2 amazing years...

Well..

2 day marks my 2 year anniversary of the scariest, most life changing, but yet incredible day of my life. November 22, 2009, I received my liver transplant. I have had 2 amazing, healthy, positive years full of life! Although it wasn't easy at first, I finally made it over the hump and have been hospital free since April!

Today has been a great day, spending with my mom, grandmother and best friend, Meghan during the day..and hanging with my fiance at night with dinner and a little shopping. I had sometime this morning by myself to say my thanks to God and my donor. I did some soul searching and reflecting. I had flashbacks of that day.

approx 520 am, the escort person knocked on my door with a stretcher in tow. I had a pretty restless night, so I was wide awake. It was time to head to the operating room. I remember thinking "Holy crap...is this really happening?"

My parents and Rob by my side, we stroll off the unit (Marburg 3 at Hopkins) across to Blalock 7, where the operating rooms are. Outside the operating room, the OR tech met me and told me to say my goodbyes because no one could come back to the room with me (not how it works in PEDS unfortunately.) All I remember from that time was the dreary UV lighting and so many emotions running through my head and my heart racing. I didn't know what the heck I was doing. Even though I really did.. I just couldn't grasp at that moment that after years of being sick, it was finally my turn to have my life saved. I then was wheeled into the OR halls and stopped right outside of OR 12. Every time I pass that OR room to this day, I still look in, get chills and just try to picture the doctors working their magic on me. I met with the nurse, that I had met in a class months later, and talked to her a bit. She was getting ready to get off. I remember meeting the anesthesiologist and bullcrapping with him for awhile. Telling him about my job at Hopkins and I know he could feel my anxiety. He was awesome. Wish I could remember his name. He definitely tried to get my mind off what was actually about to happen.

After signing my life away for the consent for the procedure...he said "why don't you walk over to the OR table...you wont be walking for at least a day or 2." I walked over and up onto the table. All the nurses and techs were so nice. But the minute I got on, so many people were swarming around me hooking me up to cords and wires. They gave me something in my IV and I then felt pretty awesome. They put the mask on me and LIGHTS out! ............

The next thing I remember, I woke up in the SICU. I opened one eye, then the other..took me a second to figure out where I was and what happened. I quickly realized it was over and I am alive! And I do not have a breathing tube in down my throat. Holy crap. I then remember my back hurting so bad and the pain pump not doing a thing to help it. I remember being really sweaty and hot. I remember the first thing out of my mouth besides saying hi to my sweet mother who was by my side was "where is my blackberry" cause of course I needed to rejoin the world and let people know I was awake and semi-functional. Second, I wanted to know the score of the Ravens game that I actually had tickets for (we ended up losing, booo.) I remember having a horrible huge NG tube in my nose, 3 JP blub drains hanging off of me, a huge dressing over my incision and a thermometer but my rear end (yeah, gross, I know.) I remember seeing a nurse I went to school with that worked in the SICU. I remember my doctors stopping by. Besides my darn back pain, I felt great. I was later moved to Nelson 7, where I had the BEST NURSES EVER (Besides the CMSC4 nurses that is...) and the best care. I learned all about my new life. 10 days later I was home.

2 years later, here I am. Alive. Healthy. Happy. Forever blessed and lucky.

So a big thank you to my parents, my family, Rob, my friends and all of my supporters. Getting to this point would have been impossible without you.

Here's to many more years of new life...

God bless my donor and his family. Please choose to donate life.

I came to win, to fight, to conquer, to thrive. I came to win, to survive, to prosper, to rise....To fly.

November 22, 2009 ♥

I need to keep up on this thing man...

Hi all :)

Hope everyone is doing well!!

Let's see where do I begin with updates..

1. Had a few issues around March/April...ended up having terrible kidney stones which caused the WORST pain ever in my life. No really...the worst. Give me a hundred more liver transplants...but no more kidney stones...PLEASE! Awfulness...thats all there is 2 it.
Was inpatient back on good old Nelson 7...thank goodness. Had a couple procedures under anesthesia...but about 8 weeks after it all, I slowly got back on my feet. Planned to go see Kylie in California during all this, so I unfortunately had to cancel my trip (huge bummer.)

Had a few quiet healthy months after all that mess and now....on to number 2!!

2. I'm engaged!!!!! WOOO HOO! My high school sweetheart, Rob, proposed to me in Ocean City, MD while we were vacationing for Memorial day weekend. It was just perfect. I'll spare the rest of my engagement wedding details on my wedding blog page...(to come!)

We are super excited and happy. Him and I have been through so much after the past 12 years...and I definiately am at a place where I know in my heart, he is the man for me. He has stuck by me through all of my health issues...and that is what I call a man.

3. My liver function is still kicking some major bootay! Had a few Ulcerative Colitis issues flare here and there but nothing super serious. I will maybe in the next 5 years have to have another surgery for that, but I am trying to not think that far ahead right now. I have too many positive things going on for that thought to bring me down.

4. My new addiction..

Makeup. For real. I have really been getting into makeup and makeup artistry a lot lately. I follow so many beauty blogs and beauty you tube "how to" videos. I spend lots of free time teaching myself..and I have to say, I am getting pretty darn good. I can't believe I never realized my talent and love for this. I love to experiment and try all kinds of looks on myself and other people. I get so much pleasure and enjoyment out of learning and doing makeup, that it surprises me. I haven't enjoyed doing something like this since I got involved in transplant advocacy. Its a new passion. I hope to one day get my liscense..to do it on the side. I will soon be making a beauty blog too (I know ... so many blogs.)


SPEAKING of transplant advocacy, but I can't remember if I told ya'll but my alma mater, Villa Julie College, now known as Stevenson University invited me to be their keynote speaker for their annual nursing conference. It was back in April and I NAILED it!! I was so honored and proud to speak in front of the nursing students, and I really feel like I connected to them. I told them my transplant story, shared my friends' stories and showed lots of pictures. I also spoke to them how I handled it from a nursing point of view. I enjoyed every minute of it. They actually paid me, but I didn't need or want any money. I did it just out of my love for sharing my experience and my drive to educate others. I was really proud of myself too. It was great to see my old professors and friends, so they could see how far I've come along...and how much they taught me.

It was friggin' awesome. I can't wait to do it again.

Other side notes...Kylie came to visit in July and even though it was a short visit, it is always so awesome to have my homie around. Love you Kyle! And my other bestie from work, Lisa, moved to Colorado. Miss her so much, but I have 2 close friends that live in awesome places, and I am looking forward to visiting them as soon as humanly possible.

Thanks again for reading and to all my friends, family, especially my parents and Rob....love you lots.

xx, R

Rachael has asked me to fill in for her while she is recovering from her new liver! That's right she received her new liver this morning.
The surgery went great! She even went to ICU without the respirator as she was doing so well.
They are hoping that she will beat the recovery of one of two people known to go to ICU without the respirator.
All vitals are showing normal.
Will keep all up to date until Rachael is well enough to do this herself.
Should be soon.
Racheal's Dad