The gift of life....4 years ago

Four years ago today Ember received her gift of life.  Her liver transplant came just a few days after her daddy had gone through all of the testing to become her living donor.  In that time, a family was faced with the choice of letting their little one save other lives and they said yes.  We are very much aware of how important and how difficult their decision must have been.  I cannot sit here and say that I know how they felt that day, and still feel today on the 4 year anniversary of their loss, because I do not.  I hope to never know what it is like to lose a child and to be faced with the decision they were faced with in 2008.  I can say that I look at Ember every day and even though we know nothing really about her donor, I see him in her every day.  I see the gift that we have been given.  I see the time, hope, love, and happiness we have been given.  We have been truly blessed by our donor angel and his family.  We continue to teach Ember (and her sister) about love, support, and the true meaning of selflessness.  I have to say, however, that I have learned so very much from Ember in these 4 short years.  She has taught me the true meaning of compassion.  Her heart is so very big and so very open.  She has so much love to give and gives it freely.  It is hard to imagine that she may not be here today without her new liver.  We always try to tell new liver families that we meet that Ember is not the typical liver baby.  She really never has been.  As I look back over the posts I made in the weeks leading up to Ember's diagnosis I am amazed at how much her little body fought the terrible disease she had.  She even responded to medicines that were not even designed to treat her specific liver disease.  She never really cried or fussed about how uncomfortable she was.  These trends carry through to the little girl she is becoming.  She gets sick, but never complains about it really.  She is one of the strongest little girls I have ever seen.  She loves her sister with all of her heart even if they get on each others nerves.  She loves her grandparents, her dog, her kitty, and misses her Pop more than anything.  All of these things we wouldn't see had it not been for her donor angel.  We love him and truly hope that his family knows exactly how much we appreciate and love them as well.  We honor their loved one in how we teach Ember to care for and to love others and in how we will continue to teach her about her gift and the true meaning of sacrifice.  We hope that the legacy we leave behind for her donor angel will be felt and heard by many and everyone who comes into contact with her will learn from her.  Even if it is in a very small way, even at 4 years old she has so very much to teach us.  We are so blessed to have her in our lives.