Alan's Reflections

First of all, I would like to thank you for your prayers and concern for us - Judy and me. Your prayers are especially appreciated because through prayer and God's help anything is possible. Faith, determination, family, and friends are going to be the anchors that pull me through this difficult time. (I am a Navy guy, you know.)

Some of you like to give me a hard time, that is appreciated too! I know you are just doing so because you care. I look forward to many more fun times with each of you. May God bless and keep you.

Signing off with the name my grandchildren call me,
Dude

Friday, August 15, 2008

This Time It Is Real...Zippity Do Dah!!

This past Tuesday as we were preparing to get Alan to the Fitness Center for his daily workout, we got a call that they were POSSIBLY going to list (activate) Alan. They wanted us to go to the clinic immediately for blood work and to see Dr. Steele, one of the pulmonologists to talk about activation. We went to the clinic, saw the doctor, Alan had blood work, and the transplant co-ordinator told us she would call on Wednesday to let us know we were listed. On Wednesday she called to say they needed a sputum culture and another ct scan because of a nodule they had been watching. On Thursday we were at the clinic at 8am for the sputum culture, then Alan went to the Pespico Fitness Center to exercise from 12:30PM - 4:30PM, AND THEN we went to the hospital for the ct scan. We got home about 6:15pm.

This morning the call we have waited for came - Alan is Activated and in the database for the United Network of Organ Sharing, and the search has begun for lungs that are a perfect match for him. We can't begin to describe all the emotions. Alan has to have new lungs to be able to live, but on the other hand someone will lose their life, and because they are an organ donor, they will save Alan's life. Theirs is truly the gift of life, and we are grateful from the bottom of our hearts. We ask that you pray for the donor's
family, their loss, their heartache. Pray for comfort, strength, peace, and that God will wrap them in his love in such a way that their pain will be eased.

Traci, Lane, Connor, & Anna Kate were with us when we got the news this morning. We shouted, and probably disturbed our neighbors. We are not used to being in an apartment. We also offered praise, thanksgiving, and petitions for the donor family. We had an Activation Party for Alan when he came home from the fithess center today. We had a cake, balloons, and made up a song for him. Please sing it with us, to the tune of Zippity Do Dah. Here goes, ready? Sing....Zippity Do Dah, Zippity Yay, Dude's gonna get new lungs some day, really good breathing coming his way, Zippity Do Dah, Zippity Yay. We are so happy they were here with us to hear this life changing news.

Thank you again for your love, prayers, and support.