Hello Beautiful People,

Thank you for checking in! I’m sorry if I’ve been slow to respond to texts or emails. To be honest, I’m feeling both excited and anxious about the surgery. While I’m told these surgeries often go well, there’s usually some hiccup—whether it’s medication management, infection, or illness in the first year. And while I may not have explicitly shared this before, I’m very pain-averse and do everything I can to avoid it—so naturally, I’m nervous.

I’m also trying to get my affairs in order before going in, like taxes and business matters.

As for updates, the biggest one is that I got to meet my donor last week! He initially wanted to remain anonymous, but later changed his mind. He’s in his mid-40s, has a wife and two teenage children (who I also got to meet), and is just an incredible person. Our meeting was short, but we talked about what happened to me and why he decided to donate. Essentially, he saw an article in my parents’ synagogue bulletin, then noticed a friend commenting on my LinkedIn post asking for a donor, and decided to get tested. I believe that his wife’s uncle had a heart transplant, which inspired him to help save my life.

When I met him and his family, the words that came to mind were salt of the earth—they were truly lovely, and I felt so blessed to be in their presence.

Another big update is that I had my pre-op appointment yesterday. There was a lot of stress getting there because of the snowstorm, but my mom and I made it out. My donor made it to his appointment as well. Overall, our questions were answered, the testing went well, and as long as neither of us gets sick or faces unexpected obstacles, surgery is set for February 18th.

Moving forward, we’ll likely start a text or email chain to share updates about my recovery. If I’m slow to respond or don’t respond at all, please don’t take it personally, and please don’t let it deter you from sending more emails or texts to check in.

Sending big hugs to you all.

Love,
Danielle