Generations Will Appreciate This Heart
My brother and I grew up in a small logging community in the Northwest. We had what would be considered an idyllic childhood by today’s standards. We had the freedom to roam and play in an unspoiled rural area.
My older brother John spent his life working in the woods and in construction, so it was very hard on him when he had to retire at the age of 46. He was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, which runs in our family. Our mom died from it at age 57. She dropped dead just a few days after the diagnosis. I was only 19 years old when she died.
This past February my brother was admitted to Sacred Heart Medical Center and was put on an IV medication to stabilize his heart. After a stringent selection process, he was placed on the waiting list for a heart transplant.
Due to distance, family and financial considerations, we weren’t able to visit him often, but he was in our hearts and prayers every day. On March 25, his wife and the hospital staff helped him celebrate his 49th birthday. They brought in a cake and sang “Happy Birthday” to him.
He spoke very highly of the doctors and nurses at Sacred Heart, which helped us cope with the situation.
Some people ask “Why me?” when misfortune happens. I never once heard John express that thought. On May 28, after 97 days of hospitalization, he received a heart. After the operation, his exact words were “Why me?” He felt so fortunate to receive a heart when so many others wait.
We will probably never know who the donor was, but to his family I would like to say thank you for caring enough to make this possible. There are no words to convey this adequately.
A few days after Memorial Day I took my youngest daughter to place flowers on the grave of a grandmother that she, her brother and sister never knew. I thought of all the love, commitment and decency there still is in the world, and the people who have given John a chance to someday see all his own grandchildren.
MEMO: Your Turn is a feature of the Wednesday and Saturday Opinion page. To submit a column for consideration, call Rebecca Nappi/459-5496, or Doug Floyd/459-5466.