Past The 6th Month Mark!

First off, thank you so much to everyone who contributed to help Miss M in her return to work process! She is now back to work full time! She reports lower then normal red blood cells since the surgery but we are hopeful this will change under her doctor's care.

Michelle has been a pretty sick chikadee for over a month now. My initial over-the-phone diagnosis was pneumonia, but a trip to the hospital turned up a negative chest x-ray. Many days of green sputum, blood oxygen levels below 90%, antibiotics, gasping for air, and numerous trips to the ER for breathing treatments...Michelle is finally rounding the bend. The bizarre thing is, Michelle was not really one to develop chest infections, let alone one that makes her lungs seem so chronic. Albeit, she has poor immunity now that she has to take anti-rejection medication daily to protect her new liver, there may just be another piece to this story. According to the transplant team, Michelle was told she is the only BC resident to receive a live-donor liver transplant from a non-relative. I've read stories of people receiving transplants and picking up habits, food cravings, or conditions, etc that the donor experienced. Miss M. has a history of bronchitis. Coincidence? Potentially interesting; how much information and power our little cells carry, even when they are outnumbered in a new body.

Another interesting tidbit, and great news for people who are offered the gift of a live-organ donation from a relative. BC transplant told Michelle they have had no cases of rejection from live-donor transplants when the donor-recipient dyad were relatives. Again, Michelle has been told she is the only person in BC to receive a non-related donation of liver from a living donor. Michelle experienced some complications of rejection in the beginning of her recovery. This is thought to support the idea that living, related donors improve the odds of the transplant being a success. Michelle and Miss M are contributing to science that will potentially lead to a better understanding and further advancements in organ donation!

Phew, that was a lot of medical stuff, I hope I got it right!

Please continue to keep Michelle and Miss M in your prayers. Michelle just passed the 6 month mark post-transplant, she's definitely on her way!

tracey

*Keep your eye out for Michelle and Miss M in a future Reader's Digest! I will let you know when it's available!