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Heart Transplant
Three transplants saved my life and have given me the time and good health to play the sport I love the most. Golf can be infuriating, without a doubt, but it does lend itself to pondering the big questions as you walk from hole to hole (and try to make your way out of a sand trap, too).
In those long walks on the course, I have contemplated this question: what’s rarer? A triple transplant, or three holes-in-one?
“And what does your father do for a living?”
Twenty fathers sitting in a circle, on the brightly colored rug of a preschool classroom, twenty squirming toddlers in their laps.
A reflection on riding the Donate Life Rose Parade float, one year later.
A meditation on gratitude past the national day of thanks.
For the Stavis and Fabing families, the end of October carries special meaning. Eleven years ago, Brice Fabing--talented, young, and compassionate--lost his life. In his passing, Brice added "hero" to his legacy. The Fabing family, in their support of #DonateLife, saved many people that day.
As I get older, I find myself having to contend with health issues never dreamed of before.
Since I didn’t anticipate living much past 40, I certainly didn’t think about problems of old age—getting to old age was too big of an obstacle itself! Then, the miracle of a triple transplant and #DonateLife reset the clock for me, and now…now I see that aging has its own bumps and bruises.
Jim, the PARAGON STEEL team, and the Stavis and Fabing families will be walking to honor donation and transplantation at the upcoming Donate Life California 5k this weekend. There is so much joy when families come together to connect through giving and living! #DonateLife
Worrying has always been something that I’ve had an aversion towards. An endemic annoyance that keeps you awake at night, worrying prevents you from enjoying the better parts of life itself. Yet, it is interesting because everyone has their own threshold when it comes to this act. For some, they can worry over just about everything – whether it will rain, or about how bad traffic will be. While others it seems never worry about anything, letting each day unfold as it may. Most of us fall somewhere in the middle of this continuum.
I always used to be searching for calm waters, yet it seemed that my life was a series of waves on top of waves. Some waves are the kind you can swim through, while others can literally overwhelm you. I remember one time when I was a teenager my friends and I wanted to experience "The Wedge" in Newport Beach, a body surfing Mecca. We were young, full of energy with a a void of fear and common sense. The Wedge had no lifeguards, just warnings telling swimmers to swim at their own risk. This sounded perfect to us and into the surf we went.
On Valentine's Day (and #NationalDonorDay), this heart transplant recipient has a few thoughts about what's really in a heart...
