Nikki's New Lungs

Patti, a wonderful donor mom and myself

Yesterday I spoke at the North Hennepin Community College Nursing Class about organ donation. There was a donation coordinator from LifeSource, a donor mother who lost her son eighteen years ago, and myself. We spoke with them from 9-11:30a.m. and then again at the night class from 6-8:30p.m. It was a long day for me (you know I’m not much of a morning person) but what a great group of nursing students. They are the future and maybe one day I will have one of them as my nurse.

Today Travis and I were watching TV when we came across this touching story being told on ESPN’s E60 The Best Stories In Sports. It was already half way finished when we stumbled on the channel. Just then my parents called to say “turn on channel 5” I said, “we just did”. It must have been something we were all supposed to watch. I just finished watching the entire video. It hit home a little, to realize the girl has cystic fibrosis also. It is a very emotional story, hope you take the time to watch and understand the power of organ donation.

Boxer Francisco “Paco” Rodriguez told his wife, Sonia, that he wanted to be a hero. But that dream seemed shattered after Rodriguez slipped into a coma and was declared brain dead after losing a title fight in Philadelphia. Through organ donation, his uncle and four women received a gift of life.

Yesterday my buddy Bill and I were speaking at a driver’s education class. A girl raised her hand and asked “why wouldn’t everybody register to become a donor”? It is my favorite question because I know they are listening and thinking about their decision. The problem is we didn’t have an answer for her. It is great knowing teenagers are getting the education to make an informed decision about registering on their license. We also tell them it is a personal decision and only register if you believe organ donation. That goes for everyone. Hopefully they will go home and discuss it with their family.

I have experienced a call from the hospital once before. It turned out to be what they call a “dry run”. January 21, 2011, yes over a year ago I got a call at 1:39 in the morning that there was a possible donor match and I needed to get to the hospital as soon as I could. I asked the man on the other end of the phone “what should I bring with me” his response was “your cell phone charger”. I guess he knows I will be in a lovely hospital gown for a while so clothes at that point weren’t needed. After a mad scramble, we rushed to the hospital. When we arrived at three in the morning I had no idea what to expect. The surgery was scheduled for 8:30a.m. and after a pre-op shower, x-ray, EKG, speaking with doctors, signing consent forms, etc. the surgery had been pushed back until 10:00a.m. The surgeon came in to tell us the lungs were not there yet but on their way and expected to be in surgery within half an hour….

10:30, 11:00, 11:30, waiting with anticipation….the surgeon came in at 11:45a.m. and said “I’m sorry, I can’t do the surgery today, the donor lungs are not healthy enough”. I said “thank you”.  Thank you for not going through with surgery because you saw something questionable. I knew I could trust and have confidence in the surgical team that they weren’t going through surgery with unacceptable lungs.

I was actually a little relieved. I had an awful head cold, we were very concerned about the effect it would have on the new lungs. That cold hit me hard. I ended up getting very sick, so I know it would have attacked the new lungs after surgery.

The “dry run” was a learning experience and I now know what to expect. It wasn’t the right day to get new lungs, the stars just weren’t lined up quite right but they will one of these days. I am looking forward to the next time I receive “the call”.

My dad, Travis, me, my mom, brother, & Trav's dad

Yesterday my dad turned 80! Travis’ dad was in town and he turned 60 a couple of weeks ago. Fortunately we were all able to get together for dinner and celebrate. Happy birthday to two of the best dad’s!

Thank you everyone for all the nice comments on the “I am Hope” campaign video. Thank you for sharing it with others, and more importantly thank you for discussing organ donation with friends and loved one’s. I am doing all I can so that others on a transplant list won’t have to wait as long as I have. With your help we are making a difference. You can visit the Donate Life Minnesota Facebook page or LifeSouce’s website to see other Minnesotans inspiring stories like Anthony who’s legacy lives on because he chose to check the box on his license, or Kailee who now has the gift of being able to see.

This week Donate Life Minnesota’s Facebook page will be featuring 7 Minnesotans for the “I am Hope” campaign. I am honored to have been chosen as 1 of 7 to share our story about being touched by donation and transplant. Check the Facebook page all week to hear the other stories. “I hope” the stories inspire you to discuss the importance of organ donation with your friends and family.

People tell me they keep checking the website for updates. All you really need to do is type in your email on the right hand side of the web page and you will receive an email notification with the new posting. Note, your email will never be shared.