The journal of Stacey Li Collver, a double lung transplant recipient
by Denise Wirth, Stacey’s sister
Dear Friends,
Stacey left us this morning. She died just after 9 a.m., after a wonderful, joyful day and evening.
It is hard to describe how much this last week has meant to her, and how she has treasured and valued the chance to connect with you all. Stacey loved you. Her heart was so good and so big, and she loved you. We are crying rivers and we are glad that she is not suffering.
Here’s a video of Stacey playing badminton. Even many years after her lung transplant, she could still beat me!
I would like to share my own experience of being involved in this year’s climbathon in December 2007. It was really nice to see how people in the community come’s together by word of mouth, through friend of a friend. It’s amazing how?numbers can double. The positive energy resonate in the rock climbing community.’It was great that we all accomplished the objective of climbing the height of Mt. Everest. All parties were children, and adults. You are never too old to climb, and never too young, as long as we were able to have fun, enjoy supporting each other, and being safe about this sport.’?It was great to see people come together, climb, meet old and new friends all for a good cause. I have a couple of photos to share in Stacey’s Journal of those physcally came to the facility at Planet Granite in Sunnyvale. There were just as many who have donated to the National Organ Transplant Organization. This was a very energized climb. Being fairly new to the rock climbing I found rock climbing to be very enjoyable. -AP
Hey Mary,
Thanks for your note and coming to the Winter sheclimbs video potluck on Friday!
Ten sheclimbers gathered at Martha’s apartment and we had a great time watching Lisa Rands, one of the world’s top boulderers, in her video, “Hit List.” Then we dove into the home-cooked food: two chicken pastas, salad, spicy chicken wings, chinese food, blondies, stuffed mushrooms, green beans, chocolate chip cookies…While we munched out, we also saw the Lynn Hill’s video, “Freeing the Nose in a Day,” about her historic ascent of the Nose Route in 1994.
Those are great photos! Happy winter solstice!
Thanks for the message, Mom! It was such a nice visit last month.
Today I am running around in a Spiderwoman suit teaching soccer. I am getting some amused looks as I walk around town.
What costumes are the kids in the family wearing? E-mail me at [email protected]!
More later…back to work! Stacey
Hi everyone!
I had a wonderful time at the birthday Mountain of Youth party. Thanks to all who came, and a special thanks to Rene, whose idea it was to have a party!
I have posted the trip report by Felix here:
“Congratulations on making it to your 39th birthday!” read a postcard addressed to Stacey Li Collver. “That’s a good way to look at it,” remarked Stacey with a laugh.
Not taking another birthday for granted is especially relevant in Stacey’s case. A few years ago, she was diagnosed with an extremely rare, dangerous lung disease called lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). The condition is quickly fatal with the only known “cure” being a new pair of lungs. Thankfully, Stacey was able to get a lung transplant in 2004. A couple of years later, she is doing well enough to be able to work, rock climb, and do most of the things she loved to do before LAM aside from, say, biking 100 kilometers on a 35-lb mountain bike replete with U-lock and a gallon of water (something she did in 1999!) Continue reading “Felix’s trip report”
Denise, thank for your birthday greetings and phone call this morning! It is amazing that little Mia can say “Happy Birthday” now!
Aunt Marion, great to hear from you. Yes, I have many fun memories of the Transplant Games, and the family gathering.
My new e-mail is [email protected], if anyone needs to contact me through e-mail. I am not using the climbyourdreams account anymore.
Today is the start of a new year for me; I am now officially 39. What a strange?feeling. It is hard to believe I have been on earth for that long, and at the same time survived almost two years past the transplant, rebuilding my life with new lungs and a new start. In some ways, I have held on to my old identity, almost back to my normal life…but coaching soccer instead of rock-climbing. But I live with more of sense of urgency, more searching for meaning than before, wanting to keep what I have learned throughout the transplant experience while adjusting to normal life again.
It is a busy day, I have four soccer classes to teach, a dinner with the Levin family, and a rock-climbing party to plan for in Berkeley tomorrow. I’ll write more later and tell everyone about a wonderful birthday visit from my mother last week.
Greetings, blog readers! I apologize for the lack of posts lately; a lot has been going on in my life these past few weeks.
Tori, thank you so much for setting up this new blog! I really appreciate the time you spend on the website.I hope to be in touch with you soon.
After coming home from the Transplant Games, I had to sleep a lot to recover from all the excitement and activity. But on the 4th of July weekend, I headed to Mammoth Lakes, which is on the other side of Yosemite.Howard, Eva and I rode together for the six-hour drive, and met Dave and Mark at the condo.
On the first night in town, we ran into Hannah and Lucas, from our home gym in Belmont! We all headed out to climb at a spot called Al’s Garage the next day. It was extremely hot, and the approach was a short but very steep hike, walking up dirt piles and scrambling up rocks, sometimes climbing at a 45 degree angle.
When I arrived, Lucas had already set up a 5.11a, and I jumped at the chance to do a challenging climb on top-rope. Next to me, Dave was lead-climbing a 5.10b, and had come to a crux…looking around for a handhold, and then all of a sudden–a BIG fall! He swung out from the rock in an arc, and slammed into the wall–his leg stuck straight out–shattering his ankle! We called Search and Rescue, and when they arrived with a stretcher about two hours later, 20 people helped carry him out. SAR took him to the local hospital. We all packed up and headed to the hospital, too.
He had emergency surgery that night. Things seemed to be going okay, although Dave was in pain. While I was in the hospital, I checked my oxygen saturation level. It was 90%, precariously low. I decided to wait to see what happened. At 90%, most doctors prescribe supplemental oxygen.
The next day I spent with Dave in the hospital, keeping him company. He was tired from surgery, but recovering okay. Then I checked my saturation level; it was 85%! I had a choice of checking myself into the hospital as a patient and arranging for supplemental oxygen, or leaving the area (an elevation of 8000′) as soon as possible.
That night, I left with Hannah and Lucas, and we enjoyed a long, but relaxing ride through Yosemite National Park. We stopped at Olmsted Point and took pictures of the sunset and Yosemite Valley in the background. We arrived back at home at 1 a.m.
Meanwhile, Dave was having further troubles after the surgery, and was airlifted to Kaiser hospital in Redwood City, near his home. It turned out that he was having acute kidney failure! Now the broken ankle was the least of his problems.
After two weeks in the hospital and some dialysis treatments, Dave made it through. He is now recovering at his home in Redwood City, and learning to walk on crutches.
If anyone would like to send a card, please let me know.
Join us for the 3rd Annual Mt. Everest Challenge!
We are looking for a team of 29 climbers to climb over 1001 feet each to reach a team goal of 29,035 feet. It is a fun event to help Stacey raise funds, celebrate her first year of living after the critical double-lung transplant, and raise awareness about organ donation and the rare lung disease she had before the transplant (LAM.)
What: A climb-a-thon, silent auction, and movie featuring Hans Florine and Scott Cory
Date: Sunday, Dec. 4th, 2005. Climbing will be from 2-5 p.m. Dinner and movie to follow.
Where: Planet Granite Belmont Gym, 100 El Camino Real (www.planetgranite.com)
Cost: Registration is free for PG members. Day pass required for non-members. Adults, $17. Students, $9.
How to do it:
1)Contact Stacey at [email protected] to get registration materials
2) Gather a minimum of $100 in sponsors and collect pledges
3) Bring money to get great deals on cool gear and clothing at the auction.
4) Climb on Dec. 4th!
Proceeds will benefit a special fund for Stacey\’s medical bills at the National Transplant Assistance Fund. All donations are tax-deductible.
For more information, please contact Stacey at [email protected], or 650-776-8629.