my grandaughter

Today, my grandaughter stayed with us at home from morning until evening, and we played with a picnic basket of Hello Kitty, and she was the waitress.
This evening, I went with my daughter and grandaughter to see my mom, my sister and my niece who has a baby girl of 2 months. I was looking at the  baby and thinking that very soon, in about a month, we will be grandparents again, another little girl. We are very happy about it, but I wish I could take away from my daughter part of the tiredness I see her going through.
We always worry about our children no matter what age they are. Maybe worry isn't the word, but concern. I try to help them in any way I can, maybe I spoil them, but then again, I don't know how to be any other way. It's not work for me to help my kids, I like it, I think I was brought up that way, that's what I know to do and it's what makes me happy.
Essie

Liver transplant for my friend

My friend, the one I was worried about, had another liver transplant last night. The surgery lasted 5 hours and he is doing Ok, although right now it's too early to say anything.
This is his second liver transplant because after many complications in the las year, he needed another transplant to survive. He didn't have to wait too much after they told him the news, only a week or two. I hope he does well and wish him a fast recovery. He is very strong emotionally and his wife is too and that helps a lot for these matters. I went to see him last thursday and had a chance to talk to both of them and they were very hopeful to get a transplant soon and with good results.
Life is a blessing that sometimes people take for granted, but others appreciate and hang on to the last hope to go on living.
Essie

Tomorrow Asociaciation meeting

We have our annual asociation meeting in which I give the information about treasury. The meeting is in the hospital so I will take some time and go visit a friend who is very sick. He had a liver transplant about the same time I did but I heard that lately he has had a lot of complications. I am worried about him, I hope tomorrow when I see him he will be better.
Essie

Success

We had a great success yesterday. Everybody that came loved the play, they laughed a lot, and they complimented us on our acting.
I admit I was a little nervious, but we did it!!!. We will be on tour soon enough, in other places around Sevilla and Huelva. I hope we take the play to many places, because it's a lot of fun, and that way the company Oh-Menage will start being known, and the director, David can have a chance at this. He is really good at writing and directing, and he is very young. Theater is what he likes so I hope he will make a living at it.
I am tired today but happy.
Essie

Tomorrow: Theater

Tomorrow will be the first day we do our play: "Pa-Ta-Ta". This is the same as when you say cheese for a picture, in Spain we say patata. I have one of the main roles and as ussual before the big day, I am nervious now. I go through the script many times in my head, but it's not the same just knowing the words, as it is when you get up in the theater in front of many people and try to put the sentiments, passion, in those words. I have to act mad, sad, happy, I have to put ridiculous poses for the supposed pictures, etc. In the end I must admit I love the play, and I like what I do in it. I love acting, it's so different to my normal everyday life, and it's always great when you get the applausse. Well, I may be too tired to write tomorrow because I will arrive late from the theater, but sometime this weekend I will try to say in this blog how it went.
Essie

Weekend!!

I had a wonderful weekend. The sun is out and it's so warm I could be in short sleeves outside. Finally spring is coming, you can tell from all the people out with their kids, happy faces, bicycles everywhere, etc.
We went yesterday to a Motorcycle party, more that anything because we wanted to see some friends who are coming to see me at the theater and I wanted to give them the tickets. In the evening my daughter left our grandaughter with us to spend the night. We had a ball playing with her and as ussual, she was very good when it was bedtime and slept all night without a problem. My daughter came to pick her up in the morning, we had to go somewhere and she also had plans.
We went to a Park here in Sevilla, where an Olive tree has been planted and a commemoration plaque put in honour of Donors. Thanks to people like that, to family that say yes in the worst time for them, people like me can have a second chance to live. I always try to go to events like this, because it's the least I can do to express my gratitude.
Essie

Mixed feelings about the Dr's appt.

Today I was told about all my results. So, the biopsy is great, the liver is doing good. No virus attacking or anything weird. The the blood test, even better that the last one. But according to the MRI I have a little stenosis and so they want to do a RCP to see if I need a stent in the bile duct.
Anyway, I don't understand if the blood test don't show anything why they want to do this. After all, it's a type of surgery, and I am not sure if we shouldn't wait until it starts bothering me, like getting a little yellow, or something similar. I think I will talk to another surgeon of the team and see if he can explain to me why I should do this.
Well, I have until the 29th of April to think about it. That's my next appointment.
Essie

Tomorrow D Day

Tomorrow morning I have an appointment with one of the surgeons and I will have the results of all the tests. Even though I feel fine, I can't help to thinking what will they be saying tomorrow.
I went to the theater for rehersal, we had a great time but it really is a lot of work too. We are all feeling a bit anxious about the 25th when we do the play for the firt time.
Well I will write tomorrow with the results,
Essie

Theater Play: "Pa-ta-ta"

25 March 2011

I just arrived from rehersal from "Pa-ta-ta". In Sept. 2009 I joined the Theater Company "Oh-Menage", composed mainly of transplanted people and their families. Last year we prepared and put into play "Reforma de Interiores" that showed the lives of a family from the moment that the father was put into waiting list for transplant to the moment of the transplant. It was a success and I got the bug and now we are rehersing the play "Pa-ta-ta" which it's a comedy but in one moment of the play (although brief) we say something about donations, after all, it's always been the message we wated to take to the public.
I have a lot of fun with the theater, it has nothing to do with what I did before my transplant and we have a lot of fun. I believe that the formula is in the persons that are part of the Company, we show love, friendship and support one another. Because even though it's theater, it's also a little bit of therapy. Personally I advise everyone to try it, making people laugh and seing they are having a good time is good medicine for everyone.
By the way, for the ones that do not know me personally, I am the one with the red dress!
Essie

A morning with my grandaughter

Today I got up early to go to my daughter's house to take care of my grandaughter while she went to the doctor's office (we are going to be grandparents again), and I had a wonderful time with my grandaughter. I brought her home and after breakfast we played with playdoh and I taught her how to make figures with them. She was trying to do them by herself and I was amazed at how happy she was just trying to create things. Then we went for a walk to a shop near by and we had our umbrellas because it was raining, and she was happy just because she had an umbrella of her own. When we came home we watched "the jungle book" we sang along and danced. A child thinks of today, not of tomorrow. Adults always think of tomorrow without realising that by doing that, they are missing the opportunities of today.
From the day of the transplant I live day by day as a gift. A morning spent with my grandaughter: a gift. Laughing at a funny show with my husband, another gift. Visiting my mother and seeing her so well, a great gift. Life is full of everyday gifts, if we stopped to see them.
As far as transplant goes, tomorrow, another blood test and soon the results.
Essie

2 years and three months later

Since my transplant, I have found that I pay more attention to just living. I help my daughter raising her daughter, I volunteer at the Liver Transplant Association, I belong  to a Theater Company and we are getting ready to do a comedy play. In general, after being close to dying, I find living an opportunity, and I don't take it for granted. I pity people who go through life without realising the beauty of it, without paying attention to a child's laugh, or a bright sunny day. I know it sounds silly, but even looking at the moon makes me happy.
I like having conversations with my husband, whether it's about religion, people, events, anything. I have been married a very long time and still, with all our faults (nobody is perfect), when the time came to help each other we have always been there. He has been my companion in all the bad times, without failing, exagerating, or making me worry, but he was always attent to changes, and worked together with the doctors to make sure I went in my best condition to the transplant. I will never be able to express my thanks, but I know in my heart that he had a lot to do with the fact that I am so well now.
So, as for today, I am content sitting at home on a rainy day, talking on the phone to my family and cooking meatloaf. Life is good.

Day of transplant 23/12/2008

A doctor once said that to have a transplant (in my case liver transplant) you had to be sick enough to need it in order to live, but well enough to survive it.
That's how I was on Dec 23rd 2008, hospitalized from the day before, after a year long of hospitalizations and doctors visits and without strengh anymore to get out of bed. According to my other transplanted friends, everyone is in the same condition more of less. I had encephalopaty, vasculitis, and a chain of other problems that goes along with a liver that doesn't work.
Still, I tried to be in good spirits, and on that day, sitting in my hospital bed surrounded by my family, a few doctors entered to give me the news that they had a liver for me and I was surprised. I didn't know I was so ahead in the list, they had put me on that waiting list on September, only three months ago.
That was at 6:00 pm and at 9:00 pm I was already going in the surgery room, scared, nervious and hoping I would make it. I am not sure the exact time I woke up, but I know that around 8 am I was already trying to talk to the nurses in ICU. That was Dec. 24th, the first day of my life after a liver transplant.
I was only 15 days in the hospital after that, I felt great from the very beginning, and I went home full of thanks for the chance to live, for the solidarity of the people that made that possible and for the care given to me by hospital staff.
Now it's been two years and 3 months. The doctors visit are still every two to three months, and I have had 3 biopsies, 2 MRI's, and other non invasive test to make sure that my body says the same thing I do: I am doing good. Sometimes I wonder if doctors just don't believe what you tell them, and the more I watch the series House the more my doctors start looking a lot like him to me.
Well, I sign off my first entry. I will write tomorrow a little bit about my everyday life.
Essie