Cards for Sami
Meet gorgeous Sami...
Sami, age 18, was diagnosed at 2 months old with cystic fibrosis. Her parents immediately learned how to care for her at home with daily medicines and physical therapy. Throughout her young life, she required frequent hospitalizations, but was able to attend school and activities. However, as Sami got older, she had more frequent lung infections, causing permanent damage. She soon developed diabetes and life-threatening allergies to some of the antibiotic therapies, causing her a need to be home schooled for high school.
The last course treatment for cystic fibrosis is a double lung transplant, which she was recommended for in January 2009. In September - with a lung capacity of only 17% - she received her new lungs and spent 4 weeks in the ICU. She lost her ability to swallow, but not to smile. Sami's recovery was slowed because she was so ill.
In November of 2009, Sami was released from the hospital to the Ronald McDonald house to continue therapy and rehabilitation. With God's will and Sami's determination, she hopes to have a normal life.
Sami's zest for life is obvious to all who met her. She loves animals - mostly cats - and loves arts/crafts, Hello Kitty and Nascar.
For information on sending cards to Sami and her family, click HERE.
UPDATE: Sam did receive the last batch of cards and they were wonderful. Thank you all so much for the love and support she gets from those. As far as an update that would be great. Sam had her "1" year birthday with the new lungs and she is great. She has had a few setbacks such as contracting two virus' that resulted in two hospital stays with her having to be in a tent every 4 hours for 4 hours at a time breathing in meds. I wasn't allowed to stay in the room during the administering of the meds because they were so toxic but she came through it like the trooper she has always been. She is walking for exercise and going farther than she's went in four years. We are so excited to see the improvements she continues to make. We go to Columbus this Monday and Tuesday for her yearly tests and are hoping everything is great. She even went on her first vacation without Dad or me for the first time in her 19 years, yea for her, boo hoo for us, lol. She had a wonderful time in Disney and Dad and I survived, lol. She is still taking a lot, a lot of meds but the changes in her life are well worth it. She hopes to get her licenses soon and would love to try and get a part time job when the doctors feel it would be okay.
