Christina reflects on overcoming the hardships of living with a terminal disease, emphasizes the significance of lifelong learning, self-acceptance, and embracing her identity, including being gay. She chooses to cherish the gift of life and encourages readers to seek growth, express gratitude, and live authentically, making the most of every moment.
For most of my life, I struggled to breathe, heavily reliant on treatments and oxygen. After a lung transplant from a donor, I can now breathe freely and live an active life. However, I’m deeply aware and appreciative of my donor’s sacrifice and often reflect on their lost life and grieving family.
Christina reflects on ten aspects they would change if they could redo their life, including prioritizing mental healthcare, balancing trust among people, managing how they shared fears before a transplant, and maintaining friendships. Emphasis is placed on learning from mistakes, trusting the process, staying physically active, reducing fear, being more involved post-transplant, and expressing emotions more openly. They highlight the importance of making the most of today.