My Life, My Design – Chapter 2 – “A New Beginning After Transplant”

The Universe is always generous. All we have to do is make a choice of a new beginning to move forward, and it grants us prosperity and abundance.

I’m often told that the time before transplant is the most critical one in a patient’s life. Finding a donor, figuring out the finances, analyzing all the medical expertise and much more. All of that is expensive and time consuming to say the least. And to be fair, all that hard work is really important in order to come out of this life full of pain and dependence. However, today I feel that the time after a transplant is pivotal. An attempt of leading a healthy life or a life of normalcy is a luxury, and it definitely requires a radical shift in perspective. And I call it ‘A New Beginning’.

Seven years ago my father gifted me his kidney. After the surgery when I first opened my eyes in the ICU, I became aware of the excruciating pain my body was experiencing. I was unable to move. But my mind was racing at an incomprehensible speed. The time had finally come to apply all those metaphysical learnings that I’d been preparing for, for months.

For the first 24 hours post-surgery, pain befriended me, sleep eluded me, but my mind went deep into my subconscious, planting seeds. Fascinatingly, I envisioned my graft all happy and healthy, working in perfect harmony with the rest of my body. It was one big party inside my body where all my organs welcomed the graft, making it feel a part of the gang. How does it get better than this, I thought, and what else is possible!

Just 48 hours after my surgery, my nephrologist insisted that I get up from the bed and simply walk! Walk, walk and walk till my body gets going and regains normalcy. It sounded insane and impossible, but it wasn’t much of a choice. So I gathered myself, with all the pain and those ever-beeping monitors attached to me, and moved forward, one unsteady step at a time. I fueled my body with energies I had garnered in my mind and spirit, over all those months. I did very very well, or so I was told. Because apparently the majority of the recipients take enormously more time to even stand straight after such surgery. By the time I was discharged, I was on my feet and all optimistic.

I was informed that the first six weeks, up to twelve months post-surgery are quite crucial, especially from catching any infections and a graft rejection standpoint. So it was required that I adhere to all the rules pertaining to health, hygiene, exercise, regular checkups, travel etc.

I was very much aware that after the transplant my life would undergo a radical change. My so-called ‘normal life’ would be gone forever, and I would need to create a ‘new normal’ for myself. My habits, needs, preferences, even my life-purpose would undergo a serious change. And a new lifestyle would gradually emerge. For me to move forward in my life, I knew I must embrace this change and accept the new beginning.

Being mindful that my medications may possibly have extreme physical, mental and emotional side effects, I designed a harmonized way of living. I tended my body with unconditional care and discipline, nurtured my mind with positive thoughts and emotions, and harnessed the strength of my spirit. I gave a new purposeful motion to my life, an opportunity to prosper.

Since then, I not only completed something I always wanted to do, i.e., a second Master’s degree (this time in psychology), but also managed two certifications in ‘Redikall Chakra Healing’ and ‘Shamanism’, great additions to my long career as a healing practitioner. I feel so fortunate to have contributed to other people’s lives through my therapy, counselling, healing sessions, seminars, and training workshops. And I do believe I have honoured this second chance at life that has been rewarded to me.

Over the years the side effects of my medications have become my unpleasant allies. Hunger pangs, weight gain, extreme hair fall, heightened emotions, tremors and the most recent ones being, bone-deterioration and muscle-pains. Even then I feel grateful that I’ve been free of infections or rejection of graft all-through. And God has stood by me through this journey, and kind enough to bless me with a healthy child. My son, my pride, whom I conceived a few years after my transplant.

 

I’ve been blessed that my entire family, including my husband, parents, brother, bhabhi and now even my 3-year-old, have given me their unconditional love, support, infinite understanding and patience. Just them being there, irrespective, has given me self-belief, strength and happiness. However, not everyone in my life was empathetic or understanding. Some were in denial while some feared my situation and lashed out through hurt and humiliation. Others found my disciplined life regime pretentious and mocked me. Again, I made a choice to be grateful to those who were there by my side and detached towards those who weren’t. Overall, it has been quite a ride with its share of highs & lows, and song & dance.

In this journey of kidney transplant, I have counselled many people, including those suffering from CKD, undergoing dialysis, waiting for or preparing for a transplant and transplant recipients. I even got the opportunity to counsel their inner circle, the donors, spouses, families and caregivers. I call them ‘My community’ as they have directly or indirectly experienced organ failure or transplant. They too presented their unique life conditions and challenges. They understood the pain, felt angry, and uncertainty filled their days blurring out all future possibilities. And doctors or the internet didn’t have answers to all their queries, and certainly never helped them with their fears. They felt hopeless and confused, not realizing that all the answers are within them.

In all these years, I’ve realized that working on mental, emotional and spiritual strength is as important as building physical strength. Having a positive mindset makes the recovery much faster and way easier. Besides, being patient and setting realistic expectations from your spouse, family or caregiver, takes you a long way. And for me, all the professional help from therapists and counsellors, made it smooth and possible.

I want to share every bit of my experience with you, ‘My community’, the true warriors. I urge you to open your minds and look beyond the medical boundaries. Let go of all the apprehensions, fears or hopelessness, and choose abundance. You deserve good health, well-being, and prosperity in your everyday life. You can create an absolute balance between your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual strengths.

I sincerely hope that my story would encourage you to look within, take charge and make a new beginning for yourself. I extend here my guidance and support through therapy, counseling, healing sessions, seminars and training workshops.

ORGAN India has launched a new program called ‘A New Beginning’ which provides an opportunity for us to connect and work together. Here, I shall reach out to you ‘My community’, through webinar support sessions, conducted twice a month covering a whole range of topics related to us. However, the core of each such webinar would be working through positivity and strength in our lives. Feel free to reach me at anewbeginning@organindia.org

Let’s begin our journey of a ‘A New Beginning’ – Together!