ELISSA.......Hey guys! It's me, Elissa.

[gshase]

I never thought in a million years I would have made it this far. 4 years ago, I ended up coughing blood to the point I needed an embolization to stop the bleed. For some unknown reason I came out of that surgery with a traumatic brain bleed that we can only point back to human error during surgery. It threw my life into a downhill spiral that caused me to need Bipap, oxygen, and began the initial discussion of transplant for the first time. Time goes by and my problems seem to pile up. 87 day stay. In and out of the ICU. 2 lung collapses. Being listed at UTSW in Dallas for 2 years. Numerous chest tubes. 2 pleurodesis procedures to adhere my lung to my chest wall. 2 devastating calls for lungs that resulted in dryruns. Being diagnosed with MAC. Having to have 12 antibiotics that led my body into uncontrollable fevers. Taken off the transplant list. Reaching out to Houston Methodist for transplant. Being sent home on hospice. Accepting my fate. Saying goodbye to everyone that I love. But deep inside, I wasn’t ready. I regained my strength. I went to Maui to die and surprisingly to everyone, I RECOVERED— I recovered in the most beautiful place on the planet. I got strong. I grew in so many ways. I came back home and I shockingly stayed out of the hospital for an entire year but I still have CF. My lungs were still loosing their fight. We started reaching out to every transplant clinic in Texas but I never forgot about Duke in the back of my mind. With every denial from each clinic we sighed but we were starting to get excited because we knew that once I would get a formal denial from each transplant clinic in Texas, we knew my insurance would allow me to go out of state......

So here we are. I up rooted my family who has lived in our same beautiful Texas home. Moved 18+ hours to North Carolina. Spent every single day filled with appointments, tests, and procedures. Spent endless hours every day pushing my body to its limit at Pulmonary Rehab.
And here I am standing at the finish lane waiting for my time to cross. So as I sit by my phone, with it on loud, 24 hours in the day, waiting for that random “NO CALLER ID” to come through, I think. I think of the time it took me to get here. I think of my parents who have put their life on pause for me. I think of the doctors working endlessly to find that perfect pair of lungs for me, but most importantly, I think of my future donor that is enjoying their lives, their families, and I hope and I pray that they find their peace. I hope they know that I will forever respect their precious gift and that I will always thank them for letting me live the life I have always dreamed of.♥️


Just wanted to share my story of how I got here.


-Thank you ALL for the ongoing love and support, Elissa. XoXo.

[Sooner or later]

Oh, my!

Best to you!

[tdw28210]

Awesome, impressive and inspiring. Most of us can't even begin to think about what you have accomplished, let alone actually do it. Stay strong and positive (yeah, I know EASY for me to type).

FYI, there is a BIG Porsche shindig coming to Durham at the end of May (Luftgekuhlt) . Maybe if the stars align you and your family can enjoy some of it with some of us.

[serene911]

Wow, just wow. Hope and faith together, have brought you this far,keep the good
news coming and best wishes on your journey. We are all rooting for you !
After reading your post I think I have gotten some dust in my eyes, better grab some
kleenex.

[pete3799]

Rooting for you Elissa.

[stevej37]

Very nice write-up. Thanks for keeping us informed.
Best wishes for the next part of your journey!

[E38Driver]

Words fail me right now. You are truly an inspiration to anyone fighting a disease.

Dave

[widgeon13]

Best of luck and prayers for continued progress and ultimate success!

[ckissick]

We've all been following your story and rooting for you for a long time. Stories like your's brings me back to my similar (well, sort of) story. When I was 20, I was in a bad car wreck in the middle of nowhere. It took 8 hours to get to the hospital. A couple days after surgery the doctor said he never saw anyone with my injuries still living. And that's if they got to the hospital right away.

The point of this is, I willed myself to stay alive. I knew that if I closed my eyes for more than a second they would never open again. It wasn't easy, as the accident happened at 11:00 PM! I only had to will myself to live for 8 hours. You've been doing it for years. Keep it up! I know you will. I'm in my 41st bonus year now and never take a day for granted. I hope you have many bonus decades to come.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Hey Elissa!!!!!

Good luck in the upcoming days! You father has posted here often, your relentless progress is amazing, and it is one of the stories that keeps me coming back.

After your surgery, if you get bored, here is a brief lowdown of "pelican parts off topic" if you need a way to spend some time:

1. Random pics is cool.
2. Random pics "you have taken" is cool too.
3. Random "transportation pics" is sort of cool, if you are into transportation.
4. TABS has incredible fashion sense. Seek him out for the latest and greatest.
5. "what are you listening to today" is cool, because, it is what OLD people listen to. BTW- old people kick #$$. If you want to be one step ahead of the curve, use this source for musical inspiration.
6. There is a saying here called (something like ) "now...get off my lawn" After your surgery, you will have earned the right to say it. Use it with pride!

[astrochex]

What a joy this is!

Your picture is so radiant, it temporarily made me forget your trials that led to this moment. You have an indomitable spirit, it’s truly remarkable.

Thank-you so much for sharing your story and imminent triumph.

Prayers for your surgery and recovery.

[cstreit]

Lots of us are rooting for your next big step. Looking forward to more good news!

[rfuerst911sc]

You are one tough chick ! All of us in the Pelican brotherhood are pulling for you . Stay strong and best of luck to you .

[WolfeMacleod]

Glad you're still with us, and with family as well!

[smadsen]

A good friend's 28 year old son had some bad breaks (leukemia, monster chemo, temporary blindness, etc.) that led to failing lungs. After a three year saga, he was down to his last two-four weeks at about 10% capacity when he had his double at Cedars in Los Angeles. Two years later he graduated college and is doing research work at a major hospital six years post-op.

After your surgery, light the after-burners and hang on. This whole community is pulling for you.

[doug_porsche]

Thanks for being a great inspiration.
Keep never giving up!

[gsxrken]

We have been following along for years now! Your courage has been truly humbling. God bless- we’ll continue to cheer from afar.

[pwd72s]

Elissa, so good to see this post. Kid, I just know it's going to go well for you. (As long as you stay away from banana milkshakes in Oregon )

[sc_rufctr]

You've inspired me Elissa. God bless you and your family.

[MBAtarga]

As others have said, we've been following your ups and downs from your father's posts. Everyone is so glad you've got this latest news!