Note from Stacey

Mom, thank you for adopting me 36 years ago! I am so grateful to you and my late father, Glenn Collver, for giving me a loving family, a happy childhood and the opportunities for a better life in the U.S. (I am sure I would not have survived LAM in Taiwan, among other things.) Today also marked the fifth anniversary of my friend Ana Stenzel’s transplant. We celebrated with a lunch of homemade sushi at the Rainbow Garden at the hospital during her lunch hour. Ana is one of the most inspirational people I know. Before the transplant, I heard she had hiked Half Dome, and that really gave me hope. Last year, she and Isa trained at the stadium for the Transplant Games (and we all still climb the bleachers there for exercise.) When I had my transplant, Ana came to visit during the hardest time and held my hand and I was so grateful for her understanding. Stacey, from Belmont