OCR Text |
Show A-11 The Park Record Wed/Thurs/Fri, May 17-19, 2017 Continued From A-10 Second transplant a success out of the woods. While he procedure went according to plan, on Christmas Day Anita’s spirits sank to a new low. A snowstorm delayed her family’s arrival, leaving her alone in her all-too familiar hospital room. She likened her IV stand to a poor excuse for a Chrismas tree, bedecked with oxygen and feeding tubes and six drains. “I was all alone in this hospital and my faith that I was going to get better was not there,” she said. The turning point for Anita was a spiritual one. A group of caroling nurses came by and as they sang she said, “I felt my Savior’s arms come down and hold me. I felt then everything is going to be OK. I am going to survive.” On the road to recovery Anita is now back at work in the county courthouse –still recovering but grateful to be among the friends and colleagues who supported and comforted her last winter. She laughingly tells them, “I went to hell, the devil spit me out POWER TOMORROW. SAVE TODAY. Courtesy of Anita Lewis Kimball, Anita’s three-year-old grandson, was one of her favorite visitors while she was recovering from her liver transplant. and then I went to hell again.” On a more serious note, she adds, “It was the most painful and blessed experience I have ever gone through in my life.” In addition to her newfound faith, Anita is committed to finding a way to express her gratitude to the families of the donors who consented to give her a second chance at life. One way is to support organ donor awareness. Both she and her husband admit they were not organ donors before Anita’s experience. “Now, how could I not? My life was saved twice because of someone who was willing to donate their organs.” She is hoping to contact her second donor’s family and says she has started composing a letter to them. “It is going to be the toughest letter I have ever written — to a family who brought me life on Christmas when they were burying someone. I just feel so unworthy for having two chances at life.” To learn more about becoming an organ donor, go to: https://www. yesutah.org/ or https:// www.donatelife.net/ Continued From A-10 More donors needed donor for the longest time. But now I think it is the most unselfish thing a person can do,” he said. That is music to Gilroy’s ears. Gilroy, who happens to be a Summit County resident too, said his greatest frustration is the disparity between the number of people waiting for organs and the number of donors. According to Gilroy, by consenting to be an organ donor, one person can potentially save eight lives. Thanks to advances in medicine, viable organs include the heart, kidneys, liver, lungs and pancreas. In fact, a living person can now donate a portion of their liver to another patient where it will regenerate to the size needed, he added. “The challenge is ensuring that conversation happens,” he said during a recent conversation near his home in Park City. On the religious side, I say to people, ‘We wouldn’t be given this ability, to donate our organs, if we weren’t meant to use it.’” Dr. Richard Gilroy Intermountain Medical Center According to Gilroy, “118,000 people are currently waiting for an organ transplant and the liver transplant list that Anita was on will have about 12,500 people added to it this year. But we’ll only be able to do 7,500 transplants. That means that 5,000 patients will get removed without the opportunity to be transplanted because they get too sick or they die.” Gilroy hopes to reduce that number by half though raising awareness of the importance of becoming an organ donor. “On the religious side, I say to people, ‘We wouldn’t be given this ability, to donate our organs, if we weren’t meant to use it.’ Unfortunately many more are happy to be recipients than donors,” he lamented. “Utah has great opportunities to increase its transplant rates. We are only at 55 percent of our potential. We need everyone to consider being a donor,” he said. According to Gilroy, transplant patients, like Anita, can make remarkable recoveries. “The goal is to restore them to their normal lives,” he said, citing Olympic bronze-medal snowboarder Chris Klug as a prime example. Klug earned that medal in 2002, two years after receiving a liver transplant. Discovering solar power is like taking work off to go skiing, you’ll be glad you did it. Save up to 40% on your electrical bill and make a positive impact on the environment. SCHEDULE YOUR FREE SOLAR CONSULTATION TODAY. 435.731.8424 | ONTOPSE.COM Biggest sale ever! Save 50 to 70% Showroom Clearance Sale All furniture samples marked 50 -70% off MSRP excludes consignment prices AmericAn roots cuisine Local Park City news every Wednesday and Saturday Home-Style Cooking With a Western Influence oPen for the summer seAson! oPen WednesdAy through sundAy Lunch Wednesday-Friday: 11am-3pm Brunch Saturday/Sunday: 9am-3pm dinner Wednesday-Saturday: from 5:30 Closed Monday/Tuesday Reservations available via our website: thesilverstarcafe.com “Park city Limits” Live music 5/18: Brooke Mackintosh 5/19: Elliot Goldman and Gabriel Pramuck 5/20: Mister Sister 5/25 Michelle Moonshine (solo) Located on the Silver Star Plaza at the base of the Silver Star Lift, 1825 Three Kings Drive (behind Hotel Park City and the Park City Golf Club) Call 435–649–9014 to subscribe today! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter 435-655-3456 • www.thesilverstarcafe.com TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HUGE SAVINGS Now thru Memorial Day! interior design furnishings accessories 449 Main Street, Park City 435.615.7125 RobertKellyHome.com Affordable Elegance in the Heart of Park City |