Our family is in Houston, Texas for Parson Blue to represent Team Texas and Texas Children's Hospital at The Transplant Games of America. It is so hard to put it into words. It is difficult to explain. But I found MY people this weekend. People like me. People who "get it".
I found the mother who knows what it feels like to pray/plead over the hospital bed of her child with every ounce of her being for just one more day with her child while you wait on "the call". I found the mother who gave a huge part of her soul away to give another child one more day. I found caregivers like me who have set alarms at all hours of the day/night to administer life saving anti rejection Meds and other various medical treatments. I found amazing brave big sisters and brothers who have daily taken a back seat to a sick sibling. I found other strong siblings who lost their best friend but will tell you about the importance of organ donation. I found miracle workers who are "on call" to make connections between life saving organs being harvested and transplanted all over the country I found other families whose lives were rocked just like ours who now celebrate a "new normal" because of organ donation. I found people old and young who celebrate EVERY single day that they have been given and do not take even one single breath for granted.
After struggling over the past two years in my new identity, it feels so good to find my people. The ones who can't sleep because of the fear of rejection. The ones who are startled awake at all hours of the night because of screeching medical equipment alarms. The Momma's and daddies who have made hundreds of trips for physical, occupational, and speech therapy visits like me. The ones who scour the internet to get info on the latest diagnosis or medical term that just came on their radar. The ones who know about kangaroo pumps, 12 French Mickey buttons and prograf. The people who know what it feels like to not sweat the small stuff. The ones who have run out of tears to cry. The people who have more doctors cell phone numbers in their contacts than friends. The people who now have doctors and nurses as a part of their family. I found other people like me who have been carried by their friends, family and small town armies through prayer and support on the most difficult days of their lives.
Clearly I don't need that alarm that I set somewhere around 2am to wake up at 6am. Why am I wide awake at 3:47am reliving it over and over!?!? This momma can't sleep because she is so excited because her family went to a baseball game last night like a normal family. I cannot stop thinking about brave donor families. Brave transplant recipients. Brave siblings. Brave doctors. Brave nurses. Brave kids like my Parson Blue and brave people like me.
I LOVE to tell Parson's story and feel an overwhelming responsibility to share it until she is able to share for herself. I am passionate about organ donation - it saved her life. I cannot wait to wake up and walk in a 5k tomorrow morning and celebrate LIFE (tutu's and Texas shirts included). Oh how I needed this. There is something so healing about being around your people. I cannot wait to find more of my people tomorrow - the ones who "get it".
Brave Team Texas - TX Children's kiddo.
