Looking back now, I realize how much I pushed myself. “I am doing well!” was always the answer I gave people when they asked how I was, as if to convince myself. My lung function was 28% and in reality, every day was a struggle.<\/p>\n
I had breathing techniques just to help me get through putting away my laundry. Making my bed was a chore that took well over the normal time that should be taken to make a bed because of the breaks I took at each corner. I was the person everyone hated in the elevator because I took it up only one level…I became very accustomed to the dirty looks after pressing 2 from level 1. I would call an Uber to take me two blocks to the next restaurant after my friends & I had brunched in Washington, D.C. “I have a lung disease,” I would tell drivers so they didn’t think I was just lazy. My friends would give me piggy back rides up the stairs to a D.C. rooftop. Walking anywhere was not an option. I would see my friends briskly walk in front of me and wonder how nice it must be to walk so fast, so easily. I tried to keep up but I was falling further and further behind. I never wanted to miss a wedding, country concert, or brunch. So I went and I had an amazing time. I wanted to work, so I pushed myself. I loved my job (still at the same job working part time!). To me, living life was the only option and I would give everything I had to do just that.<\/p>\n
As June approached, my mom was coming over at least twice a week to bring groceries and help clean up. I didn’t have the energy to go to work every day, hang out with my friends, and do adult things like cook and clean. So I chose work and my friends to focus my energy on…those were the fun things, right? And all of my energy, it took.<\/p>\n
My transplant journey may have been unplanned at the time and may not have been like others with cystic fibrosis. I wasn’t ever on oxygen and I never wondered each day if I’d get a call for lungs, I wasn’t awake to do that. But I know what it’s like not to be able to breathe. To have to spend hours a day doing treatments just to function. What it’s like to watch friends participate in kickball or pick up soccer leagues and wish to do the same. I know what it’s like to experience that cough attack in a public place while people watch & wonder what is wrong. To miss birthdays and get togethers from being in the hospital with a lung infection. I’ve experienced that person who says, “I’ve got that too,” after a cough spell and the only thing to do is smile and awkwardly laugh. I know what it’s like to try to catch your breath, I tried for 24 years. <\/p>\n
Today I can breathe because of organ donation. Because of my donor, Samantha. My lungs no longer have cystic fibrosis (the rest of my body still does…I will do another post to explain this). I can do things without worrying if I’ll be able to catch my breath. Avoiding walking a block is in my rear view and I’m not looking back. I no longer constantly cough (while I do miss my 6 pack!) and taking the stairs is possible. I can exercise for more than mere minutes without feeling completely out of breath. I’ve walked the streets of new cities, visiting family and friends. I enjoy the outdoors now and plan to more spend more time there, biking & walking & exploring. There is so much I can do and so much I have done and so much that I plan to do. The possibilities are endless. My life has changed because of organ donation. Living is still the only option I give myself today. But living is a lot easier when breathing is easy too.<\/p>\n
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Looking back now, I realize how much I pushed myself. “I am doing well!” was always the answer I gave people when they asked how I was, as if to convince myself. My lung function was 28% and in reality, every day was a struggle. I had breathing techniques just to help me get through […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-18","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforteamjackiep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforteamjackiep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforteamjackiep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforteamjackiep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforteamjackiep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforteamjackiep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}