My September Miracles...

   While they are too many to number so far in just 9 days of 2012 I will list the most memorable in no particular order and make this post short...

It was on this day September 9 several years ago that the kidney of a 15 year old donor was flown by Life Star all the way from Kentucky to be transplanted into my husband whose kidneys (BOTH) had completely shut down and had been on dialysis for 8+ years while wait listed ... today that one kidney is doing an awesome job in his body ... giving us quality and quantity of life with our loved one ... this is a September miracle that I will ALWAYS remember...

Another Miracle ... just 4 days ago on the monthly anniversary of my surgery I opened up an email from my real life little sister (by 2 years) ... I just happened to open up the inbox to an email addy that I very seldom use and there it was ... this email that my sister had mistakenly sent me there instead of to my current one.... my heart FROZE in my chest and tears smarted my eyes and I went into total PANIC mode before even opening up the email ... and when I did as I moved the mouse towards the message I prayed please God, please GOD.... PLEASE .... and I clicked ... and opened a MIRACLE .... MY SISTER - MY MIRACLE... she was not expected to walk but 1 or 2 blocks at most as she is in fierce battle with bilateral lung CA with mutations in a non-smoker for life .... you who know that story and have stood with me in support both on here and elsewhere KNOW the history ... this is a miracle ... she walked and ENTIRE 5K without fainting ... without oxygen and at the end of the walk not only did she get a medal but she TESTIFIED ...the testimony of a survivor .... she scans came back with AWESOME response to treatment so far and I have been praising and celebrating since...

This is the quoted body of the email that I was so afraid to open up:

Hola Marta:

The Cancer Foundation here in Panama had a 5-kilometer walk on Sunday as fund raiser to support cancerhospital.  Carmela had planned to walk maybe 2 blocks and then wait for us to pick her up, but surprisingly she was able to cover the entire distance and once beyond the finish line she was awarded a medal.  Also, she was able to give testimony up on stage.  Habló de lo más bien.  Ahí tmbién va una foto de un evento de la etnia negra y la convencimos para que se pusiera su pollera de Darién y fuimos a ver el desfile.  Yo creo que se está adaptando a su situación y está mucho más tranquila.  Todavía trabaja, pero menos horas.  Espero que todos ustedes estén bien.  Bueno Marta, cuídate y saludos a todos.   Rosita

These are my real life sisters ... as she claimed her miracle ... and my AWESOME SEPTEMBER MIRACLE... My eldest sister by 2 years on the left and my youngest sister by 2 years on the right and me superimposed into the picture by my son because WHERE THERE IS LOVE THERE ARE NO FRONTIERS ... I am holding up the back ... together WE HAVE THIS!
 

My sister across the META - FINISH LINE
 

My beautiful sista TESTIFYING ... SHE WILL BE MORE THAN A SURVIVOR ... SHE WILL BE AN OVERCOMER ... 

 

My beautiful family overseas ...  from left to right my yougest sister Rosi, my niece's BF, my eldest sister Mela and my niece Iri, Rosi's DD...
 

On 9/5/2012 four days ago this was the BEST present I got for the monthly anniversary of my surgery ... seeing my sister who just a couple months back was on continuous O2 and unable to utter more than a sentence or 2 before being short of breath ...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh I am crying for happiness!!!

Four days ago I celebrated the monthly anniversary of my surgery 5 years and 7 months post WLS ... I am living and loving my journey as if it were the very first day ... I am as excited and grateful as I was when I laid on that table in the OR after signing informed consent ... I KNEW I was in for the ride of my life ... a ride that I am so thoroughly enjoying with all its UPs and Downs ...

I went from this....
 

to TODAY 9/9/2012 maintaining a total loss of 203 pounds 5 years and 7 months post WLS.  I took this picture before running off to church and after a morning session of Zumba Fitness followed by Pilates and Toning at Workout and Whitney with my DD the instructor...
 

Yesterday Al and I went to our dearest friend wedding... and I dressed like this...
 

and on the monthly anniversary of my surgery I took a picture with my awesome NEW baby ferret Pandora and looked like this...
 

These are snippets of my life and of my journey ... I have tracked it all in my empowerment journal... A Picture a Day Keeps the Pounds and the Inches away... Thanks for allowing me to share snippets of my journey... as I am determined to stay away from morbid obesity one day at a time, one  choice at a time....

I am so thrilled about your sister. I have no doubt she is going to be a survivor.

 Thank YOU beautiful! She is going to be more than just a survivor ..she will be an overcomer ... I pray each day... This was the best news that we have had from her in a long time and I love love love to see her upbeat and in control ....

You have a beautiful family, Martida. Congradulations on all of your  miracles. My September miracle? I lived to see my birthday on Sept. 7th. From almost dying in the hospital of Sepsis and respiratory failure in March to being able to see my birthday.

You are such a beautiful woman and have awesome fashion sence. I love those zebra print shoes! (however I would probably fall and break my neck if I wore them as I am not too graceful in heels!)

And gotta love those bambidos!!!

Congradulations again.

 Thank YOU Miss_Kitty .... and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!! How awesome is that ... I too am so very happy for you overcoming all those hurdles (((((((((HUGS))))))))) .....

I love my heels .. .the higher the better LOL ... and I love my bandidos too ... Pandora, my newest one is a trip...

My sister's testimony and pictures were the best gift ever ...I am still celebrating in thanksgiving...

That is wonderful news about your sister.  I am so happy for you both.  You look beautiful as always, keep being you!

Hugs Me :)

 Thank you my beautiful sista!!! it was the best news ever in a long time and I am still celebrating my sister's victory ... the battle rages on but now she is in control and fighting back with good results.

I will keep on being me (the goofy me, the panamaniac biatch me, the kind me and the feisty me - a mixed wrap LOL) just as you should keep on being you ALWAYS.  Please get thee back on here and POST ... I and many others enjoyed your threads even when in occasional disagreement ... I miss your postings .... and I am so looking forward to awesome news on these two beautiful golden retriever pups you recently adopted.  I just fell in love with them and your son is sooooooooooooooooo handsome and looks so much like you ... I can see how much you love him just by looking at his pictures...

Please please please ... UPDATES and posts ... I just love this picture you shared on my Mira thread on here the other day ... AWESOME ... AWESOME ... AWESOME...

MyLady Heidi's DS and her two new golden retriever pups...
 

 There goes my sister dressed in her Pollera de Darién ... my youngest sister convinced her to go the a black latino heritage event ... she went with my youngest sister and my nieces and had so much fun.  My sister is a realist and tends to be a bit pessimistic at times especially with what she is facing ... but after her awesome response to the treatment and the results of her recent scans she is more accepting of her situation and more determined than ever to fight back ... she has always been a healthy woman ... never engaged in any risky behaviors non smoker, non drinker a MD by vocation ... she IS STRONG and I would just die - I won't be able to handle it and don't even want to think about it like that...

From left to right my niece Iriana, my sister Carmela, My niece Ariza and my sister Rosita... my brother Bobby was taking the pics...  I am glad she decided to go to this event after being shut-in for months she has returned to work even and is doing/feeling great.... I am forever thankful for my miracle.