My friend Sandy Norwood learned last March 2009 on her 66th birthday that she would likely need to have a lung transplant if she was to survive very long. She wrote a book about her process from getting on the list all the way through her DOUBLE, not one, but two, lung transplant. Here it is nine and a half months later in 2010 and Sandy is not only surviving but thriving, mentoring other transplant hopefuls and publicly speaking about her process as well as the reasons why pretty much all of us should consider being organ donors. Her book is called, “Breathing Easy: A Journey to Transplant which is available on-line at lulu.com and I think it will be available on Kindle, if not yet than soon!

Needless to say, I sure felt grateful for my healthy body and lungs after interviewing Sandy today on my show (www.blogtalkradio.com/Hope42day). Sandy’s story is remarkable in many ways least of which are the amazing coincidences such as the fact that she has spent much of her life educating people on donation (both organ and tissue) and how there were so many people on a waiting list for an organ that would save their life, yet 18 people die everyday waiting. Sandy told us how after only 3 days of being told her fate that she began writing her book. She knew that she had a very unique perspective having been on both sides of donation.

I asked Sandy what she thought had enabled her mind, body and spirit to undergo such a huge operation and to heal so well from it and she said, “I believe everything happens for a reason; I have tremendous faith; I had an awesome support network; I complied with my doctors’ instructions of staying strong physically and I became my own advocate regarding healthcare.”

One of Sandy’s doctors told her that since he’d known her she’d almost died three times and lived, so that she’d better figure out what it was that she was supposed to be doing on the Earth and get to it! Sandy told him that she thought she was already doing it. She believes that her life’s journey has taken her to this very point. Sandy now volunteers for organ banks in Texas and educating through public speaking about her journey.

Anyway, you can probably tell that I am jazzed after talking with Sandy and hearing her story. I know from personal experience that our healthcare system is overloaded and there is a whole lot about healthcare that I have just stuck my head in the sand about….such as becoming an organ donor. Who would think twice about praying to God that you could be healthy enough to even be considered for a transplant much less actually receiving the gift of life from a generous donor? I also didn’t realize that organ donation is only possible if the person dies in a hospital, experienced brain death and was maintained on mechanical support. The brain controls all bodily functions; breathing, heart beating, pain, thinking, feeling, etc. When the brain dies, none of that is possible.

So the title of this blog is kind of flippant, “I’ll Take Two to Go” about a very serious matter but what makes the topic of organ donation and transplant easier for me to hear is when a firecracker like Sandy is so very willing to share her story to help us expand our minds.

Hopefully, you won’t have to ever worry about a transplant for yourself or someone you love, but if you do…it sure is nice to know what to expect.