Hay Beautiful People,
I want to begin this blog with some thoughts and a epiphany. We are all in death row; yes we are all going to die some day.
We can not control when we land and when we at times suddenly have to go but we do have some kind of control over the choices we make in between. I have been given a second chance while in death row. I was in my boxed life and my sentence was delivered. For a moment execution time kept lurking by a near corner and unexpectedly I had an appeal to regain another chance at the fabulous opportunity to be alive. Being alive is such a complex endeavor but being dead, how complicated can that be? I have been confronting my own mortality for several months now and I started to laugh. Yes for as morbid as it sounds I was laughing and that laughter resonated so hard that's when I realize; I've been playing my own life world cup and the ice breaker pass had been thrown at me to kick the ultimate goal and win seconds shy to ending the first half.
Even though I have always played hard this epiphany has made me realize so many things. There's so much I want to do, so many people I like to reach; having the opportunity to go at it for a second half I will make sure to play with much more devotion and freedom, with much love and passion. Is with this note I want to acknowledge all my friends and family, all my team mates and partners in crime for keeping the faith and cheering me for what's to come in my second go.
By next week I will officially be listed to receive a lung transplant at UCSF; I will be meeting with the medical team, transplant coordinator and the financial office to get all the paper work necessary to close the deal. Again there's yet much more work ahead. Waiting can take anything from 3 to 6 months. There's has been cases when this takes only weeks(I would love for that to be my case so keep your fingers crossed) but I need to be realistic and stay focus. My goal is to maintain, maintain, maintain my physical shape and stay mentally on line.
Soon I will be sending some e-mails to all my network as I also will began preparation for fund rising and creating an account where all donations will go for the purposes of enabling me to cope with the cost of the whole process. More details on this subject to come. In the meantime keep the love high, hold fast as we're going for a ride.
Love, Rowan
"Hasta la Victoria Siempre" Che
PS: "Hold Fast; Here We Go" Rowan playing hard in Fontainbleu-France 2002
picture by Randy Puro
5 comments:
Hey Rowan!!!
Yup -- the hard work is about to begin... And we never know which part will be hardest, waiting & wondering, the surgery, or recovery -- or all of them... But you'll survive -- so many of us do! And you seem to have an incredible drive and desire to hang around on this beautiful planet...
I hope you get everything you need to get in order completed -- I hope your wait is not very long -- I hope you get what you need when you need it...
And I hope your surgery and recovery are as remarkable as mine were -- and your life afterwards is as amazing as mine has been...
I'm eight years post transplant -- I have cystic fibrosis and received my two, beautiful lungs in April, 2000... I have a little of my story at www.ClimbingForKari.org and I blog about organ donation at www.ReviveHope.com
You take care -- reading some of your posts I can already see that you've got what it takes!
Love,
Steve
Steve Ferkau
Chicago, IL
Thanks Steve!
You are an inspiration, I read your story and I so ready to take on my new task in life as well. I will love to stay in touch and hopefully we'll do some climbing together in the future.
Peace and Love, Rowan
I hope we do climb, Rowan!!!
You've got so much to live for -- so much yet to do... I sometimes think that helps drive us to where we need to be... Never, ever forget about how many of us have been through this -- how many of us have survived! You'll be among us soon enough...
We're a ways apart to climb together -- and I kinda keep my climbing to building stairwells (although, LARGE building stairwells...) It would be awesome to climb with you sometime!!!
I had a beautiful chick who has been in various aspects of the business of saving lives like ours -- we connected through our blogs -- she came from New Jersey to Chicago to climb with me. Can you imagine how special that made me feel?!?! She wrote an incredibly beautiful posting -- I cry every time I read it -- she titled it Legacy...
I hope one day soon that you have a Kari in your life... We never, ever-ever wish for someone to die -- I would want Kari back here regardless of what that meant for me... But thousands of people die every day in this country -- we're hoping for some precious family and a painful moment, to step back and think of the Rowans in the world who need them...
You take care, man... I too hope we stay in touch... If you need anything -- any questions or whatever -- nothing is too personal or private or stupid -- this is your life we're talking about and there are people out here willing to help you understand what we might already understand...
Love,
Steve
I meant "some precious family at a painful moment"... (not and a painful moment...) And my email address is at the bottom of my ClimbingForKari website...
Love,
Steve
Rowan!!!! What's up my brotha!! Long time no hear. I had a gig for this sky diving party at the yolo county airport on Saturday night. The skydiving people made me think of you and Heather...all healthy and adventurous and full of life. So I decided to look you up and see what was going on with you. Needless to say I was not expecting this. Just know you are in my thoughts and prayers and I know you will pull through. Take care of yourself my friend.
Paul
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