Quinnlin will tell you that it was a long time ago that she got a kidney from “Ms. Cheryl” when in fact it was a few short years ago. Tomorrow, which is also Quinnlin’s birthday, is three years or 36 months of kidney function for Quinnlin.
Julie Wolfe from 11Alive here in Atlanta followed Quinnlin’s story from the Santa letter and here are the news reports and the feature (hang around there is a pause between an update and the feature).
We are as every bit grateful today as we were the day Cheryl offered, the day the transplant was approved, the day they rolled her away from us for surgery and the day we watched Quinnlin’s labs go to normal. There’s an underlying current with us that reverberates our everyday life and that is how very fragile life is and how grateful we are to have more time with our kids because of Cheryl and Jody.
When these anniversaries or milestones pass us by (Gage is 5.6 years post transplant) it’s easy to celebrate when things are good and on track. We’re certainly in the celebratory group, with the exception of Gage’s emotional health and the pesky hospitalizations that come with compromised immune systems (which are “normal” for all of us in this lot).
It’s extremely hard to pass an anniversary like this without thinking of what life could have been or what life could be if we didn’t have Cheryl or a successful transplant. The memories of Gage’s horrific experience with kidney failure and the emotional fallout remain today. They are a silent, ever-present thought in the back my mind.
Today though, we celebrate. Thank you Cheryl for giving my girl a second chance when the first one went south and for being a gracious donor who just wanted to improve Quinnlin’s life, give her a future of teenagehood and the options for whatever life could offer her.
There is no gift of repayment we can give for the sacrifice you made for Quinnlin, not really. We can only tell you we love you and that we promise each day to be grateful she is with us and you have our vow that we will help her reach her potential and her dreams, whatever they may be.
For certainly now, she has a chance to dream.
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The image of those two kidneys side by side….oh my word. That says it all.
And Happy Birthday!
What a beautiful spirit your Quinnlin has. And Gage. I hope Cheryl realized every single day what an amazing person she is. My love to all of you. I think I’ll have a piece of cake in Quinnlin’s honor!
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