I can’t even begin to find the words to express how amazingly wonderful this past weekend was. Since receiving Lilo, never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever have the chance to not only visit the company that makes my device but also meet the people behind all of this. It was by far the best feelings in the world to see their faces, smiles, and have the chance to interact with them as they ask us “How are you feeling?”…“What are you able to do now?”… or even say, “You look great for someone who just received their device not too long ago.”
Most of us LVAD patients assumed it was mainly machines making our devices, and for the workers I’m sure they didn’t expect us to look as healthy as we are. So from both sides, we get completely different outcomes and reactions and I think that is what made this event SO special.
If there is one thing in life that I’m absolutely sure of, it’s that I have been so blessed with the life I was given. I made a comment at the summit that I’ve never actually said out loud but I’m glad I had the chance to, it was: “I’m happier now than I’ve been for the last 15 years of my life.” And it wasn’t until then where I realized, it took my heart reaching the end stage and getting this device for me to even be able to say those exact words.
I want to give the most genuine THANK YOU to my sweet LVAD coordinator, Ashley for signing me up for this trip, to Medtronics for giving all of your sweet time and kindly accepting all of our strong opinions. And to my new fellow LVAD friends/caregivers for sharing your stories with me and making such an impact on my life. My heart will FOREVER be with all of you.
