A few years ago I watched a program about a young girl who was marrying the love of her life. She was dying of Cystic Fibrosis, a disease from birth that results in the scarring of the lungs making them resemble Swiss cheese.
She was determined to marry her sweetheart and so she did. A few days later she was strapped to a machine that was keeping her alive. Miraculously she was granted a double transplant one day and since April of this year has been getting stronger and stronger.
Never willing to back down from a challenge, Kirstie teaches pole dancing and has started numerous projects for charity and other cf patients. Her beauty is only surpassed by her generosity. Try googling Kirstie Tancock and you will see what I mean.
Since April her body has been trying to reject her beautiful pink new lungs. She has been in hospital since then, and as of today has only a narrow window of hope for a second transplant as her antibodies are high .. 80% in fact, which makes her a bad candidate for transplant. The only other option is palliative care, and a few weeks of life.
You may wonder why I care, and the answer is I don't really know. It may be because I started watching and following Kirstie's blog a long time ago.. even before I started my own blog. Or it may be as simple as one human being hating to see another suffer. It also because to me Kirstie is the embodiment of strength. She has been through the absolute worst and brought back to life with these new lungs. How can someone so strong and determined be brought down again? She had such a small amount of time living her life as she always dreamed.
The answer is simple: because life isn't always fair, and disease doesn't discriminate.
Still, pray for Kirstie. Read her blog, and go back in her archives to the beginning so that you can see for yourself the amazing road to recovery she has travelled.
Kirstie we are sending prayers of strength and hope to you and your families.
