This will insure that if you are found during a medical crisis, and cannot communicate your health history, your hospital can be contacted immedicately for guidance.

Suggested Wording for Lung Transplant Patients

s/p Lung Transplant
Hospital Name Hospital Phone Number
Ask for the
Lung Transplant
Coordinator

Medical Identification Jewelry Suppliers

American Medical Identifications

• 1-800-363-5985 or http://www.americanmedical-id.com
• $21.95 – $189.95
• Access to your complete medical information 24 hrs/day
• Bracelets and necklaces

Lauren’s Hope

• 1-800-360-8680 or http://www.laurenshope.com
• $39.95+
• Available in sterling silver with crystals or beads

If you choose to use Medic Alert, please note that they will not engrave the hospital’s direct contact information on the jewelry. Rather, they will engrave their phone number and charge a yearly fee to maintain your information, including the hospital contact information.

Image courtesy of American Medical.

The post Post Transplant Medical Identification Bracelets appeared first on Angel Cove Transplant Blog.

Once the patient no longer needs assistance breathing, the patient is moved to a step-down transplant recovery room and more aggressive physical therapy occurs. The more the patient pushes him or her self to do these exercises, the great chance of getting out of the hospital sooner.

Some successful examples of physical therapy exercise include the following. Please consult your phyician before trying any of these exercises as each transplant outcome is different.

Sternomastoid

1. Rotate your neck to the right and laterally flex it to the left.
2. Hold for 5 seconds and then slowly release
   Repeat 5 times
3. Repeat for the left side.

Upper Trapezius

1. Sit on a bench and fix your right shoulder by gripping the bench top with your right hand. Flex your neck and rotate and laterally flex it to the left. Maintain the head position with the left arm and actively depress the right shoulder.
2. Hold for 5 seconds
   Repeat 5 time
3. Repeat for the left side.

Lateral Flexion with Over-Pressure

1. Knell on the floor (if possible), and reach your right arm above your head and lead a lateral flexion movement. Your left arm acts as a pivot by pressing the sides of your rib cage.
2. Hold for 5 seconds
   Repeat 5 seconds
3. Repeat for the left side.

Side Flexion Stretch

1. Begin in a kneeling position (if possible) with your hands behind you neck. Side flex to the left, forcing your left elbow to the floow, lifting your right elbow towards the ceiling.
2. Hold for 5 seconds
   Repeat 5 times
3. Repeat for theleft side.

Thoracic Rotation Stretch

1. Stand with your arms abducted into a T position. Rotate the spine, leading with the left arm, taking it round to touch the right hand. Reverse the movement.
2. Hold for 5 seconds
   Repeat 5 times
3. Repeat for the left side.

Image courtesy of NASWE.org.

The post Post Lung Transplant Physical Therapy Exercise appeared first on Angel Cove Transplant Blog.

How can one ever thank the donor and their family for the selfless act they have shown us? What do you say to a family that is mourning their loss when you are celebrating your life or the new life of someone you love?

Receiving an organ transplant is one of those experiences you can’t quite put into words. For so long you have been sick (or watching a loved one get sicker) and fighting for a second chance at life and then one day you get the call and your life is changed forever. How do you put your feelings, thoughts and love into a letter?

Some have been quite successful at writing their letter and yet for others it is a daunting and stressful task. For that reason, I have compiled a list of organ donor thank you letters that may help alleviate some stress and give better insight into how others have shown their love, gratitude and support to their organ donors and families.

3 Organ Donor Thank You Letter examples

• Letter to My Organ Donor’s Family
• Letters from our Donor Families and Transplant Recipients
• Write and Send Your Own Letter

For more information on sending a letter to your organ donor or his/her family, please contact your Transplant Clinic. Upon receiving an organ transplant, your transplant coordinator should hand you an organ transplant packet. In this packet you will find not only medical information but also information on how to write a thank you letter and where to send it. It is a simple process to follow – the hard part is often writing the letter.

Image courtesy of Huffington Post.

The post Writing an Organ Donor Thank You Letter appeared first on Angel Cove Transplant Blog.

This is true primarily in some kidney donations. For the majority of kidney transplants and almost all other organ and tissue transplants, the donor is someone who has died and whose family has consented to donation. This process has traditionally been anonymous, meaning the recipient does not know the identity of the donor or have the ability to contact the donor’s family.

The system that has been set up for recipients to communicate with the donor family has been through the organ procurement organization (OPO) that coordinated the donation. Recipients can write a letter and give it to the OPO, which will forward it to the donor family. [If the donor family chose to respond, their letter would be forwarded to the recipient through the OPO.] any identifying information would be deleted from either correspondence by the OPO. This includes things like last name, phone number, address and any text that would lead to the disclosure of the donor’s identity.

For some recipients, this process by itself is enough to discourage them from relaying their feelings about their transplant. Some people do not want their words to be read by a stranger in an OPO. For others, however, the biggest obstacle to writing a letter to the donor family has been not knowing what to say, or how to say it. Others need to sort through many mixed feelings about the recent events. Feelings of sadness, guilt, happiness and thanks are not uncommon.

Surveys of donor families have shown that many families do want to hear how the recipients are doing. They message in this is that we, as recipients, should make the effort to express our feelings to the family. A simple, short letter can be very effective. A description of how the transplant has affected one’s life does not need to be long and involved. The underlying message is usually just “thank you.” If a recipient is struck with writer’s block and just can’t follow through with a letter, a simple card can say everything needed in two words: thank you.

As recipients, we have relied on medical professionals, family members and friends, financial helpers and others who have helped us get to this point in our lives where a transplant has given us this second chance. But, all of this outside help would be useless had the family of our donor not consented to donation. We need to take the lead in being responsible to ourselves and to the donor family and say thank you in some way. This needs to be done without an expectation or return contact. If we never head from them, we must respect their right to privacy.

For information about communicating with donor families there are several resources available. The National Kidney Foundation’s Donor Family Council and transAction Council websites both have a lot of great material including letters. The Transplant Recipients International Organization (TRIO) also has sample letters on their website or you can call them at (800) 874-6386. The Transweb Website has a great collection of stories from donor families and recipients, in addition to lots of other transplant-related information.

Other good sources of information and encouragement are at your transplant center. Coordinators, social workers and most of all, other patients, can relay their own experiences in writing their donor families. Professionals can help a great deal because they have probably assisted many other recipients in this process. And, the next time you are in the transplant clinic waiting room, ask other patients if they have written their donor families. You will find a wealth of help and information tips available to you.

By Maurie Ferriter

Reference: Ferriter, M. Thanking Your Donor Family. Transplant Chronicles. Vol.7, No. 4.

The post Thanking Your Donor Family appeared first on Angel Cove Transplant Blog.

Absorption: the degree and pace at which a drug enters the bloodstream from the small intestine

Acute Tubular Necrosis (ATN): reversible kidney damage resulting in delayed kidney function

Alkaline Phosphatase: an enzyme produced by liver (and other) cells; elevated blood levels of this substance may indicate abnormal function of the liver or other organs

Allograft: a graft between two individuals who are of the same species (e.g. human) but have genetic differences

Anemic: low red blood cell count

Anesthetic: medication that reduces pain by numbing sensation

Antacid: a drug that aids in protecting the digestive system, relieves heartburn and digestive discomfort

Antibody: a protein produced by the body to eliminate foreign substances such as bacteria

Antigen: a foreign molecule or substance, such as a transplant, that triggers an immune response

Arteriogram (angiogram): an X: ray of the arteries taken with the aid of a dye

Atherosclerosis: a buildup of fats in the lining of the arteries

B Cell: a specialized white blood cell responsible for the body’s immunity

Bacteria: small organisms (germs) that can cause disease

Biopsy: the removal and examination of tissue for diagnosis

Bladder: the part of the urinary tract that receives urine from the kidneys and stores it until urination

Cadaveric Donor: an individual who has recently died of causes that do not affect the function of an organ to be transplanted

Cholesterol: a form of fat that performs necessary functions in the body but can also cause heart disease; cholesterol is found in foods such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy products

Coagulation: blood clotting

Corticosteroids: a category of immunosuppressive medications that includes prednisone and prednislone

Crossmatch: a test in which donor and recipient blood samples are mixed together. A “positive” crossmatch shows the donor and recipient are incompatible. A “negative” crossmatch shows there is no reaction between the donor and the recipient. This means that the donor and recipient are compatible and the transplant may proceed.

CMV (Cytomegalovirus): a viral infection that can affect the lungs and other organs

Diabetes: a disease in which patients have high levels of sugar in their blood

Dialysis: the process of cleansing the blood of patients whose kidneys have failed. Dialysis may refer to hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis (PD)

Diastolic: the bottom of two blood pressure numbers, which measures blood pressure when the heart is at rest

Edema: excess fluid in body tissues

Electrolyte: refers to the dissolved form of a mineral such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, chlorine, etc.

Enzyme: a protein made in the body and capable of changing a substance from one form to another

Gingival Hypertrophy: enlargement of the gums. It is a side effect of the medication cyclosporine, but can be managed with good oral hygiene

Glucose: a type of sugar found in the blood

Graft: an organ or tissue that is transplanted

Graft Survival: when a transplanted tissue or organ is accepted by the body and functions properly

Helper T Cell: the specialized white blood cell that tells other parts of the immune system to combat infection or foreign material

Hematocrit: a measure of the red: blood: cell content of blood

Hemodialysis: a method of dialysis in which blood is purified by circulating through an apparatus outside the body

Hirsutism: an excessive increase in hair growth, side effect of corticosteroids and cyclosporine

Histocompatibility: the examination of human leukocyte antigens (HLA) in a patient often referred to as “tissue typing.” Tissue typing is routinely performed for all donors and recipients to help match the donor with the most suitable recipients. This helps to decrease the likelihood of “rejecting” the transplanted organ. HLA (human leukocyte antigens) system: genetically determined series of antigens that are present on human white blood cells and tissues.

Hypertension: high blood pressure

Immune Response: any defensive reaction to foreign material by the immune system

Immune System: the system that protects the body from invasion by foreign substances, such as bacteria and viruses, and from cancer cells

Immunity: a condition of being able to resist a particular infectious disease

Immunosuppressive Agents: medications given to prevent rejection of a transplanted organ

Incompatible: no likeness or similarity between donor or recipient blood type or organs

IV, or Intravenous: refers to giving medicines or fluids directly through a vein

IV Catheter: a small needle with a hollow tube inserted into a vein and used to give medicines or fluids

Living: Related Donor (LRD): a blood relative who donates an organ

Match: the compatibility between recipient and donor

Nephrologist: a physician who studies the kidney and treats kidney disease

Noncompliance: failure to follow the instructions of one’s health care providers, such as not taking medicine as prescribed or not showing up for clinic visits

Orally: by mouth

Organ Preservation: between organ procurement and transplant, organs require preservation to keep them viable. The length of time that organs/tissues can be kept outside the body varies, depending on the organ, the preservation fluid and the temperature.

Organ Procurement Organization (OPO): OPO’s serve as the link between the potential donor and recipient. The organization is responsible for the retrieval, preservation and transportation of organs for transplantation.

Organ Rejection: an attempt by the immune system to reject or destroy what it recognizes to be a “foreign” presence

Panel Reactive Antibody (PRA): a way of measuring immune system activity within the body. PRA is higher when more antibodies are being made.

PCP: Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, a type of pneumonia seen primarily in patients whose immune systems are suppressed

Peritoneal Dialysis: a method of purifying the blood by flushing the abdominal cavity with a dilute salt solution

Prophylactic Medication: medication that helps prevent disease

Rejection: an immune response against grafted tissue, which, if not successfully treated, results in failure of the graft to survive

Renal: refers to the kidney

Stricture/Stenosis: a narrowing of passage in the body

Systolic: the top of the two blood pressure numbers, which measures the maximum blood pressure reached as blood is pumped out of the heart chambers

Thrush: a fungus infection in the mouth

Triglycerides: a form of fat that the body makes from sugar, alcohol, and excess calories

T Cells: a white blood cell responsible for the body’s immunity

Tissue Typing: a blood test (performed prior to transplantation) to evaluate the closeness of tissue match between donor’s organ and recipient’s HLA antigens

Urethra: a tube that drains urine from the bladder to the outside

Ureters: tubes that drain urine from the kidneys to the bladder

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI): an infection of one or more parts of the urinary tract

Virus: a very small agent (germ) that causes infection

Waiting List: after evaluation by the transplant physician, a patient is added to the national waiting list by the transplant center. Lists are specific to both geographic area and organ type. Each time a donor organ becomes available, the UNOS computer generates a list of potential recipients based on factors that include genetic similarity, organ size, medical urgency and time on the waiting list. Through this process, a “new” list is generated each time an organ becomes available.

Image courtesy of YouSearch.

The post Glossary of Organ Transplant Terms appeared first on Angel Cove Transplant Blog.

Well, it is a long story that span over decades but for the sake of your eyes, I will grace you with the cliff notes version of our own personal battle and the love of my life that started it all.

My now husband of 10 years, Greg, was in college chatting with me through an IRC before we met in person when the news came out. We had known each other for over a year and “spoke” almost daily through an online chat board and phone calls here and there – yes, we met 900 miles away through the wonderful Internet. That day he broke the normal conversation and said that he loved me very much but that he had something bad to tell me. I was scared and as I typed back to find out what it was, my hands started to shake. He told me “I have CF and I can understand if you don’t want to be with me anymore”. I was shocked. CF?!?!

Then I started to think a little. “What is CF?” I had no clue of what that meant. In 1995 it was not a very often heard of disease on Long Island, New York. He explained that it was Cystic Fibrosis and told me that it was a disease that effects his lungs and digestive system. I was shocked but still didn’t understand. He then told me that it was fatal. I asked when he caught this ugly disease and I think he laughed a little (because everyone asks that). I believe that at this point, his fingers were trembling also. “Cystic Fibrosis is not caught, it is something you are born with” was what I was told next. I kept thinking it was something like AIDS. He told me that he would understand if I no longer wanted to speak to him. Why would I want to deal with something so horrible. Well being the person I am, I took a deep breathe and calmed my hands down a little. My reply was simply “It is too late for me to leave you, I am already in love with you and will be with you forever”. Being that we were on the computers, I don’t know how he reacted emotionally but the next thing I read is “Good, I love you so much and don’t want to lose you”.

Again, being the person I am, when we said our good-byes for the day, I ran over to the university campus library and took out all the books that I could about CF. I even read a book (forgive me but I forgot the name) written by a teenager who died from CF. It was her journal of sorts. I was touched and automatically started to fight for CF and that is where I am at now.

Greg is the most wonderful man ever. I do believe that God has made us soul mates for a reason. He has stood by me through thick and thin. How can I not love and be with a man that is so beautiful? I know that it is not his fault that he has CF but it seems unfair at times. How can you be so perfect and yet have such an imperfect body? Deep down inside I know it is to challenge us to appreciate life more often. He has taught me that.

Before his transplant, he had been very sick and was on home IVs every 5 weeks and oxygen 24/7 to help him breathe. His disease was originally mostly digestive but this disease had come to the “final stages” after he had been diagnosed with pneumonia in November 2002 and had nearly died. On November 11, 2004, after 5 dry runs and 3.5 years on a transplant waiting list, Greg received his miracle bilateral (double lung) transplant and has been blessed awesome health since that date.

My husband lost his only sister, Diana, back in 1988, at the tender age of 16 from CF. He is now an only child and looks at death with new eyes since that horrible day in 1988. He sees through these eyes when he looks in the mirror everyday or when he looks at his two younger cousins, who also have this horrible disease.

Now we strive to make sure that we don’t lose anyone else that is dear to us. We try to walk the 6.2 miles in the Great Strides Walk every year. We spread Cystic Fibrosis and Organ Donation awareness and we keep the thoughts of our already lost and loved ones in our hearts and minds every day that we are able to get out of the bed in the morning and take a deep breath . . .

Image courtesy of Fabulous Frocks.

The post Our Personal Transplant Battle appeared first on Angel Cove Transplant Blog.

Each day is a blessing and you have to learn to take the good with the bad.

I’ve almost been a widow 3 times. It starts off simple enough. A cold here. An ache there. Nothing big, just a small thing that has healthy people bounding back in a week.

But not for us.

Hubs is sick again… and you know it’s bad when he’s staying home from work. (We think it’s a head cold but the mucus is getting to his lungs.) Normal people stay home from work but I’ve seen my husband go to work with IV lines up his sleeves and towing oxygen tanks into his car.

My husband does not give up. He does not give in. He does not surrender.

And he isn’t now…

It’s just that, with every new cold or pain, there’s a greater chance each time that it’s not going to end well. There’s a greater chance that my time with my best friend will not last another 50 years.

And it scares the hell out of me.

Yes, we’ve been prepared for that moment many times over now…. but who is ever truly ready?

God has granted us so many miracles in the 20 years I’ve been with his beautiful man. So… I’m asking again for another miracle.

Hubs’ lung function went from 90% after his double-lung transplant to 30% after his a round of chemotherapy. If he had that 90%, I’d be alright… but I’ve seen what can happen at 30%. I’ve seen him go from healthy one day to life support for 9 months the next day.

So, I guess what I’m saying is that…

I will continue to Have Faith (HAVF8TH)… believing in miracles and the power of prayer.

Please pray for my husband. Pray this cold leaves him as fast as it came… and pray for 100% healing of his miracle lungs.

Thank you and God Bless you all. I know you’re going through your own struggles in life and I’m truly blessed to have you all in my life.

Image courtesy of Quotes Pictures.

The post Another Life Moment: Catching a Cold After Lung Transplant appeared first on Angel Cove Transplant Blog.

Just shy of my husband’s 10th transplant anniversary and he was given the news… “You’re in chronic rejection”, says the transplant doctor.

In his specific case, the air fills his “hand-me-down” lungs but, when he exhales, the air gets caught in microscopic air sacs. There’s no terminology or label for this specific lung malfunction so they group it into this thing called “chronic rejection”.

Well if that’s not just a shot in the pants!

There are so many reactions someone could have to hearing the term chronic rejection. But, what do we do? We laugh!

We laugh at labels and diagnoses. We laugh at how life is never dull. But, most of all, we laugh at the doctors and their silly prognoses.

Why?

Because the doctors have never been right when it comes to my husband.

Through Cystic Fibrosis, being on life support, waiting 3.5 years for a miracle double lung transplant, gaining 90% lung function when they told him he’ll get 60% tops, beating Stage 4 Lymphoma, and that’s not to mention all the daily small things he’s overcome like continuous infections, IV treatments, medications, oxygen, etc.

My husband is a medical enigma. He defies all logic. Heck, they even had to cauterize ¾ of his chest cavity during transplant because his blood vessels were growing towards his lungs to get more oxygen. This is something the surgeon had never seen before.

Again… he’s a freak I tell ya!

So, back to the actual diagnosis for all those still reading and wondering.

Hubs’ condition may be caused by life very low Tacrolimus (anti-rejection drug) during his 6-month chemotherapy treatment last year for the cancer. Or, it could be the fact that he has cultured positive (again) for Aspergillus (fungus) in his lungs. At this stage, we’re not sure – but what we do know is that his oxygen level is down a couple of points and PFTs (lung functions) have gone down dramatically since before the cancer diagnosis.

So, what’s the next step?

Bronchoscopy and biopsy of the lungs is being scheduled for next week.

In the meantime, his anti-rejection drug has been increased and they’ll be making him take some “goop” medication for the fungus.

Until then… it is my wifely duty to motivate him to exercise more, create yummy green juices to increase his nutritional intake, and make him laugh every moment that I can.

How to add laughter to a transplant recipient’s life?

• Funny shows and movies.
• Playing with silly dogs.
• Trying new baking recipes and allowing ourselves to laugh when it flops.
• Acting silly – no matter your age.
• Finding the funny – even if it’s when your windshield wiper flies off on the freeway in a rain storm.
• Searching for the silliest magazine cover at the hospital.
• And more!

It is through laughter that life is truly lived… No matter what is going on around you.

The post Transplant Diagnosis: Chronic Rejection. Time to Laugh! appeared first on Angel Cove Transplant Blog.

I’m trying not to cry but the tears have other plans.

My husband just left for a 1.5-hour trip to his transplant hospital. There he will go through blood tests, chest x-rays, the 6-minute walk and pulmonary function tests (PFTs). He will be asked, over and over again, about the new pain in his lower left lung, the deep choking cough that won’t go away, the low-grade fevers that visit him daily, and the overall lung function (spirometry) numbers that keep declining.

And then… they will admit him to the hospital.

And, for the first time in 14 years (since we’ve been married), I will not by his side.

And it’s killing me.

For the first time, I couldn’t rearrange my schedule to work from the hospital. There were no more opportunities for me to reschedule my clients to be by his side.

You see, almost a year ago my husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 Post Transplant Lymphoma Disorder (PTLD) – lymphoma cancer caused by his immunosuppressant transplant lungs. His body had tumors everywhere and he was put on 6 months of chemotherapy. After 8 months, he was declared to be in remission but the chemotherapy did a number on his body. His white and red blood cells still haven’t bounced back and he’s been nutropenic (think “bubble boy”) ever since.

My business took a backseat to my husband’s care. I hardly saw any clients and worked when I could from hospitals, chemo rooms, and my own bed. Whatever it took, I was there for my husband. He came first.

But then all the medical bills started to come in. We didn’t have the best insurance but it was always good enough to handle his 13+ prescriptions for the transplant stuff. This time though, he was in and out of the local hospital every 2-3 weeks. The bills went from a trickle to a landslide.

So, here we were. My income slowed because I needed to be there for him and he wasn’t going to work so there was no income from him.

Our well-stocked emergency fund vanished and more bills started to come in.

We thought everything was going to be all right when he was told he could return to work, but we were wrong.

Even though he worked, the company he worked for decided not to pay their employees – waiting for a “project to come in”. Before they laid him off, he was without more than 2 months worth of pay – more than 2 months of absolutely no income from him to help pay for any bills.

Yes, he was laid off and, at least now, he has a bit of money coming in from unemployment.

Even though we live a VERY frugal lifestyle, that’s not nearly enough to cover mandatory expenses along with his medications, back medical bills, and now this trip for yet another stay at the hospital.

I just can’t do it anymore.

We need the money to pay our bills so I can no longer push off my own work to be where I want to be – by his side.

There’s no more emergency fund. There’s no more cutting out expenses. There’s no more work flexibility.

If I don’t let go of his hand this time, there will be no house for him to return home to.

And it breaks my heart.

I will put on a smile today, do my job, and be a friend to all… but my heart and head will be with him… until I am able to hold his hand once again…

The post On Separation and the Breaking of a Heart appeared first on Angel Cove Transplant Blog.

Dear Friends & Family,

We just received word today that Greg (my husband) still has absolutely no immune system – even many months after chemotherapy. We’ve been giving him painful daily shots to stimulate his white/red/platelet blood cells with no luck. They will come back – just a bit – and then tank to almost non-existent. We’ve even tried natural remedies with no success. Greg and I have a theory that it’s his grossly enlarged spleen causing the blood problem… and are bringing this to the medical professionals. At this time, he’s not eating well, lost even more weight, keeps getting fevers, has absolutely no energy, and has developed a nagging cough (in his transplanted lungs).

He had returned to work but is now slowly starting to cut back on his hours. His body just can’t keep up with day-to-day living and he sleeps every chance he can (never sleeping enough).

I truly believe in the power of prayer and healing. I’m not sure what is going on and where this road may lead. All I do know is that we are on a very difficult path – medically, financially, and mentally – and I welcome any help… virtually or otherwise.

Irish blessings,
Shannon

The post CF, Transplant, Cancer and No Immune System appeared first on Angel Cove Transplant Blog.

Whether you are the one having the organ transplant or a caregiver/family member, you are blinded to what exists on the other side of that surgery. I liken it to living the first half of your life, the ages before 40, and then having your midlife party to wonder “now what”. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a mid-life crisis but I guess that’s what it is, really. Even when we are healthy, we don’t see past the age of youth (or life) until we are on the other side wondering what to do with ourselves.

My husband and I are both approaching 40 (currently 38 at the time of this post) and we are also on the other side of a transplant (8 years at the time of this post) so we have unique perspective on both areas of life and death. Alas, we never prepared for what the second half of our lives would bring – or what life would be like after his double-lung transplant.

After his transplant, he was full of life and wanted to try everything new. That lasted for about 6 months and then he was back at work and being, what society thought of as, “responsible”. We both were excited at first and the visions of travel and life experiences soon faded away. Our little bubble of the world before transplant morphed into the mundane life of just existing.

Now, don’t get me wrong at all. This is not a depressing post at all. It is not “woe is me” or “what was I thinking”. It is more about understanding the different levels to life. And, as one reaches 40, one starts thinking about the different levels of experiences in this world – and which ones to partake.

Being that we are both introverts (Hey – Billy Crystal is an introvert too!), we like the quiet life experiences such as nature, seeing new things and enjoying time together. We aren’t looking to jump out of any airplanes or travel the world in 80 days – but rather, we are looking to enjoy the 2nd life God has given us to enjoy every moment that is in our path.

What does that mean? Well, being 40 doesn’t mean you have to grow up and it doesn’t mean you have to be society’s idea of “responsible”. I’ll let you in on a little secret – I ride shopping carts while grocery shopping with my husband. Yes, I am that childish adult you see, without kids, hopping along and making my husband laugh. Why? Because that is me and that is enjoyable.

So, for the 2nd half of your journey, just enjoy every moment. Don’t look at what you have in material items or how many passport stamps you have as a symbol of living a good life. Enjoy every single thing you do and, if you don’t enjoy, either stop doing it or find a way to enjoy it.

Heck, I hate grocery shopping but I love riding shopping carts! Now it’s your turn to hop on that cart and enjoy the ride!

The post 2nd Chance at Life: The Life Quest appeared first on Angel Cove Transplant Blog.