Amanda's Double Organ Transplant
Donation protected
*This story was written by one of Amanda's friends, who helped set this account up for her. All proceeds go directly to Amanda Farrer*
"Sometimes in life you come across people that are so special they leave a permanent mark that stays with you wherever you go. They teach you things that are so valuable that they actually have the power to transform your way of thinking; they truly and deeply inspire you.
One of the biggest inspirations in my life is with a loud-mouthed girl I met in grade nine. I will never forget when I met her. She had attitude for days (in the best way possible). The type of person who could light up a room and ease any tense moment with a good joke and a hearty laugh. She lived fully in the moment and didn’t care what people thought about her. She had an aura of confidence that embodied her wherever she went. Growing up raised by a single mom she always personified independence and girl power. She wanted to learn everything, and vowed to one-day rule the world. Even as a teenager she was a force to be reckoned with, and one of my dearest friends. Her name is Amanda Farrer.
With the qualities I have just described you would probably think that now years later she would be a CEO or a lawyer- strolling into work in a woman’s suit, Louboutin heels and a briefcase with her name engraved gold plated on the side.
But that’s not the case. If you want to find my friend Amanda you can see her at Windsor Regional Hospital every other day on the Renal Dialysis unit undergoing grueling four hour treatments. And even if you go to see her, she won’t be able to see you. Because 8 years ago she lost her eyesight. Just another one of the battles she has lost after being diagnosed with Juvenile Type One Diabetes at age two.
The doctors caught wind of her diabetes when she was just a toddler. After many visits to the doctors with what appeared to be flu like symptoms, they finally ran blood tests and confirmed that she was in fact a Type One Diabetic.
From there everything about her life changed. In her lifetime she has had hundreds of visits to the hospital, insulin injections, finger pricks and needles upon needles. She became accustomed to doctors and the smell of hospital waiting rooms at a very young age. Over the years she struggled everyday to achieve normalcy. She simply wanted to be like everyone else.
Diabetes is an underestimated diagnosis. People just assume if you are a diabetic you can’t eat cake. But there is so much more to the disease than just that. To maintain a healthy lifestyle you have to completely adjust the way you live, and with the more severe cases, it requires constant monitoring on every decision you make. Doctors will warn you of the possible outcomes if you do not follow the strict guidelines. But as most people do- when do you ever think the horror stories will happen to you?
And this is where we find my good friend Amanda. At the young age of 32, completely blind and now having kidney failure. She is currently on a donor list for not only a kidney, but as well as a new pancreas, and even with the way technology is headed, she will most likely never be able to see again.
I am writing this to bring awareness to Amanda’s story- and to help raise money to a person who is truly deserving of simply catching a break.
When we left high school, Amanda’s ambitions never stopped. She moved to Ottawa to attend Carleton University. From there she came back to Windsor and enrolled in the Criminology department at the University of Windsor. She had big dreams of becoming a lawyer and didn’t have anything standing in her way. As she was about to finish her third year, everything came crashing down around her. It was exam time. In between cramming for tests, she began losing her eyesight. She was not able to finish her schooling that year, and she never completed her law degree. As the finals came and went, with every passing day Amanda’s eyesight worsened until she was completely blind. And when the world blackened around her- she shut out herself. For over two years she disappeared. She wouldn’t take visitors, or calls. She cut off connections with friends and family and mourned. She mourned the life she thought she would have. She mourned the simple blessings of waking up in the morning and actually seeing the time on an alarm clock. She mourned the future memories she would never actually see, only what she would imagine in her mind. She mourned the fear of not remembering faces, especially her own. In that time not only did she lose her sight, she lost the vision she had of herself. Everything about that time period was dark.
Until she woke up one day, got out of bed and remembered who she was. She wasn’t going to mourn herself just yet, because even though she was blind, she wasn’t dead. She figured out how to operate her computer by touch and sound and began taking online course at the Hadley School for the blind. She reached out to the CNIB and accepted their mobility training. She learned braille. She used a walking stick that she cleverly nicknamed her “magic stick”. She began reaching out to her friends. She slowly started living her life and getting accustomed to such a life altering change. Now more than ever she didn’t want to feel different so she strived to do everything possible to live a normal life. She refused to take pity. She found ways to laugh at herself and her new condition. If someone got too sentimental over her blindness she responded with a smart-ass remark to ease the tension. She truly was Amanda again. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed in my life.
She met her partner (and now fiancee) in 2012. His name was James, and since the day they met he was enamored with her infectious personality. They started their own roofing company (Rise & Shine Roofing) in 2012. James was the brut force behind it and Amanda became the brains of the operation. She purchased computers and phones that would speak commands so she could successfully run their operations. She handled all of the calls, booked all of the appointments, and balanced all of their budgets and orders. She found solace in her independence. She figured out how to do it all, from grocery shopping, to starting a business, to reaching out to old friendships through social media like Facebook. In fact, if it wasn’t for the dark sunglasses she wore to conceal her visibly altered eyes; you might not even know she was blind.
She refused to be a victim.
We would have long, deep chats when we were together. I pushed for her to be an advocate for Diabetes- encouraging her to share her story. She had contemplated my wild ideas but was unsure.
Until January of this year. When she started feeling sick. A slow progression that continued to get worse until she was hospitalized this month. From there the doctors confirmed another fear. Her kidneys were failing. She would need to be put on a donor list. Until a match is made she will have to do grueling dialysis treatments every other day for four hours each session. A permanent catheter would have to be inserted into her chest, it would cause her discomfort and pain but it would hook her up to the machines that would keep her alive. She would not be able to work. She would have to be taken to every appointment and monitored.
Again, she would lose her independence.
I feared that she would go back to that dark place again. That she would disconnect from the world. I tiptoed towards her, short text messages here and there. I treaded lightly testing the waters. She surprised me again. When a mutual friend (Kim Siddall) and I approached her about setting up a Go Fund Me Account we were anxious of her reaction. We didn’t want her to think our idea was a way to take pity on her, because she had hated that the most when she went blind and people treated her differently. But our circle of friends began to worry about her financially during this time. Her health care is covered yes, but there are so much more financial burdens that would now follow her hand in hand with this double whammy of health conditions, especially with her not being able to work and properly run the business. We were concerned about the upcoming costs she would face and wanted to do whatever we could to keep her stress levels down.
After brainstorming we decided to reach out to you and our community and ask for support to share her story and raise money to give her one less thing to worry about. As I explained the way Go Fund Me worked she floored me once again. Not only was she willing, but she wanted to take our idea even further. She wanted to know if she could use the money however she pleased, to first cover her initial expenses but to then reach out and help others with similar stories and conditions. Especially children and teenagers.
As we discussed the ideas, she was very adamant in her new convictions towards what was going on with her. She is very hopeful in receiving a double organ transplant and wants to reach out with her story. She wants to show the negative effects of diabetes and what it can do to your body if not treated properly. Her quest for normalcy put her in a position that she could never imagine. Through her journey she hopes to ease that pain from anyone else, by being living proof of what diabetes can do to ones body. At a time where she should be at her lowest, she has found an insurmountable amount of courage and strength and is rising higher than even I imagined she could.
I ask if this story has found you, to help her achieve her goals. Whether you donate or simply share this message, every little part helps. The more awareness we spread to a story like Amanda’s could drastically change the lives of other people out there battling this disease.
Amanda will always be my hero for what she has overcome, and the strength that she possesses. I would love to see people giving and sharing this story to help Amanda reach her full potential. She always said she was going to take over the world, and even with these unfortunate circumstances, I still believe she will. I hope after reading this, you believe too."
"Sometimes in life you come across people that are so special they leave a permanent mark that stays with you wherever you go. They teach you things that are so valuable that they actually have the power to transform your way of thinking; they truly and deeply inspire you.
One of the biggest inspirations in my life is with a loud-mouthed girl I met in grade nine. I will never forget when I met her. She had attitude for days (in the best way possible). The type of person who could light up a room and ease any tense moment with a good joke and a hearty laugh. She lived fully in the moment and didn’t care what people thought about her. She had an aura of confidence that embodied her wherever she went. Growing up raised by a single mom she always personified independence and girl power. She wanted to learn everything, and vowed to one-day rule the world. Even as a teenager she was a force to be reckoned with, and one of my dearest friends. Her name is Amanda Farrer.
With the qualities I have just described you would probably think that now years later she would be a CEO or a lawyer- strolling into work in a woman’s suit, Louboutin heels and a briefcase with her name engraved gold plated on the side.
But that’s not the case. If you want to find my friend Amanda you can see her at Windsor Regional Hospital every other day on the Renal Dialysis unit undergoing grueling four hour treatments. And even if you go to see her, she won’t be able to see you. Because 8 years ago she lost her eyesight. Just another one of the battles she has lost after being diagnosed with Juvenile Type One Diabetes at age two.
The doctors caught wind of her diabetes when she was just a toddler. After many visits to the doctors with what appeared to be flu like symptoms, they finally ran blood tests and confirmed that she was in fact a Type One Diabetic.
From there everything about her life changed. In her lifetime she has had hundreds of visits to the hospital, insulin injections, finger pricks and needles upon needles. She became accustomed to doctors and the smell of hospital waiting rooms at a very young age. Over the years she struggled everyday to achieve normalcy. She simply wanted to be like everyone else.
Diabetes is an underestimated diagnosis. People just assume if you are a diabetic you can’t eat cake. But there is so much more to the disease than just that. To maintain a healthy lifestyle you have to completely adjust the way you live, and with the more severe cases, it requires constant monitoring on every decision you make. Doctors will warn you of the possible outcomes if you do not follow the strict guidelines. But as most people do- when do you ever think the horror stories will happen to you?
And this is where we find my good friend Amanda. At the young age of 32, completely blind and now having kidney failure. She is currently on a donor list for not only a kidney, but as well as a new pancreas, and even with the way technology is headed, she will most likely never be able to see again.
I am writing this to bring awareness to Amanda’s story- and to help raise money to a person who is truly deserving of simply catching a break.
When we left high school, Amanda’s ambitions never stopped. She moved to Ottawa to attend Carleton University. From there she came back to Windsor and enrolled in the Criminology department at the University of Windsor. She had big dreams of becoming a lawyer and didn’t have anything standing in her way. As she was about to finish her third year, everything came crashing down around her. It was exam time. In between cramming for tests, she began losing her eyesight. She was not able to finish her schooling that year, and she never completed her law degree. As the finals came and went, with every passing day Amanda’s eyesight worsened until she was completely blind. And when the world blackened around her- she shut out herself. For over two years she disappeared. She wouldn’t take visitors, or calls. She cut off connections with friends and family and mourned. She mourned the life she thought she would have. She mourned the simple blessings of waking up in the morning and actually seeing the time on an alarm clock. She mourned the future memories she would never actually see, only what she would imagine in her mind. She mourned the fear of not remembering faces, especially her own. In that time not only did she lose her sight, she lost the vision she had of herself. Everything about that time period was dark.
Until she woke up one day, got out of bed and remembered who she was. She wasn’t going to mourn herself just yet, because even though she was blind, she wasn’t dead. She figured out how to operate her computer by touch and sound and began taking online course at the Hadley School for the blind. She reached out to the CNIB and accepted their mobility training. She learned braille. She used a walking stick that she cleverly nicknamed her “magic stick”. She began reaching out to her friends. She slowly started living her life and getting accustomed to such a life altering change. Now more than ever she didn’t want to feel different so she strived to do everything possible to live a normal life. She refused to take pity. She found ways to laugh at herself and her new condition. If someone got too sentimental over her blindness she responded with a smart-ass remark to ease the tension. She truly was Amanda again. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed in my life.
She met her partner (and now fiancee) in 2012. His name was James, and since the day they met he was enamored with her infectious personality. They started their own roofing company (Rise & Shine Roofing) in 2012. James was the brut force behind it and Amanda became the brains of the operation. She purchased computers and phones that would speak commands so she could successfully run their operations. She handled all of the calls, booked all of the appointments, and balanced all of their budgets and orders. She found solace in her independence. She figured out how to do it all, from grocery shopping, to starting a business, to reaching out to old friendships through social media like Facebook. In fact, if it wasn’t for the dark sunglasses she wore to conceal her visibly altered eyes; you might not even know she was blind.
She refused to be a victim.
We would have long, deep chats when we were together. I pushed for her to be an advocate for Diabetes- encouraging her to share her story. She had contemplated my wild ideas but was unsure.
Until January of this year. When she started feeling sick. A slow progression that continued to get worse until she was hospitalized this month. From there the doctors confirmed another fear. Her kidneys were failing. She would need to be put on a donor list. Until a match is made she will have to do grueling dialysis treatments every other day for four hours each session. A permanent catheter would have to be inserted into her chest, it would cause her discomfort and pain but it would hook her up to the machines that would keep her alive. She would not be able to work. She would have to be taken to every appointment and monitored.
Again, she would lose her independence.
I feared that she would go back to that dark place again. That she would disconnect from the world. I tiptoed towards her, short text messages here and there. I treaded lightly testing the waters. She surprised me again. When a mutual friend (Kim Siddall) and I approached her about setting up a Go Fund Me Account we were anxious of her reaction. We didn’t want her to think our idea was a way to take pity on her, because she had hated that the most when she went blind and people treated her differently. But our circle of friends began to worry about her financially during this time. Her health care is covered yes, but there are so much more financial burdens that would now follow her hand in hand with this double whammy of health conditions, especially with her not being able to work and properly run the business. We were concerned about the upcoming costs she would face and wanted to do whatever we could to keep her stress levels down.
After brainstorming we decided to reach out to you and our community and ask for support to share her story and raise money to give her one less thing to worry about. As I explained the way Go Fund Me worked she floored me once again. Not only was she willing, but she wanted to take our idea even further. She wanted to know if she could use the money however she pleased, to first cover her initial expenses but to then reach out and help others with similar stories and conditions. Especially children and teenagers.
As we discussed the ideas, she was very adamant in her new convictions towards what was going on with her. She is very hopeful in receiving a double organ transplant and wants to reach out with her story. She wants to show the negative effects of diabetes and what it can do to your body if not treated properly. Her quest for normalcy put her in a position that she could never imagine. Through her journey she hopes to ease that pain from anyone else, by being living proof of what diabetes can do to ones body. At a time where she should be at her lowest, she has found an insurmountable amount of courage and strength and is rising higher than even I imagined she could.
I ask if this story has found you, to help her achieve her goals. Whether you donate or simply share this message, every little part helps. The more awareness we spread to a story like Amanda’s could drastically change the lives of other people out there battling this disease.
Amanda will always be my hero for what she has overcome, and the strength that she possesses. I would love to see people giving and sharing this story to help Amanda reach her full potential. She always said she was going to take over the world, and even with these unfortunate circumstances, I still believe she will. I hope after reading this, you believe too."
Organizer
Amanda Farrer
Organizer
Windsor, ON
