Mardi Gras is a time to celebrate life. It's especially special to me because it is the day that I was given a second chance at life: it's the day I received a bilateral lung transplant. This year, I'm hoping this Mardi Gras brings another chance at life: a match for a kidney.
Mardi Gras always struck me as the perfect holiday season -- in the doldrums of winter, it is a festive and freeing time to celebrate life without abandon with the people you love and new found friends you meet along the way. It's a time of hope of what's to come. And my life, with all its second chances, is truly an embodiment of that hopeful and resilient spirit that defines Mardi Gras and that Camus described so well:
In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there's something stronger – something better, pushing right back
Signing up to be a kidney donor is a big decision. But, it can make a big difference in the life of someone. It means more celebrations WITH the person to whom you donated. It means more fun times and second chances. It means celebrating your life while you give the gift of life.
So, thank you to all who have signed up and to all who are considering it. Thank you all who continue to reach out to your networks and spread the word about giving a second chance to someone. I celebrate you all this Mardi Gras season. Because without you spreading the word about Celebrating Life and Giving Life, I wouldn't be here to celebrate with you today.
In the spirit of Mardi Gras, I hope you're the one that finds the baby in your King Cake, and I hope you find that within your invincible summer this winter that you are inspired to sign up to donate a kidney to me.
Cheers and love, Carolyn
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