Years ago, I was a woman bubbling with energy and
embarking on a wonderful new chapter of my life
with my husband Barry and baby daughter Sara. I
could not have imagined that "author"
would be a word that would ever fit me. But neither
did I think "terminally ill, heart transplant
recipient, transplant athlete, swimmer, U.S. and
World Transplant Games participant, world traveler,
gold-medal winner, or breast cancer survivor"
(yes, that too) would be words to portray me.
I was a quiet kid. I knew without a doubt that
to stay out of trouble I had to keep my mouth
shut and be good. It worked; I stayed on my parents'
good side. The only problem was, I was afraid
to ask for what I wanted or speak up for what
I believed.
I spent most of my adult life trying to find
my voice. In 1993, when I became very sick with
end-stage cardiomyopathy and eventually learned
that I needed a heart transplant, the "lessons"
in speaking up began. I requested support and
received it. I asked for financial aid and it
came.
In 1997 I received the greatest gift of all,
a vibrant new heart and abundant life force. Nine
months after my successful heart transplant, I
competed at the U.S. Transplant Games and won
the first three medals of my life - two gold and
one silver. I went on to win a dozen gold, one
bronze, and seven silver medals in four U.S. and
three World Transplant Games.
PAX-TV's "It's a Miracle" filmed my
story and aired it as a segment on their show,
and Denver television channels 2, 7, and 9 covered
our family's first meeting with my heart donor's
family. I have been interviewed for articles in
Women's World Magazine, The Denver Post, Rocky
Mountain News, Boulder Daily Camera, Medical Tribune
of Japan, and other publications. So much for
not having a voice!
Then came Dying to Live. The story burst
forth; I had to write it. Over time, with a lot
of hard work and plenty of passion, it became
a book. Then I knew I had found my voice, a voice
that will continue to speak for organ and tissue
donation, to encourage people to recognize their
own courage and find their own joy, and to celebrate
life.
from Dying to Live: From Heart Transplant
to Abundant Life
"Most people have no idea of what goes on
with a person who is waiting for a transplant.
Each journey is unique, but one thing is common
to everyone on that waiting list . . . A transplant
is the last resort, the only possibility for life
after all other avenues have been explored."
"Most of us are better at giving than receiving
. . . All my life, I have been self-sufficient,
rarely asking for help. With so much at stake,
it was time to change all that. I challenged myself
to write a letter to my friends and family requesting
their support. (It) came from many places, known
and unknown. I had no idea what would happen if
I simply allowed myself to accept the abundant
generosity that was coming my way . . . The outpouring
of support spoke to the open heart everywhere
that yearns to be a part of community, to serve."
"I discovered courage through my journey,
but I have no singular ownership of it. Just to
be alive brings its challenges that must be faced.
I see courage everywhere."
From time to time, when I need to lighten up,
I think about this: "Comparisons create suffering.
They are endless and fruitless . . . My grandmother
used to say, 'If we hung all our friends' problems
on a clothesline, then went to pick whose problems
we wanted, we'd probably end up choosing our own.'"
From Dying to Live: From Heart Transplant
to Abundant Life, pgs. xvii, 12, 16, 45,
70.
Copyright © 2005 by Gaea Shaw. Published
by Pilgrims Process, Inc.
1998 U.S. Transplant Games, Columbus, Ohio
50 yard freestyle, GOLD
50 yard backstroke, SILVER
500 yard freestyle, GOLD
2000 U.S. Transplant Games, Orlando, Florida
50 yard freestyle, SILVER
50 yard backstroke, SILVER
500 yard freestyle, SILVER
2001 World Transplant Games, Japan
400 meter freestyle, FIRST PLACE
2001 National Kidney Foundation of Colorado,
Idaho, Montana and Wyoming
2001 DAVID GWILT TRANSPLANT ATHLETE AWARD,
in recognition of an outstanding member of the
Transplant Games Team
2002 U.S. Transplant Games, Orlando, Florida
50 yard freestyle, GOLD
100 yard freestyle, GOLD
500 yard freestyle, SILVER
50 yard breaststroke, GOLD
2003 World Transplant Games, France
50 meter freestyle, GOLD
100 meter freestyle, GOLD
400 meter freestyle, GOLD
50 meter backstroke, GOLD
2004 U.S. Transplant Games, Minneapolis, Minnesota
50 meter freestyle, GOLD
100 meter freestyle, GOLD
400 meter freestyle, SILVER
50 meter backstroke, GOLD
2005 Donor Awareness Council
DONATE LIFE AWARD, DONATE LIFE AMBASSADOR,
in recognition of the commitment to increase
organ and tissue donation in our community
2005 World Transplant Games, Canada
50 meter freestyle, BRONZE
400 meter freestyle, SILVER
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