Missing Pam...

I found out this morning that a friend and fellow cyster, Pam (39), passed away yesterday.  I knew it was coming but it still hurts my heart.

Pam B. was one of the reasons I decided to come to Duke.  I followed her pre and post transplant adventures over the past two years.  Her transplant came while Rheid and I were hanging out in DC.  I would check Pam's blog every morning before heading out to sight-see, hoping to see an update on how things were going.  She didn't have an easy start to her transplant journey--there were a lot of bumps in the road.  But she was a great example of patience and exercising faith in God's plan for her.  From her I learned you can have setbacks and still come out on top if you don't give up.

Unfortunately her latest setback landed her in the UAB hospital where she had been since January.  Talk about tough.  She had wanted to be transferred to Duke but her insurance wouldn't cover the heavy cost of transporting her when the care she was receiving at UAB was adequate.  She did like being closer to her home in Mississippi though, which I can totally understand.

I talked to her by phone just before we left Fort Collins to come here to North Carolina.  We were hoping to be able to meet face to face someday when our paths crossed at Duke.  But we never got the chance and I had a feeling that opportunity might have passed us by.  I asked her questions I had about relocation and other aspects of transplant.  She wanted me to know that despite her recent extended illness, she would do it all again.  It still scares me sometimes to realize how fragile life after transplant can be.  But I am glad she is free to walk and breathe and laugh again.  Pam, you made a difference in my life and I wish you the best as you begin the next phase of your journey.