by Lindy Guidry
I am a very fortunate and very grateful woman. I awaken each morning, pinch myself, and marvel in the realization that I am still here! I rejoice in the miracle of being alive, well, and strong.
People who meet me today, look at me and see a healthy, vibrant woman, but 11 years ago, the picture was much different. I was diagnosed with type 1 juvenile diabetes at the age of 11, and in the 23 years following that diagnosis, the disease devastated my body.
Doctors considered me "a brittle diabetic," as I was unable to control my blood sugar despite careful monitoring of diet, exercise, and insulin therapy. I was testing my blood four to five times daily, and taking four insulin injections during the course of a day. I was under the best of medical care; but despite my competent physicians, and my most careful efforts, my blood sugar ran rampant. Sometimes my glucose levels would fluctuate from 50 to 500 then back to 50 in the course of a single day.
Years of struggling with diabetes left me blind, in severe pain from neuropathy, riddled with infections, almost bed-ridden, and unable to walk without assistance. The disease destroyed both of my kidneys, and I was dependent on dialysis treatments to keep my body free of deadly toxins. My weight had dropped to below 70 pounds, and there was little hope for my survival. I wrote my will, made my own funeral arrangements, and waited to die.
Dialysis was a nightmare that happened three times a week. I had to be carried to and from each session, where I spent three to four hours passing out, throwing up, and having severe cardiac complications. I had several strokes while on dialysis, and each ordeal left me weaker, and almost completely unable to carry on with the normal activities of daily living. I remember telling my family, "It hurts just to breathe."
Doctors J. Phillip Boudreaux and Daniel J. Frey, now of the Transplant Institute of New Orleans, Louisiana, were convinced that my only hope for survival was a kidney-pancreas transplant; an experimental procedure that would cure both my renal failure and my diabetes. After the lengthy physical and psychological testing procedure, I was placed on the waiting list for an organ donor. My condition continued to deteriorate, and I spent weeks in the hospital.
I was dying.
On August 8, 1993, a donor match became available. Scott Buhler, the eight-year-old son of Mr. And Mrs. Sam Buhler of Marrero, Louisiana, died from a brain aneurysm, and his family, in their time of great loss and sorrow, chose to pass on the gift of life, through organ donation. After searching for my donor family for ten years, we found each other, and in August of last year, we met for the first time. We have become fast friends, and I will be forever grateful to this wonderful family for giving me a second chance at life.
I was the first patient to receive a multi-organ transplant at the University Hospital of New Orleans. Many of the nurses responsible for my cared dubbed me their "demonstrator model." My transplant surgery, my miracle of life, took over 13 hours.
My renal failure was completely cured by my newly transplanted kidney, and dialysis immediately became a thing of the past. My diabetes was cured by the transplantation of the new pancreas, forever erasing the need for dietary restrictions, daily blood sugar testing, and insulin injections. My blood sugar is now perfectly controlled by my new pancreas, and I am enjoying eating the foods that I missed for over 23 years -- even pecan fudge ice cream and cheesecake!
I've gained weight, and am up to what my physicians consider a healthy maintenance weight of 115 pounds. I have regained some limited vision in one eye, and I am no longer in total darkness The neuropathy has also improved along with every aspect of my physical being.
In the last 11 years, my life has undergone significant, amazing changes. Since my dual transplants, I returned to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and earned a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Sociology. I am very proud that I earned a place on the Dean's list every semester of my university program.
Four years ago, I met and married a wonderful man, Raymond F."Skip" Guidry, Jr., and together, we share our lives with our combined family of five children. I am 44 years old now, and lead a very active and busy lifestyle. I ride motorcycles with my husband Skip, and sons Aaron and Jason. I also ride Paso Fino horses with my daughters Amber and Danielle. My daughter Katie, who was only 10 years old at the time of my transplants, is going to make me a first-time grandmother in September! I can't wait!
I am going back to school, to work on my Master's Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, and eventually hope to work with people who are facing the challenges of significant visual and physical disabilities.
I want to make every day of my life count, and am determined to make the very most of my second opportunity. I have written a cookbook and home management guide for the visually impaired homemaker called "Dinners in the Dark," and am currently working on another autobiographical book. Through this next endeavor, "Laughter in the Dark," I want to share my unusual life experiences, the challenges I have faced, and my first-hand knowledge that despite the difficult challenges, there is always hope! Always!
Every breath I've taken in the last 11 years, every moment I've spent with my husband, my children, and my loved ones, every thing I've accomplished, every dream I've been able to attain, is directly attributable to the miracle of organ donation and transplantation.
Where there is life, there is hope, and both are very beautiful things. Yes! I am a very fortunate and very grateful woman.