A Letter to the Donor

To the Person Who Gave My Husband a Second Chance,

I don't think you understand what you have done for Jake and my family. I have no idea how rough the medications have been on you or anything you've been through to give us this precious gift, but I thank you with everything that I am. You probably know that you're saving a life, but you don't know that without your stem cells, my husband would not have much of a chance of living past a year. We would likely not see another anniversary, or celebrate another Christmas together. His baby would not have a chance to know his daddy. You have provided us with hope and that second chance that will hopefully be successful and provide us with a lifetime of opportunity.

Your selflessness is something I will never forget, nor will I ever be able to repay you for this very precious gift. I hope you know in your heart that what you did is so good and beautiful, and your generosity inspires me to want to be a better person.

I pray that you will be blessed in your life in the ways that are needed for you. I pray also that you will know how grateful we are for this part of you that you are giving to us. We are forever indebted and grateful.

God Bless,

The Newrens


To my readers:

You may not know this, but we aren't allowed any information about our donor, and aren't allowed contact for a year or more. We may send letters through the transplant/donation center, but they will ensure that no identifying information is provided. It's actually an extremely hard thing to not be able to express gratitude directly, so this will have to do.

I can't believe tomorrow is T-day. It seemed like this day would take forever, and now it's here and it's real. It still scares me, but for tonight, I'm just grateful. What an amazing gift to be able to give to someone, and an incredibly precious gift to receive. I will cherish this gift for as long as God will allow me, and look forward to spending many years with my husband.

Wish us luck!