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@give2livecampaign
Check out the new and improved Give2Live!
Hélène's bucket list for this week's Cross-Canada train tour!!
http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alungstory/2/1383488979/tpod.html
Happy Halloween! 6 days and counting!
BOO!!! Happy Halloween everyone! Are you in the spirit!? Hélène is!
http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alungstory/2/1383252743/tpod.html
7 days and counting
The latest blog post from Hélène....what to pack when you travel by train for a week!?
http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alungstory/2/1383162038/tpod.html
Cross-Canada tour kicks off next week!
As part of an exciting partnership with Via Rail, Hélène and a small team from the Give2Live Campaign will be heading from Toronto to Vancouver, making stops in the following cities:
Toronto (departure) - November 5th
Winnipeg - November 7th
Edmonton - November 8th & 9th
Vancouver - November 10th-12th
Hélène will be maintaining a travel blog, chronicling her journey through reflections, photos and videos! Check here daily:
http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alungstory/2/1383071584/tpod.html
Love does....
Love Does.
Just this past weekend, I had a great friend drop by. Her name is Jen. She is truly one of a kind, and life has brought us together in the funniest of ways. It seems that whenever I am in need of a little boost, she sweeps into my life and just lifts my spirits. Not that I get down often, but sometimes in life it is easy to get lost in the day to day things and forget the drive and what really motivates us.
My family and I have been attending a camp called Gracefield, in Quebec for as long as I can remember. Jen was a camp counselor when I was a wee little one. She was there and watched all of us Campbell minions grow up.
She left and was no longer working at the camp when I was about 15, on occasion, I would see her at camp when she would come visit.
When I moved to Toronto to wait for a pair of lungs, can you guess who was living in Oakville? Jen! She was there and came to visit me often. She not only was a remarkable friend in those times, a support for my mother and me, but also made me feel so comfortable. She reminded me of camp, how much I value life, nature and all its beauty.
This past Sunday, she brought me a book and said “Hélène, I want you to read this book. It is called ‘Love Does’.” We went on an adventure, picked up some Kettlemans Bagels. (If you are ever in Ottawa, check this place out! Delicious bagels, made there, on Bank Street open 24 hrs…haha).
She took the book and started reading a chapter out loud. I was inspired by every sentence I heard. Bob, the author, is a true believer in how Love inspires us to action. He describes situations where his love for things has impacted the situations in his life. Man, I don’t know about you, but that is certainly something I feel so strongly about.
I have always been told I was silly, and thought of cray cray things, but it is our love of things that inspire us to do things and achieve results. My passion to raise awareness about organ and tissue donation was real, and resulted in Justin Bieber tweets, and some awesome pairs of Ellen Underwear. Not to mention dancing with some of the greatest people ever. When someone shows love and passion for something, it inspires others to be passionate too!
When I was waiting for lungs, my former high school Teacher, Mr Langlois, organized a fundraiser for my family. He called it Bands For Breath.
Not only is he a clever guy, he is also a talented musician; part of a local band called Rukus. He has always had a heart for helping others out.
His love of these two things inspired him to help my family offset the costs while waiting for a transplant. Together, his band organized a fantastic event in Ottawa that had a great turn out. I could not attend because I was in ICU recovering from the surgery, but I watched the DVD and was in awe of everything. He had dedicated so much time to this cause, to my family, for me... A former student who probably talked way too much in class…
We met for breakfast about 9 months ago and he told me he wanted to organize another Bands for breath this year, to help families in the same situation as mine. I was blown away! He did it to encourage people to be Organ, Tissue, Blood, and Bone Marrow Donors. He and many bands put on a great show, and held a fundraiser to help the Give2Live campaign. The event raised over $4500!
Thank you so much Mr Langlois!
There are so many others out there making things like this happen, share your stories of what people are doing or what you would feel like doing to help the Give2Live Campaign and help other families undergoing the same things that we went through.
Love you lung time
Hélène
Blog post #2 - Smile and keep things simple!
Vilkomen amigos, Como estas? This is my second blog entry, and I'm not sure how long my entries should be but, there is a motto I created while I was waiting for my lungs, and it was all about simplicity. "Keeping Things Simple Still Brings a Dimple" I still feel about that way in life, but its so easy to lose sight of things in this world. It is so fast paced and there is so much going on.
(dimple |ˈdimpəl| noun; a small depression in the flesh, one that forms in the cheeks when one smiles)
I know dimples don’t apply to everyone; some of our cheeks are a little fuller, and I have never had dimples, but, looking at the definition I so kindly places about, dimples happen when people are smiling. I absolutely love smiling. Sometimes, these days, I find myself a little less smiley. Since the transplant, I have realized it is not something that comes to me as easily as it did before. I know it is due to the meds, but it is something I am fighting back. I take great pleasure in smiling, but I love seeing other people smile.
When walking in a public place, it’s a subconscious goal of mine to grin at a complete stranger, because chances are, they might smile back.
I love it when a complete stranger smiles. It makes my heart feel good. Why do we walk around looking so unhappy all the times? Besides, you have probably heard this so many times, but it actually takes more muscles to frown then it does to smile. I think that it is a bit of insight as to how we should face things in the grand scheme of life. We are capable of seeing both the positive and the negative sides of every thing. If it is easier to smile then it is to frown (on a muscular level), shouldn't unpredictable moments in life be easier to see with a positive attitude rather then a negative one? Unfortunately, its not always easy to see the positive side when things happen but focusing on the little positive ones, and I mean little, can really make all the difference in the end. I learnt that right after being diagnosed. I was quickly loosing the ability to do things I loved to do. Meeting up with friends, dancing, or working and having little fun here in there. The amount of things I could do was slowly slipping away. It was almost like I had turned 89 over night. I really emphasized how important little things in life were. Our attitudes can really make a difference in our lives, and believe it or not, in the lives of others. I am looking forward to seeing this Give2Live campaign continue to grow.
Lots of love - Hélène
My first official blog post!
Hey everyone!
I am excited to write my first blog post on the Give2Live page! I will admit....I get nervous when it comes to writing but I am really looking forward to sharing what this campaign has in store!
This blog spot will serve as a place to hear people's stories, be encouraged and really offer hope to those undergoing or waiting for a life-saving transplant.
I want to start by thanking everyone who has helped us put this all together! :) Lots of work, but fun times. This is just the beginning.
With the option of crowdfunding, people are getting creative. But I want to issue a challenge to all schools! For an end of year gathering, you can host a coffee house, a fashion show or perhaps organize a road hockey tournament. Get creative!
I am really looking forward to seeing what kind of things you come up with to help raise funds for patients and families waiting for life saving transplants!
I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful Canadian spring weather. I am in British Columbia at the moment! I love it. Mountains beyond Mountains. And I can hike and enjoy the simple things in life due to the gift of life and of research.
Without my donor, I would not be alive.
Carpe Diem!
Hasta pronto!
Give2Live!
Hélène
Saskatchewan life changed with kidney pairing program
Was diagnosed with kidney disease at 36 and on dialysis by 39. Because saskatchewan did not have a transplant team at the time..it took awhile to get on a list to search for a donor...thankfully we have a great team and joined a pairing program in search of a living donor...Due to highly sensitive kidneys I could only get on the one list...so the wait and search began. Approx. 2.5 years later my husband joined the program with me...In July we got the call of a match...so we started the fundraising and journey to prepare. Thankfully to an amazing community and great family we raised enough money to help us through our time off work. My husband donated to a person in Manitoba while I went to BC to received a kidney from someone in another province on the same day...thankfully my parents took our children during this time so we didn't have to worry about them. Recovery was rough at first but it is 7 months post transplant and it is amazing to have my life back...I thank my husband for giving his kids their moms life back and me..my freedom to be off a machine...I thank my living donor for his generous donation.
It is great to be back to work and plan an amazing summer with my family (swimming in our lake for the first time, I am so excited)...I have a few friends waiting for transplants and one that had one before me and doing great....I have learned how important it is to sign your donor cards...but also get in and change the life of a stranger or family member by being a live donor...life is good..God is good..I thank Him for everything!!
+ Sandy from Saskatchewan
A healthy future for a Newfoundland family.
Thank you Hélène for having the courage and drive to help transplant patients in Canada.
4 1/2 years ago we had to leave our home province of Newfoundland, leaving our home, family and sadly our other 2 children, then 8 and 12, with grandparents to venture into the unknown land of lung transplant. We stayed in Toronto from October until the end of February. Our daughter was just 10 when she needed her lung transplant. Luckily, for her, she was so sick she was only on the list for 11 days and received her double lung transplant on Dec 2, 2008. She required oxygen for most of her life and also had a kidney transplant at the age of 2. These past 4 years have been fantastic for her. Despite all the meds and therapy, she has had freedom for the first time in her life. She enjoys everyday and has zip lined through the mountains on the west coast of Newfoundland, ridden the rapids while white water rafting in central Newfoundland and has even been to Florida's Disney World, a trip we have made twice. We never thought we would feel comfortable enough to travel outside of Canada with her. It's has been amazing for her and her 2 sisters and mom and dad.
A normal life - who would have thought! I have ordered a bracelet which I will proudly wear and will encourage others in Newfoundland to donate. Keep up the great work and if I can ever help you and this cause from this most easterly part of the country please don't hesitate to contact me! I love watching updates from you.
Best of Luck!
+Kristina Smith, Newfoundland, Canada
Not easy but what other option?
Thank you and your mother very much for this effort because there is absolutely no assistance for travelling.The cost to go to Toronto is $250.00 a month and I am on a fixed income so that is the amount that I go indebt every month. I talked to you in the exercise room about this and you seemed surprised.I have been doing this for almost 10 months now and it is extremely stressful. That amount doesn't include the assessment time or the month you have to go three days a week for exercise. Again I would like to thank all involved in this venture.
+Mike - Ontario, Canada
Watch the video and then go to Give2Live.ca to set up a fundraising page to help 30 patients that are waiting for an organ transplant.
Thanks for the good work!
I received a liver transplant from a live donor on 02 May 2011 at Toronto General, and despite some complications, am still here! I appreciate the work that you are doing, Helene, along with the Give2Live team. I will be in Ottawa for the next few days and would like to contribute.
God bless you!
+Andrei, Archbishop of Toronto, Eastern Orthodox Church in Canada
Did you watch Hélène and her mother Manon on Canada AM this morning talking about their experience as a transplant patient AND family member and why they are behind Give2Live! Follow the Link to watch it now!
Exciting news!!!
Hélène on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.