To build strength
To prove that I can
To honor the life of my donor
To raise money and awareness for the lung transplant foundation
To visit the beautiful fall foliage of NY
To use these healthy lungs I was gifted to the fullest
To tell my body we will conquer
To inspire
To experience
To celebrate
And because I can.
I've been training to run a 5k since Feb 8th, 2013. At 4pm that Friday I was wheeled into the operating room on oxygen with failing lungs. Over the next 5 hours, my lungs were removed and replaced with the healthy lungs of someone who had just lost their life. I woke up in the ICU and was cautiously weaned off the ventilator until I took my first new breath on my own. Twenty-four hours later I would be helped to my feet and I summoned all my strength and courage to take two steps to relocate into the chair next to the bed. It was a complete and total re-start: I had very little muscle mass left and I needed to learn to not only use my new lungs but to trust them. I can remember walking on the treadmill for 5 minutes at 0.1 mph and it was the hardest thing I have EVER done. By the time I left the hospital, twenty-five days later, I could cover a mile over the course of a day.
The following three months I was in physical therapy 3 hours a day, 4 days a week. When I started, I was exhausted walking at a snail's pace for 20 minutes. By the time I finished, I could do 40 mins straight on the elliptical. Since then I've been, swimming, biking, surfing, paddleboarding, hiking, kayaking and finally last month, I started running.
At eight months post-transplant, I will be running the Fall Foliage 5k in Rhinebeck, NY near my hometown, on Oct 13th, 2013. If you are nearby, join me in the run or come out to show your support!!
To contribute to my cause and help fund research to improve long term outcomes for lung transplant patients, please make a donation on behalf of my team to the Lung Transplant Foundation here:
http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/gigi2-0/lungapalooza-2013-a-walk-for-breath
Details:
Rhinebeck is an easy, beautiful ride by car or train from the city. The run starts at 10am, so it is possible to hop on the train the morning of and make it to the start on time.
Register to participate here:
http://fallfoliagehalf.com/
If you are interested in coming, message me and we will work out the final details!
Xoxo
Gigi 2.0
