Team Message,
We reach out to you today with a plea for help in supporting patients undergoing organ transplant surgery at Strong Memorial Hospital. These individuals, awaiting or recovering from heart, liver, kidney, or pancreas transplants, are in dire need of our assistance.
At Strong Memorial Hospital, we see patients who not only face the physical challenges of surgery but also the financial burdens associated with their ongoing care. Many require supplemental financial support to cover essential expenses such as life-saving medications and travel costs.
Your generous donation can make a profound difference in the lives of these patients. By contributing, you directly aid in covering the expenses vital for their lifelong care, ensuring they receive the support they need during this critical time.
Message from Zach C,
To show my support and to help others that have and will have to go through a transplant experience, I am going to run (let's be honest, a light jog, a lot of coughing, some wheezing and many breaks) in this year's River Run 5k. To those that know me, I don't run for fun, but if it will raise money to help others, as it has for me, I am for it and I hope I can have your support as well.
Here is a brief version of my own experience as a transplant recipient:
November 28, 2022, is when I received my liver transplant, or as I say it, a second lease on life. It took between 6:10AM to 4:08PM on 11/28/22 at Strong Memorial Hospital, just shy of a 10-hour operation with just 3 days life expectancy left on my clock, to plug the gift in. The whole ordeal would take a professional care team of 108 angels consisting of Medical Doctors, Physician Assistants, Doctors of Pharmacy, Dentists, Registered Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Physical Therapists, Social Workers and other experts to turn the gift I received into LIFE!
None of this could have happened without one crucial person, my Donor. My donor had to lose their life just 6 to 10 hours prior to me receiving their liver. My donor family lost a member of theirs at just 15 to 20 years old. That can never be easy no matter the circumstance. A pain that my family came close to enduring and father my son almost lost. Reflecting today, it is easy to go through flashbacks of “dreams” or the “experiences” while under. The pain, sweat, burning, weakness, and helplessness that one goes through while their body shuts down. The emotions, memories from the past scrolling across your mind like a stock ticker at lightning speed and the visions of what the future is going to look like without you. Things you want to say to people yet can’t because you only have the energy to spill out a couple of words. Seeing things & people around you without knowing they don’t really exist in this world. Voices of those somewhere else fighting for your attention against the voices of family or medical staff in the room. The confusion and loneliness of it all. The moment you are done, and just give in and close your eyes entrusting what comes next to a higher being, to those in the room. There was nothing scarier and yet nothing as peaceful as that moment was for me. Sort of like experiencing a nightmare and then waking up realizing it was just a bad dream, only in reverse.
But as easy as it is to reflect on my experience, so should it be that we reflect and think about the families out there dealing with their grief. Reflect on the Donors’ lives lived and the voids their loss has left for the people they knew. Donors should be celebrated as they give the gift of a second chance. The ultimate gift. LIFE! What did they experience in life? Was it enough time to accomplish their aspirations? Where are they now? How are their families coping and celebrating their lives? If you aren’t already, please consider becoming an organ donor. At the least bit, start taking a little bit better care of the life you have. There’s someone out there that needs you in theirs.
I leave you with this verse from Ben Howard's song, The Fear. A favorite of mine that I listened to in the early days of this experience - “I’ve been worrying my time here’s a little unclear, I’ve been worrying that I’m losing the ones I hold dear, I’ve been worrying that we all live our lives in the confines of fear.” The gift of life has changed all that for me!
So, please consider donating to help support transplant recipient's and their families and please consider being an organ donor.
Thank you for your generosity and compassion.
Warm regards,
Zach Collister, 2022 Liver Transplant Recipient
