to celebrate transplant donors, we are sharing stories of HOPE from patients and families touched by transplant.
This reflection was written by Gary Plemons.
The morning was crisp and clear that mid-winter Saturday in 1994 as I left to meet my dad and brother-in-law David for breakfast. David would perform my wedding later that afternoon. I was 35 and finally getting married, to the surprise of most of family and friends. My wife Glenda and I met in July of 1993 and although for me it was love at first sight, she took awhile to decide I was the one for her. Our age difference made me husband, father, and grandfather all with one “I do.” As with all newlyweds, life was good and we would live happily ever after.
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Fast forward to May of 1995 in the doctor’s office: Glenda had a liver biopsy a couple of weeks earlier and we were there for the results. The doctor informed us that she had been diagnosed with Stage 4 primary biliary cirrhosis, an autoimmune disease of the liver. I asked the doctor how many stages there were, expecting to hear 15 or 20. Staring at me the doctor replied, “five.”
But there was hope in the form of medications, followed by regular blood tests which all showed that the medications were doing their job. Glenda’s liver enzyme levels stayed in good range and we moved on with life celebrating graduations, marriages of the girls and the births of more grandchildren.
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Early in 2010, Glenda’s doctor suggested she find a transplant hospital and start a relationship with them, because at some point she may need a transplant. We still were not alarmed, but agreed with his advice. We chose Integris Baptist Hospital in Oklahoma City based on their reputation, success rate and proximity to our home. On a visit in March 2011 the doctor saw that Glenda’s oxygen levels were low and ordered a blood gas panel. Due to the results of this test and other symptoms the doctor found, he diagnosed her with hepatopulmonary syndrome, an uncommon condition that occurs in people with an existing liver disease that is characterized by shortness of breath and hypoxemia (low oxygen levels). The only cure is a liver transplant.
The ringing of the phone just before 6:00 a.m. on September 8, 2011 woke me up. Glenda came out of the bedroom with a strange look on her face and said “that was the clinic and they have a liver for me.”
Her road to recovery was extended due to the damage to her lungs, but each day we saw improvement. When she did not think she was healing was fast enough, we reminded her that it was all in God’s time, not ours. We learned how many friends we really had, as many people called and asked what they could do. The support was almost overwhelming.
I am happy to report that Glenda is completely healed and doing great. The final hurdle was overcome in July 2012 when her lungs were healed and the doctor said she no longer needed supplemental oxygen.
We have not had the honor to meet her donor’s family, but they are in our thoughts and prayers daily. I want to thank all donors and their families for the selfless act that they perform when they donate and/or allow their loved one to donate one or more of their organs. I wrote the poem below as my way of saying thank you for the gift of life.
Who Were You
Who were you?
Son or Daughter
Brother or Sister
Mother or Father?
We may never know
But this we know
Because of you
Sons and Daughters
Brothers and Sisters
Mothers and Fathers
Live on.
You chose to be an organ donor,
Your choice means more to
Sons and Daughters,
Brothers and Sisters,
Mothers and Fathers,
Then you could have ever dreamed.
We pray to express our gratitude to your,
Son or Daughter,
Brother or Sister,
Mother or Father,
Until that time comes,
We thank you and accept your gift,
We will live life to the fullest and,
Honor your memory.
-Gary Plemons
