Jim's Hearts

The longer it lasts, the more vitriol added to the word. The more urgent the need, the more dramatic the term becomes. It’s a four letter word that offends, that we’ve come to fear:

WAIT

The wait for an organ donation is interminable, and sometimes, very sadly, devastating.

Jim continues to endure the wait, along with his family – officially, it’s been almost 2 years. Recently science (and some incredibly talented cardiac surgeons) stepped in with a mechanical solution to allow Jim to wait a bit longer for the heart he so desperately needs.

Did you get that? A mechanical solution – a desperate, dangerous and absolutely necessary step to keep Jim alive. Why? Because we, as a community, province, country, are not signed up to be organ donors.

The wait needs to end, for Jim and for all those on the organ transplant list. We hope we offended a lot of people with the over-use of this four-letter word. We look forward to never needing to drop it on anyone every again.

Sign up to be an organ donor today.

Suddenly, things seem to have gotten harder. As Jim struggles valiantly with congestive heart failure while waiting for his heart transplant, the disease is progressing. Jim is a very sick man, and really needs that new heart to come asap. The waiting, waiting, waiting seems that much harder.

It’s harder for his family to keep it together, to not let the worry creep into every moment. With Jim in hospital, even the logistics of daily life are harder. Groceries, cooking, cleaning, driving…..time.

For us, it’s harder to celebrate Ontario’s increase in organ donors, because really — why isn’t EVERYONE an organ donor? We know this is a wonderful thing, but it’s hard not to be impatient.

There are so many Canadians on the waiting list for an organ transplant. Their lives get harder every day too. Won’t you stop for a moment and sign up to be a donor? You can make the difference.

#beadonor #jimshearts

The tragic events of the past week have made us reflect on a lot of things. What it is to be Canadian; how much respect we have for our military – past and present; and what it is to be a hero.

Many of the stories we read and shared included acts of selflessness in the face of danger. Kevin Michael Vickers, Canada’s Sergeant-at-Arms, stopped the gunman on Parliament Hill, and turned around and hailed the work of his security team and the Speaker of the House. The many first responders continued to do their job while the uncertainty and danger was still present. They all modestly said they were focussed on Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, and nothing else.

The one story that stood out for us was the final act of heroism by Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent. He was an organ donor and when he died, he gave more than 8 people a chance to live. A hero. An incredible act.

Heroism is something we can all consider. Be an organ donor.

Our thoughts are with the families of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent.

Over 60% of those who have received a heart transplant required this because of a bacterial or viral disease in their heart. It’s not something anyone can predict or plan for – or indeed something that can be prevented. This is what happened to Jim: he had pneumonia and the infection crossed the very fine barrier between heart and lungs, devastating his heart.

How could he know that this was his future? How could you know? The fact is: you don’t.

But here’s the worst part: Jim feels very badly about how much he has frightened Marah and the children. He feels guilty that he cannot do what he feels a father should do for his family. He’s thinking that there are people out there who think he should have planned better to care for his family and for himself.

But Jim is not responsible for what happened to him. It could happen to anyone.

Please sign up to be an organ donor. No one plans for a future on the wait-list – but if this is one day your reality, wouldn’t you want others to sign up?

Be a donor. Be inspired by Jim’s story. #jimshearts

While we gather with our own families and friends this Thanksgiving to pause to give thanks, we wonder if you’d consider sharing that special feeling by helping out a neighbour?

Jim Maveety has been waiting for a heart transplant for almost 2 years. The wait is unimaginably hard, and the practical problems this introduces are great. The financial hardship that this has created for his family has hit a point where we realize that we need to step in and step up to help. We know that Jim and Marah (his beautiful wife) hoped never to get to this point — but this is exactly what friends are for. Many of you have asked what else you can do to help (besides signing up to be an organ donor). Well, this is it.

This is a neighbour, a family in need. Truly? This could happen to any family faced with catastrophic illness. Feel free to share this message on Facebook, Twitter, etc. #jimshearts

We all have things to be thankful for, and Jim and Marah Maveety are no exception. They are thankful for friends, neighbours, family and hope.

We’ve set up a donation page for Jim and his family if you’d like to help: https://www.youcaring.com/jimshearts.

Please sign up to be a donor — Happy Thanksgiving!

As Canadians, we spend a lot of mental effort on some important and some not so important things. This morning, on our way to work, we heard some discussion about blue bins, black bins, green bins and garbage pick up. The issue has been taken up as a key campaign issue for some local politicians. Local news is calling it “trash politics”.

Granted, we may be a bit preoccupied with life-threatening issues, but doesn’t this seem like messed up priorities? There are thousands of Canadians waiting for a life-saving organ transplant right now. Jim has been waiting for a new heart since January 2013! We need to bring this travesty to everyone’s attention.

If we must, we’ll jump on this media bandwagon:  register to be an organ donor and recycle yourself. It’s not trash politics, but it could give up to 8 people a second chance at life. Which means more to you?

Be a donor. Be inspired by Jim’s story.

There’s been a lot of talk (again) about “presumed consent” (also known as opting out – where everyone is presumed to be an organ donor, until they say no), with famous composer David Foster becoming a public advocate. We are still weighing our thoughts in this area, and promise to come to a public conclusion – but for now….we are impatient. We just want people to sign up to be a donor right now. Change like this (presumed consent) will take time. Time we don’t have and aren’t willing to wait for.

Jim is waiting for a new heart — and has been for a very long time now. Thousands more are waiting for an organ donation. Right now. Today.

Yes, we need to have a discussion about presumed consent. Yes, we will weigh in. But no way does this change what everyone needs to do. Please – register to be an organ donor if you haven’t already. Talk to your family about it, and encourage others to follow your lead.

Be inspired by Jim’s story.

Ellis, Jim and Marah’s beautiful daughter, posted a simple message to the Jim’s Hearts Facebook page a few days ago. It said “532 Days on the waiting list”, together with a cheerful picture of red hearts. Not really a simple message at all. In her very few words she managed to convey hope, despair and urgency.

535 days – because a few days have passed since Ellis’s post. Can you imagine waiting that long for a life-saving event? The fact is, Jim’s not alone in this wait. He’s waiting with Ellis, Brett and Marah, his family and friends, and every day is filled with hope, despair and urgency.

What about the other 4500 people waiting? Some of their days on the waiting list are shorter, but some (unbelievably) are longer.

We can all do something about this wait. We can sign up to be a donor today – and once this message gets through, we will no longer be counting the days for anyone.

Be inspired by Jim’s story. Be a donor.

Pride is a wonderful thing. It can be a source of strength and it can give you energy. It’s also something that is very hard to put aside. Jim and Marah know this too well.

The reality is that Jim has been unable to work since April 2013. He is desperately ill and awaits the miracle of a heart transplant. The financial hardship that this has created for his family has hit a point where we realize that we need to step in and step up to help. We know that Jim and Marah hoped never to get to this point — but this is exactly what friends are for.

We are not replacing our push toward organ donation awareness and registration with fundraising – far from it! But today, we are stepping up to say that we want to help this family in a very practical, very immediate way. It is just wrong on so many levels to be worried about the electricity bill, while you agonize over the wait for a new heart.

We know that a new heart is coming, and we know that Jim will be well again. Until he is, we will help. Join us in supporting Jim and his family at: www.youcaring.com/jimshearts.

Sign up to be a donor today.