Worry and Stress

Welcome to the weekly blog of a Donate Life Northwest volunteer who has graciously offered to tell the story of her journey through the organ transplant process. She posts to this blog every Wednesday so you can ride this interesting, bumpy road with her.

Another first today: I spoke with a new ending!  I thought I would blubber, but I didn’t. Perhaps it was because I had an hour and a half with high school students and I felt I had to keep them amused.  So I kept moving among pieces of my story – my donation perspective from my work history to  my brother and then back to me, which kept me – steroid me, Neurontin me, Topromax me -  very distracted as well. No time to focus on blubbering.  All efforts focused on keeping on task.

I worried and stressed over this presentation. It came on faster than anticipated because of a last-minute need for a speaker, and I felt compelled to help. I was close to being ready so I jumped in. I was preparing for a Discover OHSU! presentation and was working with Donate Life Northwest staff on the new ending with different media including photos (“a must”, they said) of my hospital stay at OHSU.  Pretty graphic, but very engaging for high schoolers.

So off I went to Rite Aide and blew up and posted on construction paper very graphic photos of myself, all the while thinking, “How the hell am I going to get through this?” I spent the few hours before leaving for the presentation watching the Donate Life Northwest video and refining my points.  Worry and stress, worry and stress.  Want to get it just right!

The author is a heart failure patient going through the post-transplant process. She also is a nurse and former hospital administrator. She would like to thank Donate Life Northwest for permitting her to post her observations on the Donate Life Northwest website. She also wants to emphasize that all opinions and views stated in the posts are her own and not those of Donate Life Northwest.

Tags: heart transplant, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, organ donation