And the countdown begins

Hello all fellow bloggers and followers!

I have quite good news to report on all fronts, I got a call from my transplant coordinator this past Tuesday morning and I am now officially on the list!  My LAS (lung allocation score) is a 32 which puts me right about in the center of the list which is a good place to start, they obviously are not able to give me a time estimate but I like to hope that I will get my transplant around my birthday/Christmas.  All I want for Christmas is my 2 new lungs, lol. 

I also got my APPROVAL letter from social security disability this past week as well, I will begin getting monthly SSD checks in November, I am so happy and grateful, I still feel as if all of this is surreal and I am reading or living vicariously through someone else.  Nope this is me and this is the real thing, the proverbial ride of my life is beginning! 

So I have now been out of work for close to 2 months, the first week was horrendous, I felt so lost and out of place and did not feel like a productive part of society.  I have been able to work through (most) of those feelings and I am now in a much better place, I try and do little things each day to keep myself busy. 

The fundraiser through SHI is now complete (yay!!) and I should be hearing from HR within the next couple of weeks when they can present me with the final amount and check.  My BF Tabitha also knows someone who does fundraising work and she is supposed to have 3 events in the next couple of months and all of the proceeds for those events will be split between myself and another family in need.  Seems like nearly everything is on track for the first time in a long time! 

I had a visit from my Aunt and Uncle from Kentucky earlier this week, I haven't seen them in close to 8 years.  We had a wonderful visit and they brought me a box of things that belonged to my Dad, I went through them and though it was emotional at times it was worth it, I think I worked through some of my feelings and have a bit more closure than I used to.  For those of you who do now know my Dad committed suicide on July 25, 1991, nearly 20 years ago and I still have a hard time dealing with it.  Seems like all of the transplant stuff that has been going on has really opened me up emotionally and brought back a lot of old feelings that I thought I had already dealt with - well guess what, that is not the case!  It is a very positive thing though as I feel like I actually acknowledge and understand my feelings.  I just wish that I could turn off these damn tears for at least a week, I need a break from this crazy ass ride - I guess the song rings true, you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you need. 

I have 2 doctor appts coming up soon, Dr. S on July 5th and then my UPenn appt on July 26th.  My yearly family reunion is on July 23rd and we are going, I am excited to see family members that I haven't seen in quite some time, I think the last family reunion I was at was at least 10 years ago.  It is being held at my Aunt and Uncle's house in Maryland and the theme is Hillbilly Heaven 2011, should be a blast, I have my overalls, cowgirl boots and hat ready to go :) 

So that's the story for now, wanted to write more but I am exhausted!! 

Love and peace to all!
Bet