1. No Announcements

2. No 50/50 winners of the $280.00 prize.

3. Speakers today:

• Louise and Graham outlined their story to a full room riveted on their every word. The notes we took are too many for this report, but we will attempt to bring you the highlights without short changing the impact of their story.

• We all followed their journey from afar (Toronto) with Louise’s regular updates when they were in the middle of their journey. Today, we heard the story, in (as much as 30 minutes would allow) detail and with pictures, of the highs and lows, the stress, anxiety, various crises, friendships built, faith reinforced and of course, in spite of its warts, the beauty of tremendous health care and a facility like TGH right in our back yard.

• His initial diagnosis 15 years ago was Scleroderma, an auto-immune disease which causes hardening of the soft tissue in the body; which eventually spread to his lungs; eventually requiring the only treatment possible, lung transplant.
• Graham was on oxygen for months until the inevitable day arrived where it became urgent for his transplant.
• To receive such a procedure, he had to be otherwise “healthy” both physically and mentally and after extensive testing for both, he was a go just before Christmas.
• He always had to have a 2^nd set of ears with all consultations with doctors, because information was simply too much to absorb (for a patient) so Louise and sometimes with their daughter, became the ears along with the supporters.
• It was extremely difficult for them especially when hospital staff were pointing out small positive changes and victories which they couldn’t see.
• During this time, Louise ceded legal control of final decisions about Graham’s care to their daughter.
• After nearly a month in ICU after surgery, unconscious, delirious, unable to speak, losing the ends of 2 fingers, just to name a few things, Graham finally turned the corner. By late January following release from ICU, he began the arduous tasks of learning how to eat and walk, having lost most of the muscle mass in his body. By early March, he could become a day patient from the Toronto condo and begin going home to Kitchener on weekends.

4. How did he (they) do it?

• They accepted what he had, remained positive and relied not only on the medical team, but also on their belief in a greater powerful being with prayer.
• They (especially Graham) were convinced he would survive (as was the medical team).
• All the while he was in a coma, he dreamed wildly and was able to recount those dreams when he woke.
• Through the darkest time, Graham was aware (through Louise) of all the support from family, friends, Rotarians and hospital staff.

5. Final message

• Graham was saved because he believes he has a duty to deliver a message about transplants.
• He has been blessed by the experience.
• If there were no organ donations, thousands of lives would be lost and he would not have been here to tell his story.