At that recent AST sponsored Transplant Patient Summit in Washington DC, a closing exercise had us pair off with a table mate and saying nothing, just look into each other's eyes as the leader read off some affirmations - those eyes (mine filling with tears at times) doing all the communicating. Next we switched partners to repeat the exercise with different affirmations like "I understand your pain" and "You inspire me with your smiling endurance" etc. One of my pairings was with a young mother of two who received a heart transplant 1-1/2 years ago and looked great and was herself an inspiration for anyone who heard her story. After several minutes of that eye-to-eye very emotional connection, she leaned in (as we heart recipients are so prone to doing) and we hugged with her whispering into my ear (knowing I just entered my 24 year post heart transplant) "I'm going to live to see my 24 years too!" to which I responded, "I'll be there waiting for you!"
Life is so great. And yes, returning home I did share that experience with my wife, Pam, who daily gives me that same encouragement to keep moving forward, even as I am now 74 years of age and feeling much younger, especially in the presence of so many youngsters sharing their own amazing transplant challenged lives at this amazing conference.
