Journal Entry 20: Very Thankful This Year

Nov. 2–30, 2009

Wednesday and Thursday (Nov. 4-5th), I attended the Sharp Convention and watched the new TV documentary of "Stories of The Sharp Experience." I sat in the audience and re-lived the day I received my heart and watched my actual heart transplant! It was such an awesome experience to see my heart take it's first beat! How many people in life get to see that happen! Wow! Since "Stories of The Sharp Experience" (Episode 8) aired on local TV stations, I've received so much positive feedback about the new TV documentary. Everyone I've talked to really enjoyed all of the stories.

Wednesday, November 18th, Larry (my husband) and I went to the National School District Board Meeting where Larry was honored as Employee of the District! He received a beautiful watch and certificate. I was so proud of him and his award!

Sunday, November 15th, we took a trip to Potrero where my niece, Susan Greene, and her family live. They have a beautiful home with a spectacular view. Steve (an amazing cook) prepared a delicious lunch for all of us. We had Thai soup, lumpia and fried rice. We stuffed ourselves as we watched the Charger game. Our visit ended with a homemade pineapple upside down cake! It was great spending the day with Susan, Steve, Stacy and Shelley ... they really went all out for us!

Debbie's husband, Larry, celebrates his 50th birthday with a Snuggie and their granddaughter Shelby.

Saturday, November 21st, I finally celebrated Larry's 50th birthday with family and friends. His actual birthday was in August, but I couldn't have a lot of people around at that time, so we had to delay his birthday celebration until November. He even got a pink Snuggie for his birthday!

Wednesday, November 25th, my church (St. Rose of Lima), had a fundraiser for the choir. It was titled "A Thankful Heart." They showed pieces of "Stories of The Sharp Experience" (Episodes 7 & 8) with beautiful songs in between. Several people came up to me afterwards and said it was a wonderful evening of inspiration and hope. That evening I also realized how far I've come since 2006, when I first had my LVAD implanted. I, too, walked away that evening with a very "thankful heart"!

Thursday, November 26th, we spent Thanksgiving with my family in Upland, California. We had a little over 60 family members that came together that day. It was truly a beautiful day with a lot to be thankful for!

Saturday, November 28th, Larry and I hit the shopping malls and did most of our Christmas shopping. It was so much fun. In the past it had always been our tradition to shop the Saturday after Thanksgiving. But we haven't been able to do this for the past several years because I wasn't strong enough. It was great to get back into the "spirit of Christmas." We ended the day with a wonderful dinner at the Cheesecake Factory where we met our friend Maggie Cescolini and her daughter. On the way home, we cranked up the Christmas music and slept real hard that night! Follow more of Debbie's heart transplant journey.

For More Information
To learn more about the heart transplant program at Sharp Memorial Hospital, please contact the program directly by calling 858-939-3831, Monday through Friday, 7 am to 3:30 pm.

To learn more or to find a cardiologist affiliated with Sharp, please call 1-800-82-SHARP (1-800-824-4277) or go to Find a Doctor.