Third Call

Saturday 20th February     01.58


The call came at 1.58am just as I was going to start to think about sleep
Liz (my wife) had been thinking about it all week and it seems she was justified to be worried that we would get a call.
When the phone went my legs started to shake and breathing that minutes earlier was calm became shallow and labored. After I had said that we were willing to come to the hospital for a possible set of lungs I started to have problems catching my breath and my thoughts, as they raced around in my head, and my lungs refused to fill. I sat there in a daze for a few minutes before I was able to get on with the task of sorting out things to take in with us.
The kids were good and my son was a star helping out with things and adding reassurance that “It will be alright Dad” as he could see the shocked and frightened look on my face. My daughter was finding it hard to wake as she had been asleep for a while, but when finally we got it together with medication bag and Oxygen needed for the journey she was able to help with things as we started to leave.
Outside was freezing and the temperature on the car thermometer said -1c as we left our village for the M40 the forecast had talked about possible snow but I didn't want to think about that.
As we traveled along I added a update on Facebook on my phone to share my present status as I knew that my eldest daughter who was abroad again in France working at a ski resort would what to know if things went ahead. Also I topped up with £20 just in case, my phone would become my link to the outside world if the operation went ahead.
Alas it was not to be, when we got there it was already becoming clear to the transplant team that the organs were not suitable and after they had taken blood and done the form filling the transplant coordinator turned up to confirm that the lungs were not healthy enough for a transplant to take place. So we packed up out bags and the kids and we all went home again and got back at 6.00am.I updated my status on Facebook with the news that the transplant hadn't happened so as not to worry my daughter and had a cup of coffee. Life Goes on!
Then the sobering thought that someone had died and offered their organs came into my mind and I said a prayer of thanks to God even if that time it didn't happen for me. Never mind there will be a next time!!