3 boys and a transplant By Alicia Curtis, Simply Hers Magazine
always love
Thank you all for the love and prayers after last month’s article. Last weekend, my family and I peacefully laid to rest my grandma AND grandpa. After my grandma passed, my grandpa passed away rather unexpectedly just 23 days later. They say old couples tend to pass from a broken heart, and this was absolutely the case. They were married 68 beautiful years, and for 68 beautiful years, she told him what to do, every second of every day. I talked a lot in my last article about being angry with God and trying to find peace. I can’t say that I’m not angry but going through this phase of life reminded me of a very specific Oscar moment. As I get closer to explaining the events that took place when Oscar received his transplant, there was a night in my head that will forever be in our hearts as one of the most defeating moments of our life. I had been home for almost a week incredibly sick. I was not allowed to be around Oscar. I had taken NyQuil, curled up in bed with my two boys, and fallen sound asleep. Jeremy called me around 1 am to tell me that we had gotten the call. I couldn’t wrap my groggy head around the idea of what he was telling me. When the realization hit, I jumped out of bed and started calling my family. As soon as my boys were picked up, I was on my way to Ann Arbor. I was barely awake, sick, and praying that I could get to the hospital safely and be there for my son.
58
It was the miracle we had been waiting for. When I finally got to the hospital, doctors and nurses were in and out trying to prep him without waking him. He wasn’t allowed to eat, and the second that he was awake we all knew that he wouldn’t be happy. We had a couple of hours until his surgery; Jeremy urged me to lay down and try to get a little bit of sleep so that I could function for the long hours ahead. About an hour later, two doctors walked into our room. I instantly knew that something was not right. They looked defeated. The liver they had for Oscar was not going to work. As soon as they said it, our hearts sank. Our precious baby boy’s fight would have to continue. Someone lost their life that night. Life continued to fight us. I think of the next day in the hospital after finding out that terrible news. We kept the blinds closed, I didn’t get out of bed, the lights stayed off, and it was quiet. I remember thinking in that moment that I had no fight left. My parents came to visit and I had nothing to say. Jeremy and I were defeated. It very much seems that life has cycled back around to events that keep breaking us down. But, just like that night, we kept moving. We regained our fight, and we won. My family will regain our fight, I will regain my fight, and I will win. As the summer is here, enjoy it. Hug your loved ones, smile, laugh, and, most importantly, always love.