I was a legal secretary at a large Milwaukee law firm for 20 years.  In 1996, I began having breathing problems.  By spring of 1999, I could no longer work and was placed on the transplant waiting list at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics.  I went from working full time to being confined to a wheelchair and on oxygen 24/7 in the space of about 6 weeks.  After waiting for 52 days, I received the Gift of Life on 08/16/99.  I attempted working a year post transplant, but found it too taxing.  Since I have been on the disabled list, I have had time to enjoy my love of books more.  My stepson says he has never seen anybody who reads as much as I do.  I have about 21 boxes of books that are waiting in the basement for me to read.  I think I'm Amazon.com's greatest customer.  Last spring I invested in a Kindle 2 and my reading has expanded even further.  I am a volunteer at our local animal shelter (I fold newspapers for the cat cages since I don't want to be exposed to a lot of strange animals) and I am a member of the Threads of Compassion of the Wisconsin Donor Network (a group that makes comfort shawls for donor families).  I also attend Circle of Friends, my church's quilting group that makes quilts for various charities.  I have 3 sons (1 set of twins), 2 stepsons, 9 grandchildren, 3 grandkitties and 2 granddogs.  Our household is home to 2 outrageous Boston Terriers and 1 very sassy grandkitty.  Life is never dull at our house!

How did you get to where you are now?

When I was in high school, I took a double major of college prep and business (secretarial skills) because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do.  I spent one year at the University of Wisconsin and then became engaged.  That was the biggest mistake of my life!  After returning home from my freshman year, I got a entry level secretarial position, where I stayed for about 18 months.  I needed more challenging work so I got a job as a secretary for a restaurant's corporate office.  I had my twin boys two months premature in July of 1977 and asked to return to work after six weeks until my sons came home from the hospital.  After a period of time, I returned to a new position filling store orders for office supplies.  I worked from 6:00 at night until 2:00 in the morning about three days a week.  In January of 1978, after my boys had only been home for 4 months, my husband left me for another woman with 3 kids.  He did me the favor of signing for a house 4 days before he left.  I think I was out shoveling after the boys went to bed at least 4 times in the first week.  That kind of favor I didn't need with 2 special needs babies.  I withstood a custody battle when the boys were about 4.  About 2 months before the trial, I received a letter from the clerk of court saying that the motion had been withdrawn.  Shortly thereafter, I heard that my ex and his wife (not the one he left me for) were getting divorced.   His is now on his fifth marriage.  One of the contentions was the nerve of me for working downtown and taking so much time away from the boys.  When I was only getting $200 a month support, what was I supposed to do?  By keeping a positive attitude, I was able to get a very good job (for someone who had only 1 year of college)as a legal secretary for a large law firm in downtown Milwaukee.  I spent 14-1/2 years with a very difficult attorney; I finally got up the nerve to put in for a transfer and got a job working for two product liability attorneys who were the nicest people I ever met.  I found out later that 32 women had put in for the job.  In 1983, I married my best friend and we have been married for 26 years.  He has been such a support during all my trials and tribulations.  My attitude also played a major part in my transplant experience.  You are required to be very diligent in taking care of yourself and attending required doctor visits, which for me are many.  A lot of the things that have happened to me could make someone really depressed, but my family has helped me see the humor in things rather than get all upset.  On 08/16/99, I celebrated the 10th anniversary of my new lung on an 11 day land tour/cruise of Alaska, my first trip in 12 years.  From what I understand, surviving 10 years post-transplant is quite an accomplishment.  I continue to want to help others, but must be careful with the situation.  I was a kindergarten Sunday School teacher for 5 years before I got sick, but had to stop because I could not be in close contact with children due to the illnesses they carry.  I have participated in continuing education in photography, quilting and computer applications.  I spend quite a bit of time on my laptop looking for new ideas to help me with my health issues.

How do you see yourself differently now than you did 10 years ago?

Ten years ago, I was virtually at the end of my life.  I had gone from working full time and commuting approximately 3 hours a day to being confined to a wheelchair and on oxygen in about 2 months.  As the American Lung Association says, "When you can't breathe, nothing else matters."  When my family wanted to know where I was, they would step on my oxygen hose.  That year, I spent many times in the hospital with lung ascerbations.  In the past 10 years, I have managed to keep my hospital visits down to about 3.  I am now able to breathe relatively well without oxygen (provided I walk on a flat surface), I can now talk without too much trouble and I am able to be rather independent (driving, shopping, etc.).  I have become more active in my church and several charity organizations.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

In 10 years, I hope to still be alive.  At 10 years post transplant, the survival rates are around 25%.  I have not seen anything any further out.  I will continue to have a happy attitude and live each day to the fullest, doing the best that I can with the talents I have.

Jodi Picoult, Jacqueline Mitchard, Melodie Beatty