Catching you up from the last week and half. Two weekends ago we went up north so Travis could go deer hunting. Thanks to our friends, Cedar and Julie, we stayed with them at her parents house and hung out with her family. Thanks for the hospitality Tom and Jackie. While the girls relaxed at “crazy deer camp” as Julie’s mom wrote on the chalk board, the boys were in the deer stands freezing their tooshie’s. The group did find a few deer but Travis didn’t spot any. Not only did he not see a deer, but he didn’t even see a living animal until the second day, when he finally saw two birds!

In between seeing a bunch of my girlfriends last week, I went radioactive. I participated in a study for my ENT (ear, nose, & throat) doctor. She squirted a nuclear liquid in my nose. I had a couple of scans of my sinuses to make sure it was properly placed and to get a baseline. I then went to a room and laid flat in a bed for eight hours. After spending the day in bed, they took a few more scans and sent me home. I have talked about how sinuses cause issues with cystic fibrosis patients. The study will look at how mucus drains to the lungs from our sinus cavities.

We Day was on November 12th in Minnesota. We day is a youth empowerment event that encourages youth to take action on local and global issues. I want to mention this because my niece, Lauren, was one of two students chosen to attend the event from her school. Way to go Lauren!

Sayonara Kara! Last Thursday night we went to a farewell party for a dear friend. She has moved to Singapore for two years. She works at Lululemon, an athletic clothing store, and is going to launch the Asian market for the company. We first met Kara years ago when she used to work at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. We quickly became great friends. I am so happy for her and this great adventure she is about to undertake. I wish her the best of luck. I know she will rock it!

Missy, Jay, me, Travis, & Kara

Saturday afternoon, LifeSource held an event called A Donor Family Gathering. It’s a yearly event where donor families have the chance to gather with one another and share their memories and tributes to their loved ones who have given the gift of life. It was an incredible experience. I was honored to be part of a record breaking attendance of over four hundred.

The most amazing aspect was when the families were asked to say something about their loved one. They shared stories of how proud they are that their loved one gave the gift of life to others. At the beginning, one person at a time would raise their hand to speak. By the end of the hour, many families finally found the confidence and courage to stand up and say something. It was incredible.

A fellow CF (cystic fibrosis) friend who has also received a double lung transplant was in town from California. I have mentioned Isabel and her sister Anabel before. The girls are twin sisters who both have CF and both had lung transplants.  They have made a documentary The Power of Two.

Isabel was the keynote speaker at the Donor Family Gathering. She gave an inspiring speech. She talked about being on the receiving side of donation but she also touched the audience with her remembrance of her sister. Unfortunately, Anabel lost her battle with cancer last year. Isa was very proud to share that Anabel was able to give the gift of sight to two people.  Most people believe that if they’ve had a serious illness, they can’t donate life to anybody. On the contrary, the gift of organ donation can change the life of somebody who cannot see.

Travis, me, Isa’s husband Andrew, & Isa

After the family gathering, Travis and I met up with some friends to attend the Garth Brooks concert. He is such an entertainer and puts on a great show. I had seen him back in 1998 with my brother. It was just as good as I remembered from years ago. After the emotional afternoon I had, it was wonderful to spend the evening with great friends and think about how lucky we are.

Megan, me, Amie, & Kimmy

Kevin, Kimmy, Megan, Jay, Amie, Dave, me, & Travis

I’m really excited! Monday, I had a follow up with my doctor. If you recall I have been fighting a virus and last month we started a couple of different medications. I was hoping my PFT’s were going to be better this time. It turns out the meds must have worked! One of my lung functions numbers was the best I have had since back in the 1900’s!

I wondered if my numbers were going to be better. I had no problem on Sunday when I was shoveling snow for an hour and a half. I admit, I really love shoveling. Let me stop you before you ask, I don’t mind shoveling our driveway, I am not going to shovel yours too 🙂

Last year I got in trouble for shoveling from my doctor. It was too soon after my surgery to be straining my body. I just remember being so ecstatic to be able to breathe when it was cold outside and have the opportunity to shovel. It is one more reason I am grateful to have this second chance at life. All that shoveling is helping me to continue expanding my new lungs!

Yesterday, I had a busy day doing something I love. I was talking about organ donation! I was at St. Cloud Hospital in the morning, St Louis Park High School in the afternoon, and Chanhassen drivers education at night. I was speaking with my buddy Bill. We had enough time to grab a bite to eat together in between the high school and Chanhassen presentations. Thanks Bill. It is such an honor to be able to spread the message about donation with you.