by Karen Thacker | Jan 19, 2017 | Acceptance, Depression, Emotional Healing, Growth, Healing, Recovery, Relationships
I’m in Phoenix. That sentence is void of detail. You might have given it meaning that isn’t there. We do that. We hear, see or experience something and add all kinds of layers that don’t actually exist. You may have thought I’m in Phoenix to enjoy the sun and get away from the snow in Colorado. Or maybe I came for a conference. Both are inaccurate. It is raining today so if I came for the sun I wouldn’t be getting any today. It was sunny earlier so I did get to enjoy the tiny bit of sun I got walking from where I’m staying to the hospital. And yesterday when Anna was taken for X-rays. But that’s it. I am learning more about the medical world and the life of a transplant recipient, but it’s not a conference.
Anna developed pneumonia after first being exposed to parainfluenza 3 (a strain of influenza commonly affecting children and often the cause of respiratory illnesses). Another reminder to keep our sick selves and our sick children isolated until healthy again. 😉
Several of Anna’s transplant friends were hospitalized for pneumonia and they never got better. Just a reminder of the fragility of life but not the truth for Anna today. What she knows is her body is responding to treatment. She is getting better. As of today, Anna is healing and doing well. Her focus (and mine) is on what we know to be true and real today.
I am in Phoenix. Now you understand what that really means. Remember to keep your focus on what you know is true and real, beyond a shadow of doubt. You will experience a great deal of peace and save the anxiety, sadness or anger until absolutely necessary. 😊
by currantdesignsllc | Sep 23, 2016 | Self-Help
Many of you have followed my daughter, Anna’s journey with Cystic Fibrosis, a lung transplant and cancer. She is still doing really well and turns 25 tomorrow!!! I can hardly believe I have a 25 year old daughter…I was 10 when I had her! 🙂
She survived another round of rejection this summer, still shows no signs of cancer and is back in college hoping to graduate in about a year and a half. Happy Quarter of a Century Birthday, Anna!!!
by currantdesignsllc | Jun 23, 2016 | Acceptance, Depression, Growth, Recovery, Self-Help
I don’t really mean we can predict what’s going to happen but we can predict there will be winding, unexpected occurrences in our lives. I’m certain you know what I mean because if you are breathing you have experienced some moments or seasons you did not think were going to happen. Sometimes they can be good things…sometimes they don’t seem good at all. The best job you can imagine…a baby…a broken bone…a new house…a free cup of coffee…an accident…a call from a friend…a broken water pipe…cancer…a puppy… I could go on but I think you get the point. We have no idea what is going to happen in the next second, really. We can guess and sometimes our guesses are spot on but we don’t really know. Anything can happen. And you know what? That is life.
One of the biggest dangers we can get caught in is believing we know what’s going to happen. We are making assumptions and you know what they say when we assume? It makes an ass out of u and me. What’s even worse is we set ourselves up for disappointment. We can slip into an emotional downward spiral because we assumed or predicted and we were wrong. One of the best words of wisdom I’ve heard was from a man named Toby Shope. He was preparing me and others for a journey to Afghanistan. We learned how to dress and act to honor the Afghan culture.
Toby taught us to have a blank slate approach to our experience. Just let the canvas be filled in as I take each step of the journey. This concept has helped me so many times since the day I learned it in 2010.
My daughter Anna, whom I have mentioned in many previous posts, has Cystic Fibrosis and received a lung transplant in 2013. She’s experienced so many set back and challenges throughout her life. Just recently she learned she has rejection. At this point it’s treatable so we are hopeful. Learning of the rejection was a reminder that so much in our lives is out of our hands. The less I cling to what I think should happen the easier it is to accept what is happening…to let the blank parts on my canvas of life be filled in as I take the steps rather than having to waste a ton of energy erasing what I thought would happen and then trying to fit what is happening on top of the erased parts. It’s cleaner if I just let it happen…it’s going to happen anyway.
by currantdesignsllc | May 12, 2016 | Self-Help
Anna, my 24 year old daughter, wants to get as many people as possible to help her raise money for Cystic Fibrosis research. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is one of the most fiscally responsible non-profits, ensuring that nearly .90 from every dollar raised goes to support research and programs for Cystic Fibrosis. To raise money, Anna is leading a team for the Denver Climb, a grueling stair climbing race held at Invesco Field/Mile High Stadium on June 25. If you want to join her team or support her team members click here
She is also selling her “I Love a Lemon” t-shirts with all proceeds going to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Click here if you want to buy a t-shirt but hurry because sales close at 11:59p this Friday June 13…sorry for the short notice!
The phrase “I love a lemon” came about after Anna was diagnosed with PTLD, a form of lymphoma that affects transplant recipients. Her sister, Grace blurted out, “Anna, you are a lemon!” It was funny to all of us, including Anna and she has been our lemon ever since. If you have just one major issue it’s bad enough but Anna has had four! She put together a video capturing her journey through life so far. If you’re interested in watching that, click here
Thank you! Karen
by currantdesignsllc | Apr 25, 2016 | Self-Help
Anna is my 24 year old daughter. She has a genetic disease called Cystic Fibrosis. It makes all her mucous extra thick and sticky. The effects cause life threatening issues with digestion, the pancreas and lungs. On October 12, 2013 Anna received a double lung transplant after her lungs failed to sustain her life. Nine months after her transplant she was diagnosed with PTLD, a form of lymphoma specific to those who have received transplants due to the anti-rejection medication transplant recipients must take for the rest of their lives. After six months of chemotherapy, Anna was and continues to be cancer-free. She went back to college at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix last August after missing two years. Here’s her latest blog post:
http://ontonewwindows.blogspot.com/2016/04/its-end.html
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