An Olympic Liver

A few years ago, Aviva tried to teach me to ski in New Jersey. I know this sounds oxymoronic as Jersey is not known for its snow-top mountains. Mountain Creek is as flat as a runway with mountains more fit for sledding than skiing. And yet, this didn’t really help me avoid falling flat on my face dozens of times. Aviva blames my legs, which are bow-legged and not properly designed for the pizza wheel stop. Whatever my handicap may have been, it ultimately led to a concussion. After defeating the bunny slope and finally coming down the green diamond after many falls and crashes, we decided to have lunch and relax. I subsequently threw up, got a horrible headache, and then passed out on the bench. Needless to say, we don’t go skiing anymore.

This ill-fated attempt at a winter sport only magnified my respect for the Olympic athletes. Their grace, strength, and patriotism is rarely matched in sports. Perhaps the most impressive of these athletes is Chris Klug, who in 2002 became the first transplant patient to win an Olympic Medal. Klug captured a bronze medal in the snowboarding event, the parallel giant slalom. His victory was a great PR opportunity for transplant awareness and Chris continues to speak about his experiences through his foundation, The Chris Klug Foundation.

Chris Klug makes us all look lazy. In 2000 he had his transplant after suffering for PSC for nine years. Four days later he was out of the hospital and within a week he was back riding on a stationary bike. Five months post-transplant and I still get tired walking up the three flights of stairs to my apartment. To avoid the risk of abdominal hernia, Chris avoided abdominal exercise for a whole month. Yesterday, I tried to do a sit-up, got tired, and ate a candy bar instead. Two months post-upgrade, Chris was back on the mountain, skiing and snowboarding. A mere four months after surgery, Chris was back on the snowboarding circuit, competing regularly. And the rest, as they say, is all history.

Mazal Tov

This has been the hardest post I’ve ever had to write. I’ve written and rewritten this paragraph over and over and yet it still does not feel right. The problem is there are no words to accurately describe how I feel. The last few weeks have been amazing, life-altering, a blur. In this case, words can do no justice for what I’m feeling.

On January 19^th, Aviva and I gave birth to two beautiful babies, a boy and a girl. Thankfully, both Oscar and Hindy are healthy, beautiful babies. Oscar was born first, weighing 6 pounds and 8 ounces. He looks like his father, a thin face, bright eyes, a nice Jewish nose. Two minutes later, his adorable sister was born, an exact image of her mother. Hindy was 6 pounds 1 ounce, a healthy round face with a full head of hair.

Aviva quickly added motherhood to the many talents and jobs she does amazingly. I’m blown away by the knowledge and ease she has in taking care of her two babies. Me, I’m still learning on the job but loving every minute of it. Nine months ago we weren’t even sure where I would be by the time the babies were born. We joked that we would each be wheeled out of the hospital carrying a baby. Instead, we were blessed to have Hindy and Oscar come four months after my transplant, just when I am starting to feel like my old self. Their birth culminates the most amazing year of my life with another life-altering experience that will hopefully usher in a life of health and happiness for all of us.