Faces in the Crowd – Breathless

“It’s like a gift wrapped up in barbwire.”

Meet Linda O’Brien

Like many of her peers, Linda grew up in a large family and was a country girl, spending countless hours traipsing through the woods or fishing in the streams near her home. Later on she would become a self-proclaimed gym enthusiast.

In high school she had a knack for sciences, so it was no surprise that she ended up as a medical lab technologist.  “I was very lucky.  I found something that I loved at an early age.”

In the Spring of 2004, a bout of dizziness caused her to have some testing done, thinking that it was merely an inner ear infection.  It turned out to be much worse.  Later that year, she discovered that she had a rare form of cancer called Myelodysplastic Syndrome, or MDS.  At that time a stem cell transplant was the only recourse.  Two family members presented a perfect match.  In April of 2006, she received the life saving transplant from her brother.

Linda’s problems were just beginning.

Initially she got along very well, but high doses of medications and other complications that come from stem cell treatment caused a myriad of issues, including irreversible lung damage.  This would require a double lung transplant.  She spent much of 2007-08 being tested and undergoing rehab in an attempt to become a suitable candidate for the transplant.

Finally, in October of 2008, she was officially put on the list and moved to Toronto.

And waited.

Her days were spent doing physio and exercises to make sure that she would be in the best shape possible to undergo the surgery.  At 1:00 a.m. on March 16, 2009, she was awoken from her sleep. “You got your call.”

“There was no trepidation.  It was excitement,” claims Linda.  “All I wanted in life was to be able to walk and breathe.”  That didn`t seem like an unrealistic goal.

The long road to recovery was not easy.  Linda says that the support of family, friends and her new found transplant support group was the crucial healing remedy.  No one was more important than her mother.  All that, and her unshakeable faith.  “Some days my faith was all that I had to hold onto.”

Now Linda’s job is to maintain her health.  This includes daily medications, and trips to see doctors and other medical specialists.  Because of the unpredictability of her health, many travel plans with friends have been thwarted, but this doesn’t bother Linda.  It’s just part of her “new normal.”

Gratitude.

It is hardly a word that one would expect from someone who has been through so much.  Linda broke through the barbwire of poor health to uncover the priceless gift of friendship.  For that she is so very thankful.

For more information on how to become an organ donor, go to www.legacyoflife.ns.ca

For those seeking support and information about rare bone marrow disorders, go to www.AAMAC.ca

Plan to attend the first annual Antigonish Transplant Trot on Sunday, June 12 at 10 a.m. at Columbus Field.  You can pre-register at the Running Room: http://events.runningroom.com/hm/index.php