Life is Fragile. Handle With Prayer.

For many years, etched in my mother's careful crewel stitchery, that saying hung above her organ. "Life is Fragile. Handle with Prayer." When she died, I gave it to my favorite cousin for safekeeping – it seemed appropriate. But the events of the last few weeks, have brought that message home to me.

The latest in a string of events that have had me carried off by lights and sirens to my home away from home at UMMC: I tripped over the curb going into the my local grocery store (I still love you Byerly's on France), I remember the weight and the momentum of my Oxygen Concentrator slung over my shoulder pushing me and driving me into the pavement. I landed on the left side of my face and I have a fair-sized gash over my left eye and a small gash underneath it: I blame my now broken and useless glasses for the injury and it seems like it was all a perfect storm just waiting to happen. I lost a lot of blood, ended up with about 25 stitches and I look like I went a round with Mike Tyson. Actually, I look a lot like the character Sloth from the movie "Goonies." "Hey, You Gu-yahs!" Alex and I tried to watch Goonies on Netflix last night, but I remembered they recently removed it from their viewing library. Darn.

So God. I get it. Life is fragile. Life is fleeting. I will handle all with prayer. I don't know why I've been chosen and singled out to continue my life with this life-giving transplant, but I will do all in my power to make sure that someone's ultimate sacrifice is not wasted.

It's official.

Insurance approval has come through, the Blue Cross lady made sure I knew that technically they had 10 days to review and approve and just for me, they were turning it around in one day. Thank you BCBS, just think of all the money I've given you over the years. I'm finally getting my payback. As expected, I am high on the list and the list is short. I have very few antibodies that will interfere with organ matching, so I am really believing this will happen quickly. I have my phone with me at all times, fully-charged. My hospital Go bag has been reloaded. I am very ready to view this life event in my rear-view mirror.

TeamVikki Villagers

Thank you to my friend Sara Foster for coining the term - the volunteers for helping me recover from transplant will be known as TeamVikki Villagers. I have had the pleasure of knowing such wonderfully giving and creative people and Sara is just one of many of them. Another giving friend, Sue Herman, is being my trusted co-ordinator for the Villagers, if you've volunteered, I'll be giving your contact info and suggested duties to her. Not only am I learning to ask for help, I'm learning to let go and not be in control of everything. I could do it, but I don't need to. Sue will be doing some sort of contact when the time comes to learn when you can help and what you can help with. I plan on having a celebration for all the Villagers and would-be Villagers when the 3 months is over: It could be an end of summer blast. How exciting!