So far it has been a terrible weekend all around.
Apart from being my fifteen month anniversary on the transplant list, which is bad enough, fate decided to just keep the bad vibes coming this weekend.
Just after posting my blog yesterday I learned about the shocking death of Lynsey Peagram. This death has sent the PH community reeling as it was totally unexpected. Lynsey had been planning, and looking forward to, a holiday with her family. There was no hint that anything was wrong except she'd just dropped off the radar. Then news came through that she'd passed away the previous Wednesday and the whole community has gone into mourning.
Today we learn of another sad death, that of Kerry Thorpe who was a beautiful young lady.
The really sad thing is that both these lovely ladies could have lived if they had got their transplant. All it takes is one donor and up to eight families and countless friends could be spared the pain that is washing over us all right now. These deaths were preventable, they were unnecessary and most of all, if we had an opt out system, would probably never happened. I am so sad and so very angry.
Of course this has made me think of my own mortality and my own chances. To be honest they are not feeling very good right now. The deaths of Lynsey and Kelly just highlights how quickly this illness can take you. You go to bed wondering whether you will wake up in the morning. Every time you leave the house you wonder if you will make it back and every time you hear of someone else losing their fight you wonder 'will I be next'? Because sure enough one day it will be you and there is sod all you can do about it.
However there are people who can help. There are the politicians who should pull their fingers out and get the opt out system in place.And there are the ordinary people who could just simply have the conversation with their loved ones and get themselves signed up. Unfortunately there are a lot of well meaning people out there who have signed up but have failed to tell their families. At a time for great distress, and I can very well understand this reaction, the families refuse to follow the wishes of their loved one and another set of life saving organs are condemned to rot in the ground. I know it sounds brutal but those are the facts. Families get in the way of so many good intentions and all because they don't really know what their loved one wanted, it's shocking.
I won't write anymore today. I can't trust myself not to have a complete breakdown and a massive rant so it's best I stop. All that's left to say is. Please. Talk to your families, make sure they know what YOU want to do with YOUR body and sign the donor list today. Thank you.
Apart from being my fifteen month anniversary on the transplant list, which is bad enough, fate decided to just keep the bad vibes coming this weekend.
Today we learn of another sad death, that of Kerry Thorpe who was a beautiful young lady.
The really sad thing is that both these lovely ladies could have lived if they had got their transplant. All it takes is one donor and up to eight families and countless friends could be spared the pain that is washing over us all right now. These deaths were preventable, they were unnecessary and most of all, if we had an opt out system, would probably never happened. I am so sad and so very angry.
However there are people who can help. There are the politicians who should pull their fingers out and get the opt out system in place.And there are the ordinary people who could just simply have the conversation with their loved ones and get themselves signed up. Unfortunately there are a lot of well meaning people out there who have signed up but have failed to tell their families. At a time for great distress, and I can very well understand this reaction, the families refuse to follow the wishes of their loved one and another set of life saving organs are condemned to rot in the ground. I know it sounds brutal but those are the facts. Families get in the way of so many good intentions and all because they don't really know what their loved one wanted, it's shocking.
I won't write anymore today. I can't trust myself not to have a complete breakdown and a massive rant so it's best I stop. All that's left to say is. Please. Talk to your families, make sure they know what YOU want to do with YOUR body and sign the donor list today. Thank you.
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