After years of needing a pair of new lungs because of CF and all its related ailments, Ryan finally received them on Tuesday, April 20, 2010. The feeling we all had was joyous and surreal. Everyone was so ecstatic, whether they were close friends or passersby. My phone did not stop all day, nor did my Facebook. I'm pretty sure we put a dent in their server capacity that day. ;)
Sadly, after nearly two and a half months of recovery, he didn't survive the process. It looked ever-promising at the start. He was exceeding everyone's expectations, and was literally walking farther each day than we were! There were talks about what rehab would be like for him; how he'd be put into an accelerated program because he was doing so well. But in the end... it was his time. God answered our prayers, but His answer wasn't one we wanted or expected. However, He was/is right. We may not know why yet, but we need to trust Him. He's never let me down before; in fact, my life is better than I had ever thought possible, as difficult and confusing as it is at times, because of what He's done. Why should this time be any different? If you want to read more of my thoughts on this, click here.
Going back to when Ryan was walking further than we were, despite being in ICU after a double lung transplant. I felt terrible about myself! Here's a guy who had been on oxygen tanks for almost as long as he'd been on the waiting list. He could barely move around his own house, let alone sit still for long periods of time without feeling ill or being in pain. (Can you imagine how bad that must've been for him? Couldn't do anything to escape suffering!) Then, he gets new lungs and he's up and walking hundreds of feet at a time shortly thereafter?! And here I was, mowing the lawn on a riding mower; there's nothing wrong with me, yet I wouldn't even push a lawn mower. Why would I want to do that when I could just sit down for an hour and be done with it? Geez... So, I decided to immediately go to Rocky Point after and jog a great portion of it! There was no way I'd let a guy in ICU, with his lifetime of struggles, outdo someone like me, who's perfectly fine, on any given day! Haha.
Our motto amongst friends every time we didn't want to do something became, "What would Ryan do? (WWRD)" Although we were simply joking around about it... That's kind of true, yeah? There's no telling what he'd do. If he could do that right after such suffering and a surgery of that magnitude...
It's no doubt that we find Ryan an inspiration. Beyond that, even. So, the ending wasn't what any of us had envisioned. That doesn't change the fact that he was the biggest fighter I knew, and probably ever will.
In honor of Ryan, I've decided that every Tuesday (for he received the transplant on a Tuesday), I will post something I find inspirational. That doesn't mean I'll be a cynical person every other day of the week. =P What it does mean is that there will always be something of inspiration posted on the third day of the week. ;) So, look for such an entry (or I guess another entry on the subject) later today!
WWRD
P.S. We love you, Ryan! =)
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