DATE DIAGNOSED: June 2004
TYPE OF AMYLOIDOSIS: Familiar
Amyloidosis
WHERE TREATED: Mayo Clinic Rochester Minn. Triple
transplant heart liver and kidney
My name is Ellen Cameron. On December 15, 2005, I
received a heart, liver and kidney transplant at Mayo Clinic
in Rochester Minn.
I consider this operation and the events, which occurred
around it, a miracle. These events which happened while I
was waiting for the operation, during the operation, and
after the operation were the complete action of God and
God’s timing.
This is a story that I need to tell the world. God works
in mysterious ways to achieve his desires and uses people to
accomplish his work when they least expect it and for
reasons that they do not know.
I was diagnosed with amyloidosis in June of 2004. It was
explained to me that I needed to have a liver transplant in
order to live more than two years. Without this transplant,
I would not be able to survive the effects the amyloid has
on my organs. The amyloid causes my liver to produce a
protein that destroys the organs, by making the organs
become a cement type of structure. The organs can no longer
function. In my case my heart became so hard that at the
time of my operation it was functioning at only 2%. I was
barely breathing, walking, or doing anything outside of just
existing. .
My faith gave me the strength that I needed to endure the
waiting for my triple transplant. I was going to mass daily
on my scooter. I could not walk to church, which was across
the street from my residence, because my body could not
endure it.
I went to mass on a day early in December. The bishop of
the diocese had come to say mass at Saint John’s for the
deceased members of the clergy. I felt that I had everyone
praying for me from all over the world and I would ask
Bishop Harrington to pray for me. I took my scooter to the
back of the church and asked the bishop to pray for my organ
transplant. He put his hand on my head and said "My dear
child, you will have the most glorious Christmas that a
person can be given by Christ. You will have your transplant
and you will recover very well." No doctor or any other man
would make this prediction. No one knew when a donor would
become available, but Bishop Harrington. He knew it because
of his connection to Christ.
The next weekend my daughter came to visit me and told me
that she was going to make me a Grandmother in August. This
is our first grandchild. This was the beginning of my
beautiful Christmas.
She returned home the following Tuesday. The following
Thursday, December 15, 2005, I received the call that I had
been waiting for, seven months after reporting to Mayo. The
call was to report to St. Mary’s Hospital for my transplant.
A year and a half after my diagnosis, a year of being on the
transplant list and 7 months after being told I was first on
the list I received my three organs fulfilling the promise
the bishop gave me earlier in the month. There were very few
complications from the surgery. I was walking by Christmas
and out of the hospital before the New Year. I am home now
and recovering very well. It is three months after my
operation, and I have returned to a fuller life than I had
before.
The first time I was allowed to return to mass after the
surgery, I was surprised to see my bishop there. He walked
down the aisle and pointed his staff at me as if to
acknowledge that he knew what had happened. When I went to
the back of the church, he asked me how my organs were. He
knew, without anyone telling him, that the operation was
successful and I was doing well.
To receive three organs successfully as a transplant from
one person is a miracle. To have the bishop know that this
would happen, before it happened is also a miracle.
While waiting at the hotel, I witnessed many things that
showed me that God was using me to do his work in Rochester.
There was always someone to console, who was dealing with
life and death situations. Mayo Clinic works many miracles
with God using the skill of the doctors behind Him.
I told many people that God answers prayers in three
ways: by saying yes, this is good and will happen now; by
saying later, it is not time yet; or by saying, I have a
better idea. In many cases, the better idea may not be what
we wanted but what we need. We may not receive the health
healing that we ask for, but we may receive a spiritual
healing instead. The spiritual healing is more important in
the scheme of things. It is God’s way of answering our
prayers and helping us with the growth that we need to reach
his kingdom.
Every day I would go to the clinic, and I would always
see someone in worse shape than I was. I would see these
mangled children born with birth defects, and think, " Thank
you, God, that I do not have this to bear." Often, I would
see someone who was sicker than I was at the moment. There
would be children that had so much pain that you knew how
hard it was for them. I was thankful that I did not have to
watch my child in that pain. You would see young people
dealing with cancer and wonder how they were getting along.
At least, I did not have that to deal with. People would ask
,"Why me?" And I would ask, " Why not me?"
As you deal with these diseases and issues, priorities
begin to change. The broken down car is no longer important.
The unpaid bill will wait. The small things that plagued our
lives are that just small stuff and unimportant compared to
the big picture. You begin to realize that there are more
important things out in the world - like helping other
people. You realize how going to mass and receiving our Lord
in the Eucharist is so precious. I used to say I would do
these things later, but now realize that later is now. There
may not be a later. I, fortunately, have learned this
lesson. I hope I can help others begin to realize it too.
My purpose is to share my faith and help others see what
is truly important. I really do not know how to do this, but
was hoping that you could help me with writing or telling my
story. It is a beautiful story. As I tell people about it,
they say I should tell you and see if you would be
interested in focusing on the faith that I have, and showing
others what a wonderful God we have. I am most willing to do
whatever is necessary for this to happen. I know that God
has me writing this letter to you because he wants it to
happen. So, therefore, I put this in your hands to contact
me if it is to go anywhere. God is in control and he will
guide us the way he wants things to happen. I know we must
do the steps, but he is ultimately in control and handling
his children.
Ellen Cameron
347-3006 (home phone)
6814 Grays Mill Rd
Warrenton, Va. 20187