A year ago today we awoke to a 2:30am phone call from Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Eight hours later we were on a plane, full of doubts because two previous trips to Pittsburgh had ended with us returning home with no transplant. But this one was our lucky day, and by 7pm Lindsey was in surgery.
We remain ever grateful to our donor family and think of them especially today, while they are mourning the anniversary of the loss of their 13-year-old. We are humbled that their child lives on, in a way, in Lindsey.
In the past six months Lindsey has grabbed life by the horns and is fully living every day. She completed her first semester at Indiana University, leads a first-year-student committee at Hillel, volunteers with Challah for Hunger, works a part-time job at the chemistry prep lab, and has developed an appreciation for quality pizza. She is presently in the sorority recruitment process and may decide to pledge a sorority this semester.
Health-wise she is doing great — no episodes of liver rejection so far, and she’s (crossing fingers) managed to steer clear of COVID. She is on just “maintenance” post transplant medications. She will need to have a follow-up surgery next summer to close her abdominal muscles, which were left disconnected during the transplant. This was necessary in order to leave room for the larger liver and post-surgical swelling.
She’s made up for 18 years of not being able to eat much and enjoys ribs, pork, fish, turkey, brisket, chicken… I joke that when she’s done eating, the array of bones left on her plate looks like a Tyrannosaurus Rex has destroyed the area!
We are indebted to many people who supported us (and continue to support us) through this journey – with phone calls, texts, emails, donations to COTA for Team Lindsey, food delivery gift cards, flowers, board games, and a listening ear. Thank you for accompanying us on this journey!
