Donate Life Illinois

Post Transplant Update from Bill Coon

December 3, 2009

Our last update here on heart and kidney transplant recipient Bill Coon was from back in October when Bill had just received his transplants. I recently checked back in with Bill to see how things have been going. Below is a letter from he sent back along with a few recent entries documenting his recovery.

-Scott

Bill Coon

I apologize for my recent hiatus from this blog. I returned home on November 2, 2009 for the first time in seventy days. Since returning home, I have been very busy trying to get my life back on track, as I have been noticeably growing stronger with each day. Much of my time has been preoccupied with writing thank you notes, and a large amount of homework that I am behind on from my online courses.

I have recently read many of the comments from the September entries, and I want to say thank you to everyone who had written such beautiful messages to me. I truly appreciate your prayers and support.

In an attempt to make up for lost time, I have included two exerts from my forthcoming book “Swim”, and I plan on becoming a much more frequent blogger now that I am filled with a form of energy that I have not felt since December 2008.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I wish you all an even better holiday season.

I hope you all enjoy,

Bill Coon

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Today is my one-month anniversary of receiving my life-saving heart transplant. I was thinking about what I wanted to say in this entry, how I could possibly express my gratitude to my donor, and that’s when I realized that I can’t. The best I could do is simply describe how wonderful I feel.

I have come a long way since surgery; in fact, I have come a long way since last week. I feel revived. I run up-and-down stairs without thinking, I can eat anything I want without thinking twice about sodium. The only pain I experience is muscular pain in my shoulders, and even that is decreasing as the weeks go by. My life is back on track, my future has once again been restored, I am finally happy again.

As much as I want to vast in the glory of my survival, I can’t. It has dawned on me several times throughout the day that though my entire family has been writing me emails congratulating me on my “one-month”, I realize that somewhere in this country there is a an entire family in pain. They are faced with the gloomy realization that a month ago today they lost their loved one. Obviously, I don’t know what the family looks like, but I continuously get this image of four women sitting at a table, as their tears fall on the picture of their lost family member. I can’t shake the image; it’s just stuck in my mind.

Thursday, November 26, 2009 – Thanksgiving Day

What am I thankful for on this Thanksgiving? I should definitely start with the obvious, I am thankful for my donor. I am thankful for the unselfish generosity of his/her family. I am thankful that they were able to look outside of themselves during their darkest hour and make a decision that saved not only my life, (but I can only assume), the lives of many others.

I can imagine that they spent this day struggling to find something to be thankful for. Everything positive in their lives must have no comparison to the sadness that they felt on October 21st, and the sorrow that they are still without a doubt experiencing. I wish I could do something to help ease their pain, but I know that I cannot. This thought tore at me as I tried to indulge in the ham and turkey throughout the day. It’s 4:02am and I still haven’t been able to shake the thought from my mind.

The only minuscule comfort that I can find for the family that saved my life, is the fact that they have forever joined a community. They have joined the community of those touched by organ donation, the same overwhelmingly loving, and supportive community that reached out to me during my time of darkness, offering their support, stories, and words of encouragement. The very community that on this Thanksgiving I give thanks to.

On this Thanksgiving I am thankful to no longer feel pain when I move my legs. I am thankful that I no longer have a catheter protruding from my neck, and that I no longer have to take Morphine to get through the day. I am thankful for my unbelievable support system of family and friends, and for the staff at Northwestern who took a man who was in shambles, and with the power of modern-day medicine, pieced him back together stronger than he has ever been.

On this Thanksgiving, I am thankful to be alive.

Leave a Comment » | Donate Life Illinois, Heart Transplant, Kidney Transplant, Recipients | Tagged: Bill Coon, chicago, college student, donation, eiu, Heart Transplant, Kidney Transplant, organ donor | Permalink
Posted by Scott Meis

New CTA and Facebook Ads Featuring Charles Tillman

December 1, 2009

Last month we unveiled a PSA we had shot with Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman.

This week, we’ve started a two month advertising campaign with some ads on the trains and buses around Chicago. Snap a photo if you see one around town and post it to our Facebook page!

In addition, starting next week, we’ll be running some targeted ads on Facebook as well that are similar to the one below to encourage others to register.

-Scott

Leave a Comment » | Donate Life Illinois | Tagged: charles tillman, cta ad, Donate Life Illinois, facebook, Heart Transplant, organ donation, organ donor | Permalink
Posted by Scott Meis

What “Thanks” Means to Me

November 24, 2009

Back in August, we unveiled Illinois’ 2010 Donate Life Rose Parade Float Rider, Anne Gulotta. She will be paying tribute to her husband Jay, who was a donor in 2002 in addition to honoring Cameron Chana of Clarendon Hills, Ill. who was a donor earlier this year. Both Cameron and Jay will be represented through floragraphs on the Float.

From now through December, we’ll feature a series of posts from Anne and the Chana family to help provide insight into what it means to honor organ/tissue donors and help promote the issue on a national scale through the Float.

At previous meetings with Anne, she has continually mentioned the theme of “thanks” in regard to the feelings that arise when we think of those that have given the gift of life. In light of Thanksgiving, I asked Anne to provide some further insight on the theme.

Thank you Anne and Happy T-Day and safe travels to all!

-Scott

What “Thanks” Means to Me

Anne Gulotta

I’m very excited to share my journey with you to the 2010 Rose Bowl Parade. As you may know, Steve Ferkau has passed the baton to me this year, and promised to teach me the crucial parade float crowd wave. I’ve known Steve since 2005 when we met after a photo shoot for the annual Gift of Hope calendar.

Soon after, Steve and I were presenting together, quickly earning our reputation as the Dynamic Duo. I talk about my experience as a donor family and wife, and Steve talks about the lifesaving double lung transplant he received from his donor, Kari. For that he is grateful, and gives thanks every day of his life.

You may have seen a rendition of the float A New Life Rises. A phoenix rises from the ashes bringing hope to others. My son JR is an aspiring singer songwriter. He said to me one day; “Mom, in memory of dad and in honor of the lives he saved I’m writing a song.” The melody came quickly, but the words did not. How would he express the loss of his father, and still honor those who received the gift of life? It was pretty easy for him once he gave it some thought, and soon “Thank You” was written.

In just a few days we will all give thanks to the bountiful meal put in front of us. At our house we are pretty traditional. Turkey, stuffing (two kinds), potatoes (two kinds), and a bunch of other stuff including homemade pumpkin pie. It’s a tradition in our house to go around the table and give thanks for something that has brought meaning to our lives. JR puts it eloquently in the song when he writes and I paraphrase; ” Of all these thoughts holding me, I feel strength in belief of a new life rising out of me, I can see hope in what I need, a purpose driving me.”

After Jay (my husband of 18 years) died I felt very alone, but soon I was involved with Gift of Hope delivering a message of hope, love, and strength. I’m grateful for the strength to tell my story, and the purpose that now drives me to tell my story. Sometimes we need to reach deep into our souls to look past hurt and grief to find the good and be thankful.

Jay saved many lives. His left kidney recipient is Julie. Julie would not be alive today if it wasn’t for the gift of life Jay gave to her. I’ve gotten to know Julie quit well, and I will write more about that later. I give thanks to Jay every day. Julie is an extraordinary human being. She is kind, loving, and strong. Julie, her husband Ed, and all their friends and family give thanks to organ donation, because Jay lives on. Julie is a testimony to that.

Organ donation has a ripple effect. So many lives have been touched by the gift of life that one person gave. Jay’s heart was given to a 55-year-old man, his right kidney to a 16-year-old girl, and he gave someone sight. He donated tissue too and part of his liver was donated. Life carries on, and the relationships I have formed in the past seven years are precious. I am very close to JR and my daughter Elizabeth, and although I lost my best friend and husband, I have a new friend in Julie. I say thank you to them all.

Enjoy this holiday season. Eat the turkey and savor the pumpkin pie, and when you wake up each morning, give thanks for something in your life.

-Anne