“I steadily declined. The doctor said, ‘Kenzie, there is what we call a ‘transplant window.’ I need to start the process now before it is too late. My family held hands around my bed. Being rolled away was the hardest part.”
‘I got the call and instantly threw up. ‘Do you know how sick you are?’ We cried together.’: Young woman with Cystic fibrosis gives tribute to donor, ‘I am forever grateful for the second chance at life’
‘It’s okay, baby, you can go.’ With tear-filled eyes, we held our little boy’s body as his soul went peacefully to Heaven to join his big brother.’: Parents lose newborn to Alveolar Capillary Dysplasia
“My stomach dropped. Katy, still recovering from childbirth, fell to her knees in shock. ‘We’ve done everything we could possibly do.’ It was and is still excruciating. ‘One day, you will be able to ask God why this happened. But when you’re able to ask God why, it won’t matter because you’ll be with your baby.’”
‘It’s time to consider a lung transplant.’ I was terrified of dying before I’d started living.’: Young woman with Cystic Fibrosis fights ‘to live the fullest life I can, in the time I am given to live it’
“My parents comfort me by saying, ‘We will get through this.’ I needed oxygen pumped into my nostrils at all times to breathe. I was afraid I was dying. I’ve seen videos where they interview elderly people on their deathbeds who are asked what they regret in life. Most people regret not having lived passionately, fulfilled and happy. I believed I would be one of them if I didn’t make a change.”
‘Mommy am I going to get so sick that I die?’ These words tumbled from his lips, my heart broke into a million pieces. All I could do was hold him close as tears ran down my face.’
“I spent many a night convincing myself the diagnosis was wrong. I mean doctors mess up test results all the time, right? At first the guilt of knowing we passed on the gene for this condition was all-consuming. Even though we had no idea, we still blamed ourselves.”
‘It was the call! I ran into my sister’s room, swung the door open. I was joyfully yelling, ‘I got the call, I got the call!’ She thought there was a fire. ‘Whats going on?!?’
“I had no idea what day it was, or what had happened. My throat was sore and dry. I hadn’t moved at all once I woke up. Everything was dim and looked blurry. I could hear someone near approach. I managed to get out a croaky, ‘Did I get them?’”
‘He wasn’t going to make it. The nurse placed her hand over my back. I shrieked. She knew what I knew.’: Woman surprised with pregnancy after husband’s death
“On our wedding day, by the end of the night, he was drained. The morning after, he slept in late because he was so exhausted. The night we celebrated his life, I took a pregnancy test. It was positive. It felt like a complete surprise, until I went for the ultrasound. My heart skipped a beat. July 27th was the due date. Jesse’s birthday.”
