Transplant Rebirthdays

My kidney transplant was seven years ago today. "Rebirthday" seems to be the most common term the transplant world has for this day, but I've heard "anniversary" and all sorts of permutations that aren't really words I can comprehend ("transplantversary" for one). Transplant patients I know have marked it with recognition of their donors (living or deceased), special activities or indulgences, and even organ-shaped cakes (these tend to be the same ones who have names for their transplanted organ...a bit over the top for those out of early childhood).

For my part, I haven't usually thought of my transplant anniversary as a particularly joyous occasion. At the time, it was an incredibly rough week, and the improvement afterwards wasn't nearly as immediate or dramatic as advertised. Since that time, as each year passes, I'm reminded that the chance of a transplanted organ lasting gets lower. For those interested in numbers, there are good statistics available on current graft and patient survival, projected survival of kidney transplants done recently, and long-term survival of children with end-stage renal disease.

I recently heard a saying about parenting that "the days are long but the years are short" and living with an organ transplant seems to follow the same rule. Taking medications, getting lab tests, and monitoring our health make for long days (and clinic appointments at most places can make for VERY long days!). But whether average graft survival is 10, 20, or even 30 years, it's far less than the 80 year life expectancy most people expect. Each year seems especially short, and they go by fast.

What do I do for my transplant anniversary? Over the years, I've spent this day at everything from a belated holiday party to a cancelled doctor's appointment, and only last year was there a cake involved. I've tried to forget (not possible since I have a fairly good memory for all anniversary days), thought about doing something especially memorable, and graciously accepted well wishes from January 24 to February 2 (the caring is there, but some people's memory for dates is less durable).

In the end, living with a transplant is a day-to-day process, and regardless of the predictions from statistics, no one can predict the future. But having a transplant is a fairly monumental event and change in life, so for that reason alone I'd say that every transplant patient deserves a special day. Enjoy!