Jim's Hearts

Last week we posted a message from Marah, Jim’s amazing wife. It was about the Flipside of Hope.  Marah and Jim decided that the time was right to give people a glimpse of how incredibly difficult things are for Jim – and their honesty about giving in to despair sometimes was profound.

We received a curious response to her heart-felt message.

Though the post was shared far and wide (thank you), the almost universal reply was to deny the potential for despair. We received lots of “don’t give up!” and “you have to believe” and in some messages, subtle hints that others are counting on Jim to only be positive. [We do understand that the messages were heart-felt and encouraging, and meant to give Jim a boost.]

Jim and Marah, together with their family, have absolutely not given up. They remain the most hopeful and positive people we know. Their strength is incredible — but guess what? They have their limits too. The truth is, despair will creep in, and we as their supporters need to allow them to be honest. As a face of the organ donation wait list, Jim is allowing others to see what it is really like. Maybe that makes you uncomfortable, but maybe…..just maybe, it will make you pause for that 2 minutes that we need and get you to sign up to be an organ donor.

Thank you Jim and Marah. For your strength and your honesty to tell it like it is.

Be a donor. Share this message.

Jim and Marah are among the most hopeful and positive people you’ll ever meet. Faced with Jim’s devastating illness and the endless wait for a new heart, they’ve been amazingly stoic and optimistic. Jim’s doctors can’t understand how he is able to function as he has been these past months. According to his “numbers” he shouldn’t be mobile at all. Family and friends consider Jim to be a Superman. But even Superman has his limits.

This is a message from Marah about their reality today:

Jimmy’s mask of hope and smiles has slipped a bit. It’s just too hard to keep up the pretense that he’s just fine, isn’t hurting, and isn’t scared. I think this is most devastating of all for him – that he can’t hide this reality from his kids. It’s just too much.

A few days ago he mentioned that we should have a family picture soon. Words that seem so harmless have taken on a new meaning. Jimmy is just so ill; we don’t know what tomorrow will bring.

The reality is that Jim’s meds aren’t working the same way they once were. Now adjusted daily, they used to work for months on end. He’s been admitted to hospital again because his heart is unable to clear the fluids in his body – affecting his other organs. Is an artificial heart imminent? We don’t know. You can see how hope turns to despair.

We are waiting for the miracle of a heart transplant – and have been for almost 2 years. The waiting has become agonizing. Please, please, please – for Jimmy, for our children, and the thousands of others waiting – sign up to be an organ donor. Without DONORS there are no possibilities.

Can you feel the urgency? Please – share this message. Sign up to be a donor right now.
Jim, Marah, Ellis and Brett – our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Jim is presently in the best of hands at the Ottawa Heart Institute. They are continuing to perform tests to make sure he is responding to treatment, but also to be ready for the next steps which could include an artificial heart. Though Jim is getting the best treatment possible, it’s still very difficult to be in hospital and even more so when you don’t know when you will be allowed to go home.

Jim, like 74 others in Ontario alone, needs a new heart. We know it’s coming soon, but the decision to give the gift of life is in your hands now. The hope and faith that Jim, Marah and family have in you is incredible – and inspiring.

Sign up to be a donor today. Talk to your friends and family about it. Make your decision known. It’s in your hands.

Jim and his amazing family agreed to be the subject of this blog because of their committment to spreading the word about organ donation. We’ve taken a lot of care over the past few months to make our message of hope be about everyone who is on the waiting list for an organ donation, and anyone who may be on it in the future.

But today is about Jim. Jim has been admitted to hospital by his heart surgeon. In order to prevent damage to his other organs, particularly his kidneys, he will be given medication to reduce some of the fluid surrounding his organs. He will be prepared to quite possibly be given an artificial heart. Jim sees this as a positive, and so we ask that you do too!

Today is about Jim. Send your prayers, your good vibes, your best wishes – and the hope for a new heart. Spread the word. Be a donor.

#jimshearts

A friend posted a cute message to the Jim’s Hearts Facebook page about how the best things in life are free. It’s true you know. A smile, a hug, a shared joke, love, laughter, friends, family — all free. Some of the most critical pieces of your life are absolutely free.

It makes sense then to realize that signing up and being an organ donor are also free. Finding a donor heart couldn’t be more critical for Jim. Thankfully, he has all the other free stuff well in hand.

Will you be inspired to become a registered organ donor today? In Ontario and across Canada — it’s free and like love, life-critical.

Please share the #jimshearts story.

We talk a lot about how easy it is to sign up to be an organ donor. Of course it is. It takes two minutes and you’re all set. We think it is everyone’s responsibility to do this and will continue to encourage you to do so.

We never forget though that organ donation is perhaps the biggest, most amazing and important gift someone can give. You are literally giving life. Saving a life. A life like Jim’s. Lives like the thousands on the waiting list for an organ donation. We never forget how awesome the gift really is.

When you sign up to be a donor – you are letting your friends and family know that you are prepared to give that awesome gift. So that someone else can live.

Sign up to be an organ donor today in Ontario and across Canada — and be proud of yourself. It is the ultimate gift you can give.