Open Letters
Determined strong and patient, but fading with each breath
I knew unless the call came soon I faced a certain death.
But on one rainy Thursday, with death staring me in the face
That desperately needed phone call came, one decision, my saving grace.
Alive to breathe to talk to dance, to run to laugh to sing.
No longer under threatening shadow, my new life can begin.
And now each breath is magical, and even though you're gone
It's because of you I'm here today and your memory will live on.
Emily
Double lung recipient
Dear Donor Family
“Thank You" - these two words seem so inadequate for the gift of life you have given to me.
You have given me a second chance to live and many tomorrows.
I will be able to see the sun rise and set,
feel the rain and sun on my face,
hear the wind in the trees,
and listen to the birds sing.
I will be able to hug and be hugged.
I must offer my deepest sympathy for your loss, mere words from a stranger, but heartfelt just the same.
Perhaps, in your generous donation, your family and mine will be able to 'Celebrate the Life' of loved ones both past and present.
I know nothing about the donor only that they must have been kind, caring, compassionate, and generous, something they had to have learned from you, their family.
I feel that each new day has endless possibilities, and that my horizons are without bounds.
I only hope that I am able to justify the use of this wonderful gift.
I could make you promises of what I would do to make our world a better place, but we all know that promises tend to be broken and time can cause us to forget.
But know this, not a day, not an hour, or a minute will go by without my thinking of the donor and their family without whom I would not have had a chance to live.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
The recipient
Anon
