A Trial Run for Jess...

22Oct 

Monday starts early - I wake up at 5:01 - something feels off, but I’m not sure what it is. I think of Jess but wait until 5:32, then text her, knowing she will have the sound on her phone turned off if she’s still sleeping - she can do that because she is in hospital awaiting lungs. The rest of us out here, Never turn our phones off...just in case The Call should come!

I text... “any news?” and in less than 10 seconds a reply comes thru, “Hi!!!!!!”

They had waken Jess at 5 to administer meds and she was not having a good time with the Cyclosporine. Don’t know that this is why I woke up but our Jess IS a powerful force...we text for a bit and then I get up and get ready to head over to TGH. The previous night, they had suggested a possible OR time of 7 am today, so I want to make sure I have completed my delivery before they take her to OR. At this point, I need to take you back in time a few hours...

Jess got The Call  on Saturday night. She has been in hospital since then, although they did let her out for a few hours on Sun afternoon, (she enjoyed a trip to IKEA) and let her eat on Sunday as well, up until midnight. Carman and I picked Bonnie up and dropped her home then went back to TGH to visit with Jess (game in hand) on Sunday night. When we arrived, they had told her she could eat, and all she wanted (to go with the IKEA cinnamon buns she’d purchased), was a Tall Blonde Hazelnut from Starbucks. Carman and I had tried to get one when we arrived, but the Starbucks had just closed down in the atrium. I left Carman with Jess and headed over to the next closest one on Bay, and, can you believe it?? They had stopped brewing blonde just 20 minutes earlier. So I settle for a regular coffee with hazelnut and add the 2 sweeteners and cream. I grab a coffee for me and a Cafe Mocha for Carman as well and head back.

When I got back with the beverages we settled in for a visit, when I noticed a little yellow box on Jess’ nightstand. I did a double take, then asked her, “What are you planning to do with the 3 rolls of film, Jess?”

“That’s not film, its my disposable camera.”

“Um, I think you better take a second look at the box...”

 

Sure enough, it was film! She had picked up the wrong box - way back in July when she had purchased it! Not to worry, we had one at home, so I promised to deliver it before she went to the OR. The team will take photos of your extracted lungs for you, if you provide a disposable camera and we were both keen to see the difference between the current and the new, when the time comes.

We didn’t get the game out at all, as Kristy, her Mom, Susan and Aunt Louise dropped in for a short visit as well. We were just about to head to the visitors room (we were making a bit of chatter) when they received a text from the menfolk, suggesting it was time to move the car, so they’d better come downstairs. We made our goodbyes as quickly as our group can, (hugs all around, more chatter, more hugs) and they left.

Nurse Teddy Tenderheart

In the meantime, this special Nurse arrived via text, to see to Jess’ every need!

We signed out around 10:45, and I suggested to the desk Nurse that perhaps I should back-time our departure so we wouldn’t get busted for staying too long!

Jess & Kristy

 

We still don’t know why Jess was called in so early in the process, but did find out that it was a multi-organ donation situation, so all parties had to get in place before anything could happen - that's why the long wait. What this means is, that each team involved with the various organs, must be assembled and arrive where the donor is while each potential organ recipient must be called into hospital for a myriad of tests followed by prep for surgery (which includes starting immunosuppressant meds). Organs may not all be going to the same hospital, so getting the teams in place and off to the donor’s location can take some time.

The beauty of a trip at this hour, is No Zigzagging Cyclists! and limited traffic, so it only takes me about 6 minutes to get there. When I arrive at TGH, our names from last night are the most recent names on the list. I sign back in at 6:18 and tell the Nurse, I’m delivering the camera, won’t stay long, and that I know she’s awake since we’ve been texting already. She just smiles and says, yes, I think her roommate is awake too.

Jess' Dark Angel of
Cold Clothes

We spend the early hours of Monday morning, trading cold wet clothes for semi-dry warm ones with Jess while we tried to help cool her head (a side effect from the Cyclosporin - a hot head - and yes, we had lots of laughs about that). Her nurse came in and saw what we were doing so offered to get some ice packs too, which also helped and didn’t get the sheets all wet!

Just before she leaves at end of shift, the nurse comes in to check Jess’ bloodsugars and apologizes for the long wait, and that her surgery definitely won’t be at 7 as hoped, but that she had no news of anything else. 

 We watch the day arrive together and just before 9 I leave to go and bring Bonnie back, then I’ll go home to rouse Carman and get ready for Physio. I tell Jess we’ll come back after that to visit and play our game of Sequence. At 9:20, just after I drop Bonnie off, she texts to tell me they’ve given her an an OR time - 5pm!

I suggest we’ll see her for Physio, since the OR time is well after but in spite of a trip to IKEA on Sunday, they won’t let her leave the floor today. I then suggest that when our turn comes and Carman is in hospital awaiting his new lungs, I’ll have to arrange to pick Bonnie up and bring her to TGH so we get an OR time assigned to us, she seems to be the charm!

We text a few more quips and her last texts touches my heart:

Love u too. Thank you for coming this morning you rock

Now I have a full day ahead of me and am not prepared to get mushy so I reply:

It was just where I wanted to be and it was because you suck at buying cameras, ha ha!

We are so excited and hopeful that these gifted lungs will be the ones for Jess - we know they are a match already, all that remains is that they are healthy and free of infections of any kind - this can only be determined once they have been harvested, so things could go either way from here. I think our friend Tara put it best - “I just can’t get out of my own way, I’m so excited!”

I drop by on the way to Physio, to leave the game with Jess and she wants to send a “Hello, miss you guys!” to our Physio gang. I take her photo and promise to show it to EVERYONE!

I showed our gang the photo, then Carman said - make sure you show Pat and her daughter over in the corner, they were asking how Jess was doing too. So I did, and there was Pat, working the arm bike while her legs were crossed for Jess!  

"Hi, miss you guys!"

Little did we know...

At 3:00, just as we were finishing in The Treadmill Room, the Dr. came in to tell Jess that unfortunately, one of the donor lungs was infected with pneumonia so they were not able to do a double transplant for her yesterday. This is just part of the journey...waiting on the outside, getting The Call, then waiting on the inside of the hospital. There is no way to tell until the last couple of hours before surgery, (after organs have been harvested and fully tested) whether or not they are good for transplanting to someone else. 

The only tear shed, was when the nurse assured us that the second lung was very healthy and was going to be used for another patient, whom they were in the process of calling in. Jess, Bonnie, Carman and I just looked at each other and couldn't speak, just grinned big goofy grins and shed tears of joy!

At that point, we packed up what was left to take of Jess’ belongings (just crumbs in the cinnamon bun container) and took her and Bonnie home - to have something delicious for supper (Bonnie is a great cook) and to sleep in her own bed. Jess has successfully completed a practice run, now has the right camera; a list of what she does/doesn’t need to bring and a solid knowledge of what to expect when The Pager Beeps & The Call comes.

Around 11, we found out just how connected our stories have become. Jess received a note from the daughter of one of our other Physio friends, Pat. It turns out, Pat is the patient they were trying to reach, she was a match and needed a single lung! Yes, the very same Pat who had been arm-biking with her legs crossed for luck for Jess!

Pat has been waiting for over a year - so we were all ecstatic for her! Her surgery (4 hours) was done Monday night and on Tuesday morning her daughter, Lorraine, let us know that all had gone well and she was awake! Just like that. It will be several weeks, including Physio (when Pat will rejoin our group in The Treadmill Room as a Postee) before she is recovered and her immuno-suppressing meds are sorted out, but she has completed the first big step and we couldn’t be happier!

PS - Pat & Lorraine have given us permission to share their wonderful news. Otherwise, I would not include names for reasons of privacy.

When a door closes, a window opens. 

We are eternally grateful to the donor and his/her family for this wonderful gift. When all is said and done, this multi-organ donation could save the lives of 8 people!

Can you imagine a more selfless and precious gift?

See the link at the right - and find out how you can become a Donor