Remember Me By Robert T. Nest

To Remember Me

The day will come when my body will be upon a white sheet neatly tucked
under four corners of a mattress located in a hospital; busily occupied with the living and the dying.

At a certain point a doctor will determine that
my brain has ceased to function and that, for all intents and purposes, my
life has stopped.

When that happens, do not attempt to instill artificial life into my body by
the use of a machine. And don't call this my deathbed.

Let it be called the
bed of life, and let my body be taken from it to help others lead fuller lives.

Give my sight to the man who has never seen a sunrise, a baby's face
or love in the eyes of a woman.

Give my heart to a person whose own heart has caused nothing but
endless days of pain.

Give my blood to the teenager who was pulled from the wreckage of
his car, so that he might live to see his grandchildren play.

Give my kidneys to the one who depends on a machine to exist from
week to week

Take my bones, every muscle, every fiber and nerve in my body and
find a way to make a crippled child walk.

Take my cells, if necessary, and let them grow so that, someday a
speechless boy will shout at the crack of a bat and a deaf girl will
hear the sound of rain against her window.

If you must bury something, let it be my faults, my weakness, and all
prejudice against my fellow man.

Give my sins to the devil.

Give my soul to God.

If by chance, you wish to remember me, do it with a kind deed or word to
someone who needs you. If you do all I have asked, I will live forever.

written by Robert N. Test

The latest info

So, here are my most recent projects...Above is the beginning of the bills, lab results, medical instructions, and release forms that really need to be organized, and my regiment of meds. I am mainly documenting this because right now, though I am on a few meds and vitamins already, I know that within months this can change. Eventually my medication costs will be averaging over $10,000.00 a month...(yes...month) This is of course if I am blessed with a second chance of life. I know that a new liver for me is in no way a right, it is truly a gift!

As for the latest scoop. I did receive a call and letter from USC, stating that my financial information is being reviewed as we speak, (gulp) and I should be receiving a call for my first appointment by Monday.
(Just a side note: When you call the USC Transplant center, the automated voice says, "For kidney transplant, press 1. For Liver transplant, press 2....." and so on down the body. It gets me everytime.)
Today, my swelling was good, slight pains in the kidneys seem to be better and I don't think I have bumped into a single wall today!
Tumor marker decreased slightly (which is encouraging, the doc said)
Ammonia levels are rising - Hepatic encephalopathy - (which means I am only gonna get loopy-er)
Kidney function is decreasing slightly (double gulp)

So that is it for now....Except, in the near future we will need to start fundraising to help with costs, as of right now...my medical share of cost is $1257.00 MONTHLY. that is over $20k yearly out of pocket minimum. So, if any one has any ideas. I am looking into the NFT - National foundation for transplants for some help with this but if ANYONE has any info on fundraising organizations or even ideas for fundraisers, please, please let me know!!

Plea attracts 20,000 donors

Plea attracts 20,000 donors

By Chris Watt

THE number of registered organ donors in Ireland has grown by record amounts after a heartfelt plea from ailing Glasgow-based screenwriter Frank Deasy.

More than 20,000 people have now signed up since the appeal, aired on radio and in national newspaper following Frank's death last week due to liver cancer, giving new hope to patients in the British Isles awaiting transplants.

The NHS is expected to publish its own figures on donor numbers today, but the success of Mr Deasy's campaign in Ireland has prompted speculation over a similar surge in donations within the writer's adopted homeland of Scotland.

There are currently 380 people awaiting liver transplants in the UK of whom one in five will die before a donor becomes available. One in 20 on the waiting list is a child.

Announcing the record rise in donor numbers, Mary Harney, the Irish Health Minister, pledged better co-operation between her country and the UK on the issue.

Donor pools are already shared around the British Isles, but often relatives must make a snap decision on donation in the hours after a loved one's death, the politician said.

Ms Harney also praised the screenwriter "for speaking out publicly about his illness and the importance of organ donation."

Mr Deasy, who was 49, was best known for the TV drama Prime Suspect.

9:40am Friday 25th September 2009

The reason the Jelly's in the freezer and potatos are cookin in the cupboard...

Today I realized that I take my mind for granted way to much and that I need to cut myself some slack, there are reasons we are loony sometimes.... Everything has to be jussssst right in our bodies to function properly, one thing can cause a domino effect! I got the results today of my latest blood work, (to much ammonia in the blood - Hepatic Encephalopathy) and a new medicine to go with it...hehe. I have to admit, me and my mom sang the Pina Colada song when I opened that bad boy up....it does taste pretty tropical --sweeeet. Actually, everyone in the family had a different song or skit for the gallon of Lactulose.....Rylee, had the I love Lucy, Veeta Vita Vegiman skit slurring, while Bryan was singing..."just a spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down"... While I danced down the Walmart isle....(luckily I get my perscriptions at Walmart....it's the only place you can do that -- and not look out of place) Maybe I wasn't always this out there....watch that first step, it's a lulu. hehe...but, this newest medicine should help with the "fog" and even the day/night reversal...hopefully. I vow to no longer store the jelly in the freezer, try to cook the potatos in the cupboard, or ask..."Wait, what was I doing again?" ...as long as I can remember to take my medicine...huh, this is tricky already. (DON'T WORRY UNOS, I HAVE A MED TRACKER FOR AFTER THE TRANSPLANT...HEHE)