caterina

Transplant

Caterina's second chance at life came in a small bag, the size of a Ziploc bag, blood filled with hope, dreams, and expectations of a life that had just 2 months earlier been virtually taken away from her. The journey at Duke was a long one. Caterina was in the hospital for almost three months, with one trip to the intensive care unit due to serious complications post-transplant. Our lives were placed on hold as we struggled with every ounce of our being to try to save our child. Duke Hospital became our second home; the families of those around us became part of our own. Reality as we knew it was never the same. The struggles we witnessed, the pain and suffering of innocent children, the breaking down of families, the hopes, the dreams, are simply indescribable in writing. Despite the heart-wrenching pain it was to witness and live through all of this, we are grateful every day for having experienced it. We have witnessed the human spirit in ways that would never have been possible. We have seen love shine from deep within - from stranger to stranger, and bonds forged by those of different backgrounds - ethnic, economic, geographical – that in no other circumstance would have gotten to know and love one another.

We had expected to be in Durham for about 6 months. Our six months became eleven months. Durham became home, and Duke Hospital was the heart of it. And we are one of the lucky ones. We still have our child with us, showing us the meaning of courage, of spirit and of life itself.