Ref: Climbathon 2008

This year Climbathon was a success.  It was really great to see everyone enjoy climbing and see each other since last year.

Hope to see everyone again next year ! 

Hooray!

Hi Stacey!  I am glad you are writing in your journal again.  I’ve found your entire life story very inspiring and encouraging, that you could come back from a near-fatal disease and resume a happy and fulfilling life.  There are sure to be some struggles ahead, but I’m glad for the most part you have been doing great!

Even for those of us with seemingly “normal” and healthy lives, your story is very uplifting.  I know that one of my own personal fears is that something could happen to me any day, be it get into some sort of freak accident etc., where my well-being is suddenly completely gone.  But from you, I take some some solace that all is not necessarily lost assuming I could follow your example and deal with the crisis with grace and determination.

For now, though, I am going to try to avenge my FIVE-POINT defeat to you in Scrabulous!

An update from Stacey

Dear readers,

Thank you for following my journey before and after my double-lung transplant in November of 2004.  It has been a long time since I have written, and I am sorry to have ignored those of you who were following my blog or checking in now and then.  I have started again because I appreciated your interest and realize perhaps I can provoke thought or inspire others by what I write here; provide comfort or hope, or promote transplant awareness by letting people know of one person’s life and thoughts throughout the experience and beyond.

Honestly, it has been hard to write in the last year, partly because my life as a transplant patient seemed to lose uniqueness as my health became strong enough that my lifestyle was nearly “normal,” in that I got up in the morning, went to work, saw friends, worried about bills, etc…just like everyone else.

But perhaps that very phenomena of perceived “normalness” is a very mark of success for transplantation? That someone can get new lungs and then live a productive, normal life…?

I guess I was disappointed because I want to do something greater, something deeper with my life and use my experiences to the fullest benefit for the world. I have more thoughts on this, but for now, I am signing off and will write more tomorrow!