To whom it may concern,
I am writing this letter because today is a very special day to me, it is the anniversary of the day my life was saved. 15 years ago today I was in the fight of my life, preparing to say my goodbyes and accepting that I would be leaving this world and my family behind. I would like to explain a little about my experience. I used to work from 10 pm to 6 am every night as a care provider.
On July 26th, 2007 I felt very ill, I called into work and went to the emergency department. At the time I was taking a lot of Tylenol with codeine for a toothache so the doctors originally thought that I had taken too much and decided to give me seventeen doses of mucomyst in hopes to detoxify the acetaminophen out of my liver. It was unsuccessful so on July 30, 2007. I was transported to San Francisco UCSF by helicopter.
I was afraid, I went alone, leaving everything and everyone behind. I arrived at the hospital and my health started to decline rapidly. I had my transplant on August 9th, 2007 thanks to the gracious decision of your family member, I am still alive and doing well. I couldn’t even put into words how grateful I am for this gift of life. I have written so many letters from the time I had my transplant but I’ve thrown most of them away because I just never know the right words to say.
I guess I just always wondered how could I thank the family of my donor knowing that they are still hurting for the loss of their loved one. Every anniversary I take the trip to San Francisco to celebrate my second chance at life but it’s always been hard to celebrate my life knowing that I’m here because of someone else’s loss. As grateful as I am for this person’s selfless act I cannot help but feel heartbroken knowing that they are no longer here. I guess what helps me through this is knowing that this person is still living through me. I will continue to appreciate all the little things in life and enjoy every day that I am blessed with. I have a big family, who without the generosity of your family member I would not be able to build all these wonderful memories with. Thank you and thank you for taking the time to read my letter. May God bless you and your family.
Sincerely,
Your recipient