My Hero. Joaquin Ayala III.

On June 13th I will mark my two year transplant anniversary and to say I have some feelings surrounding the day would be a hell of an understatement. It helps tremendously that Joaquin's mother Melissa has allowed me to be a part of the families grieving process as they remember the loss of their dear Joaquin. My donor hero.

These are the words of Joaquin's mother. He was my donor angel just a few days later on June 13, 2020. 

"On this date (June 7, 2022), in 2020, I received the call that every parent dreads...the call that changed our lives forever. Noah, I am so thankful that you were there with him and you were the one I received the call from. There are so many that die alone and are found cold and blue with no life left. You being there enabled me to have time with my son that many aren't fortunate enough to have. Of course we didn't know it at the time but you being there enabled Joaquin to be a hero to others by donating his organs several days later. 
Unfortunately due to COVID, I didn't get to see my son on this date. I was, however, able to FaceTime with him through the support of a social worker in the emergency room. He was non-responsive and intubated. I cried, told him that I loved him and took the long ride home that night with hope that Joaquin would recover." 

My hope with this blog is to unpack the raw emotions I have yet to experience and share with whoever would like to follow along my journey from my initial trip to the ER through the rollercoaster of emotions as I learned about the different hypothesis of why I was suddenly in complete organ failure. To the prospect of transplant as an option through to my eventual release from the hospital to recover. Stay tuned for more as I think I am ready to share my story.