Mastering the Art of Success(^)
WRIGHT^
Wow, how did the transplant happen?
BLACK
Finally, on September 6, 2002, at 10:15 PM, my nurse came to the
door and said that there was a call for me at the nurse’s station. I
walked down the hall and picked up the phone. The lady on the other
end of the line gave me the news that changed my life: “I think we have
a set of heart and lungs for you.”
I walked back to my room and called my mother to let her know
what was happening so that sh e could come to the hospital and b e with
me. She arrived a short while later and we hugged, cried, and prayed
together for a while.
About six hours later, surgeons came to the door and took me away
for surgery. I was in surgery for several hours and was blessed that it
went incredibly well. A week after the surgery, I was up walking around;
sixteen days later, I was released from hospital.
Since then, life has been incredible. I’ve been blessed to find the love
of my life and we’ve been given two beautiful children. I’ve also
been ab le to run some marathons—something that I could not
contemplate before the surgery. I’ve been able to travel all across
North American sp eaking to thousands of people.
I have been blessed with the health and future I have because of the
gift of a total stranger. Because someone decided to be an organ donor, I
am alive today. Every year, hundreds of people die needlessly because
of a shortage of o rgan donors. If you aren’t already, please consider
you could save a life.
WRIGHT^
So what has life been like since the surgery?
BLACK
Incredible. Certainly I don’t want to paint an unrealistic picture—
there have been some ups and downs and there have been some
obstacles to overcome—but for the most part, things have just been