November 12th, 2010 we got the call…they had lungs for Savara. She had just come out of foot surgery when we got the call. Savara had suffered from a condition called dermatomyositis, which caused her to develop pulmonary hypertension. She was so calm as she waited for the lung transplant…after a sleepless night, they told us she had successfully made it through the surgery and we got see our princess with her new lungs.

After 40 long days, she got to ring the bell as she was released from the transplant ward.
I proposed to renew our wedding vows. We had a quick wedding in Las Vegas before the transplant, but wanted to have a large wedding with friends and family present. She was released in time to be home for Christmas.

Over the next three years, we had a beautiful wedding, visited 40 states, and 8 different countries. We added a dog (Buster) and a cat (Simba) to our family to match our existing dog (Shelly) and cat (Lyla). We celebrated birthdays, weddings, and she was actively finishing her college degree and real estate license when she passed away from complications at the hospital. The three years weren’t always easy. We visited the emergency room 52 times and spent well over 100 days in the hospital. We like to say there were no medium times, just great times and challenging times, but I wouldn’t have traded those three extra years for anything!

Once, when Savara was in the hospital, she mentioned how grateful she was for her transplant and how she wished she could do the same for others when she passed, but wasn’t sure if she would be able to donate. The day she passed, I got the call from LifeGift. Honestly, the last thing I wanted to do at that point was spend 30 minutes on the phone answering questions, but I remembered her wishes and it gave me comfort to know that good could come out of our tragedy, and that I could fulfill her requests. To know some pieces of our Angel would keep living, and that some other families are getting to share the good times that we were able to share because of someone else’s donation, continues to warm my heart.