2 year lung anniversary

Tomorrow is my 2 year lung-iversary. Read my post 3 days before transplant here. Read my 1 year lungiversary account here.

Can you believe it's been 2 years since they cut me open, scraped out my old disease lungs and put in these new healthy pink ones! Too much info? Did you forgot how I don't leave much to the imagination? It's been so long since I've updated this blog. You know that's a good sign! Nothing in my CF life needs updating. Don't think I could easily give up blogging though. Check out my Style Inspiration blog for updates here and there of adventures. Click here. 

This past long weekend, was the first weekend I spent OUT of the hospital in...YEARS. The last two were strapped up to IV medications, or chemotherapy, (last summer I had lymphoma). Two years ago tonight, who knew I would wake up ever so gently by the nurse to tell me "Hattie your new lungs are here..."

Man, that seems ages ago. My mind has slowly but surely started erasing a lot of those memories
As I'm typing this blog post out "What a fine life we are living" starts playing on my itunes. Isn't it funny how that happens?
Listen to the song here.

This past year has been the best year of my life. Who knew breathing could be so substantial in living? Ha. Who knew it took everything I had to live my life by doing medical routines...you never really know how bad it is when you're living it, until you experience how good life can be without all that medical stuff. I look back now and think...how did I do it? How do current CF patients do it? Everything CF patients have to deal with...no wonder people used to be in awe of everything me and my family went through...we went through hell, and you just never really know how bad it is, until your life suddenly becomes everything life should be. Freedom. Breath. Love. Strength. Euphoria.

Someone two years ago lost, probably the most wonderful person, I will ever know, because they were an organ donor. They saved my life. I did not know how I was going to make it to the following weekend. Coughing...oh god the coughing and hacking and breathlessness...I really did not know if I could go another week. My donor took my life from a little mud puddle, to being able to live on my own, to falling in love, to having a future. Thank you donor family. I'm so sorry your day is not as happy as mine is today.
Happy two year lung-iversary to me.
Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart, Donor family.
Today I worked out in 35 degree weather outside at a boot camp, I went swimming in my boyfriend's pool, I ate a healthy (non high fat diet) lunch. Donor you made that possible. You. Are. Amazing. I. Love. You. Rest in peace dear dear donor.

me in march putting my lungs to good use inWHISTLER BC. I got teary eyed at the top knowing this never would have been possible without my donor!

me and my manfriend, we did a lot of hiking! I swear I didn't stay up there the entire time, I put my new lungs to good use!

me and carly in vancouver

we went zip treking in whistler too!

think big...dream bigger.

so....I'm coming to the realization that I'm still bitten by the travelling bug. I thought that I would not want to go to New Zealand since I've had such bitter resentments towards there for the last month and bit....but funnily enough... I still really want to go. It had been a goal of mine, and I still kind of want to see it through. I started working out 6 months ago, faithfully, 3-4 times a week, every week, not only for the benefit of my lungs and to stay off of the transplant list, but also so I would be able to visit my former boyfriend in NZ while he went over there for teachers college. Every day when I got on the treadmill it spurned me on, drove me. It was a good goal to have...and I still want that goal. I still want to go to that side of the world and see it. I want to go to Australia and NZ. One of my dearest friends is out in Australia for teachers college. She is home this Christmas break and it is so good to see her again after almost a year! We've been best buds since we were 5 years old. Another good gf is in Australia working, and my cousin is starting teachers college in feb. in Australia, plus one of my favourite resident doctors moved back to NZ, and I would love to go see her. With all these people over there, I still really want to go. It sounds like a pipe dream doesn't it? But it's a dream, and a goal and I want to achieve it.

Here I was thinking I would get away with not spending all that money to go half way across the world since the reason I was going , he's no longer part of my life...but now I realize...I just want to go anyways for me. SO here is my dream for 2010...how I'm going to make it a reality...
keep working out...my oxygen was really good yesterday while working out, and in two days, I am going to increase my running program up to 2 minutes times 4 with fast hiking inbetween. I have not been able to increase my running as quickly as Ronnie from RSR blog, but I've managed to get up to 2 minutes of running, which for someone sittin' at 23% lung function, and could not run for 10 seconds when I first started, I am not doin' to shabby at almost 2 minutes of running, hah, . exciting, but scary.
I am going to really start dreaming and doing big with my business, so I can make enough money to finance my trip to the other side of the world comfortably....
Maybe tomorrow I will feel differently, but today and this week...my dream and goal is to make it to the other side of the world before these ol' lungs go caput!
For 2010...I'm going to think big...and dream bigger.
One of the best advice one of my nurses ever gave me was...CF is just one little part of Hattie...all of this is who Hattie is...yes sometimes CF can seem like it is the only thing in our lives but really, it is just one little part of us, we're so much more, so lets dream like we are....