5 years ago today a miracle was given. A gift from another given in their grief and sorrow, gave hope and life to 8 others. The gift of life, and a second chance was given to my daughter in the form of a new healthy liver. Today we celebrate Phoenix’s New Life Day or Liverversary! 5 extra years she has been given to live and hopefully many more….5 extra years she wouldn’t have had had the family in the depths of their grief hadn’t still found the courage and selflessness to say yes to donate. To donate their very young child’s organs so that 8 other children could continue their lives and have a chance to live, a second chance. On this day we not only celebrate the time we’ve had, the extra time had and to have, but also we give thanks to the family that so courageously gave her this gift of life. We give thanks, but we also mourn and give thought to the life lost and the family’s loss. We take time to acknowledge this bitter sweet day in all its intricacies and emotions. We will never forget what was given to her….and it will be treasured for life, never abused and never taken for granted. Their gift and memory will live on. This past year has been hard for us, especially for Phoenix. Dealing with liver related issues and suffering and undergoing so many hospitalizations and treatments. It’s easy some days to give into self-pity and give vent to the unfairness of the world. But we have to remember that without this gift we wouldn’t have this life to hold onto and struggle through. It’s a hiccup in the road that she can overcome with help and love of those around her and the expertise of the medical community. She’s been given 5 extra years I’d never have had to hold her, raise her, love her and watch her grow into the wonderful preteen she is becoming. My hope is for many, many more years….and I know medical technology is advancing everyday….hopefully one day soon they’ll find more then this Band-Aid and we can be guaranteed a long life for her. One that will last without another transplant, continuous surgeries or with medications that cause cancers and kidney failure and restrict her life. But it’s still a life she thankfully does have, which wouldn’t have been possible without this gift of life given. I’m thankful every day for it, for every extra day we have together, for every extra day she gets to experience and grow and learn from, good or bad. I will always hope and fight for more and better for her, and I’ll always be thankful for what she’s had and every extra bit of time she’s been given <3 So HAPPY 5th LIVERVERSARY to my miracle child! And many heartfelt thanks to the incredible family who saved her life and gave her these extra years!
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May 2014
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