amy and jon

The Grid has very generously posted an update online to help raise awareness about the importance of organ donation, and to help James and I with our fundraiser to finance living expenses in Toronto. We are very grateful. The update reads as follows:

"My name is Adena, and I married James, the love of my life, on July 2, 2012. We were delighted to share the story of our first date in Dating Diaries with the psuedonyms ‘Jon’ and ‘Amy.’ James’ lung function started to decline rapidly the day after our wedding. He was diagnosed with bronchiolitis obliterans, a form of chronic rejection. He is down to 20 per cent lung function and struggling to breathe again. We had to leave our home in Victoria and return to Toronto to wait for a second double-lung transplant. We are leaning on each other for strength and love during this difficult time. We are seeking help to raise awareness about organ donation and to finance our living expenses in Toronto. More information can also be found on our blog and Facebook page."

James and I received our extensive list of pre-transplant assessment tests and appointments for next week. We will essentially be at the hospital all day on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. We are relieved to be moving forward on getting James listed for a second double-lung transplant. We had our first appointment today. We left feeling very positive about the prospect of being put on the waiting list. James is an excellent candidate for transplant.

That being said, the last few days have been exceptionally difficult. James' lung function has continued to decline. It has been decreasing steadily on a daily basis since Friday. He is down to 0.83 litres (or about 20%). We are very scared. James feels constant exhaustion and fatigue. He sleeps a large portion of the day. He continues to struggle for breath on exertion. It is also becoming harder to recover from these episodes of breathlessness without feeling completely depleted (and defeated). James is doing exceptionally well with exercise and weight gain despite these difficulties. We will be purchasing a finger oximeter to measure his oxygen saturation and monitor his levels. It is difficult to accept that there are no treatment options left or available.

We are holding out for hope that James will receive donor lungs. The average wait in Toronto is 6 months, but there is a lot of variability in that statistic. We are focusing on everything that is within our control. We take it one day at a time. James and I are thriving in our relationship. We are only growing stronger and strong together. We are grateful for the importance of perspective. We truly have lives that are filled with fun and laughter. We sing together. We dance together. We find joy in shared moments of wonder and beauty in this world. We are glowing in the love of being together. 

We want to thank all our friends and family. We are surrounded by love and support. We have raised more than 50% of our fundraising goal. This will amount to almost 6 months rent in downtown Toronto. We are overwhelmed with generosity in all forms.

We are sending you all love, love, and more love.