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Jemonteith@gmail.com: Gift Of 8 Campaign

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My Heart Transplant Journey: From Desperation to Resilience In those fateful 20 months, my body transformed—a silent rebellion against itself. I stepped onto the scales, and the numbers whispered a haunting truth: 130 lbs had ballooned to 160 lbs. But it wasn’t mere weight; it was the burden of a failing heart. The Desperate Call to 911:   Breathing became a battle, each inhale a plea for survival. I knew—I needed help. The digits on my phone blurred as I dialed those three digits. The operator’s voice, calm yet urgent, echoed my desperation. The ambulance raced through the streets, carrying me to Hospital. There, they drained the fluid that had swelled me—an internal flood receding. The doctors spoke in hushed tones, their eyes revealing the gravity of my situation. “Had you not made this call,” they said, “your story might have ended differently.”

This Moment in Time : A snapshot of existence, a heartbeat suspended in the vastness. Here, in the quiet theater of now, I stand—a solitary note in life’s symphony.

The challenges faced from diagnosis, living as a ‘battery operated’ person with a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LAVD) for 20 months; to receiving the gift of a ‘heart and life’, are topics I willingly and compassionately shares as a volunteer with the Trillium Gift of Life Network. I am delighted to share my journey as an organ recipient, I encourage you to visit Beadonor.ca to learn more about starting the conversation with your families and friends about your desire to be someone's' hero when the opportunity presents itself