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Philippa, we have the same rule here, even if you are listed as a donor, your family has to approve it. I don’t think people are aware that often the family can refuse against your wish. I imagine it must be very difficult thing for the family to do when they are grieving. We will get to write a letter to the family thanking them for giving my husband the gift of life.
Lyn, thank you for your support throughout. I’m happy to be able to share a happy outcome. It’s amazing how complex this procedure and after care has been. Very grateful that we have such knowledgable and competent medical professionals. Recovery has been a bumpy ride but luckily the Drs are on top of everything and overall are going in the right direction. Even though we’ve been preparing ourselves for months, the reality hits pretty hard when you experience the seriousness of the impact it has on the human body., and the many complications that can happen. We are so lucky these Drs know what they are doing and are in a first rate hospital.
Eliza, Whether transplant is risky or not depends on many many factors as we learned from the evaluations. Since there are not enough donors, they give them to people that are closest to end stages who have the best survival rate. They don’t do transplants to people that do not have a good chance of surviving, due to the shortage, in the US. I’m happy that your sister doesn’t need one, but I think the medical system really has it figured out when it makes most sense to do the transplants for best chances of survival. Hope all the best for your sisters cure.
Sylvia, thank you for sharing your students story. It confirms by belief in my heart odds and statistics mean nothing when you have faith.
I wish I could respond to all individually, I shouldn’t be surprised at the outpouring of support from such a great group. I really did miss you guys. Thank you for your kind thoughts and words.
Sylvia- I wish cancer wasn’t a taboo subject. Sharing personal struggles with chronic and terminal illness is the best support I know because it makes the feeling of isolation go away. Way to go for you to speak openly, it gives people hope who are fighting cancer to hear from people who beat it.
Jenn – it’s amazing the hoops, the long wait, the unknown, but for us lucky ones who get the transplant, your life is forever changed. Less than a week ago I lost hope. I feel for those who don’t make it. Congrats to your BIL.
Natalie-the first day we went to the cancer hospital I was so sad, fighting back the tears, the harpist soothed my soul like nothing else could. I was trying not to show my emotions because I did not want to burden my husband, so sadly she will never know what she did for me that day. I’m happy you want to help others, they may not thank you personally but know in your heart you are making a difference.
Sonya-It sounds like you blossomed musically after caring for your mother. Nothing like doing the right thing and making a sacrifice to make you grow creatively. Your story makes me hopeful I will reach my musical goals someday and not to give up. It makes me long to take lessons and start a new chapter in life. Thanks for the encouragement.
I have a theory about this. When you loose yourself in art or music you connect with the divine. That connection is also possible through prayer and meditation, love and devotion, service to others. The harp is an easy way to feel that connection because of it’s beauty and peaceful sounds and vibrations. What’s inside of a person is reflected in their eyes. When you touch beauty, you reflect it.
Thank you everyone for sharing our happiness. There was a harpist playing at the cancer hospital the first time we went there, and I felt consoled when I heard her play. I hope musicians who play in hospitals know how much comfort they bring. I say musicians and not just harpists because I felt soothed by the pianist in hospitals and gravitated towards music not typically considered therapeutic. Oddly enough it was not helpful for me to play the harp during this time although in the beginning I tried to use it to heal myself, but it was hard to focus and was overwhelmed with all my new responsibilities, so i made the decision to put my personal pleasures aside until this was over and put my family and their needs first. at age 51 i finally learned that the only way i can be really happy is to do things for others. It was more important to spend quality time with my husband even if it meant watching the three stooges rather than playing the harp. I had too many hobbies that took me away from my family. If I were using it to earn an income or if I were more than an adult hobbyist it would be different. I also learned all music is healing, not just the harp and not just what is touted as healing. I have a great respect for artists and musicians of all kinds but I know now that the meaning and purpose in my life is putting my families needs before my own. My job may not be in art, music or medicine and doesn’t seems to add a lot of value to society but if I can help my family with the money I’ve earned I am rewarded with knowing I made a difference and don’t need to achieve in music and art, I can just enjoy them. It’s enough to appreciate the gifts of others, not necessary to achieve especially if it means not giving to your loved ones. I hope I remember what I learned from this experience, as looking back I think I was an unhappy and selfish person. I don’t mean to say that it’s wrong or selfish to spend a lot of time and money on a hobby just that it needs to be in perspective, and prioritized against other family needs which I didn’t do before my husbands illness. I do intend to fully enjoy my artistic and musical pursuits again but not at the expense of other needs for the family budget and not at the expense of spending quality time with my family and friends.
Sylvia, there is no good kind, and you are a brave soul for shouldering your fight. I hope to see the day they discover a cure.
Jerusha, thank you for sharing your choice to be an organ donor. I missed you all too. : )Lyn, thanks for wishing us strength, something like this really pulls people together, never been closer to my family, we are all helping each other through this. My husband just got medical approval for the transplant, and our son is a potential live donor.
Philippa, in the US although we have insurance, there is a percentage that we have to pay out of pocket. The tests are 10s of thousands of dollars to be approved, then it’s 2-3 hundred thousand for the surgery and over a thousand dollars a month for anti-rejection drugs. I’m trying to find out what the actual cost is to us. We may be able to do this without a fundraiser which would be great. But lets just say it’s a good thing I decided to stick with lever harp than go onto pedals : )
I was just reviewing material from the National Foundation for Transplants considering a fundraising campaign to help us through expenses for my husbands liver transplant. He has cancer and my son wants to be live donor. This thread helped me with my struggle with feeling comfortable with asking people for money. I know what you mean Andee, I can hardly leave the door without people asking for money, and often I can’t afford to give to charity so I hate to be the one asking for help so I can understand that sometimes Sherry would say things she doesn’t mean in anger or emotion. Although that being said,
Sherry, sometimes life isn’t fair. There are things we deserve or think we need for our personal happiness that we need to let go of or aren’t meant to be. The only way to be happy is to try to be content with your current circumstances, appreciate what you have at this moment, and stop thinking about what the future may or may not bring. You can’t control such things. I understand how much a pedal harp means to you, and I hope you get one some day, but more importantly I hope you enjoy your current harps and don’t feel you need a pedal harp to be happy.
hi Christine, does L&H Silhouette have lever gut? If so, not much lighter tension, slightly lighter than lever gut, with a little more stretch. I like the way Jerusha explained it, ‘scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being a lever harp with pedal tension, the Merlin was a 6. (I would put the Dusty at a 7.)’ Dusty’s tension are similar to lever gut. I’d put my aziliz at a 5 or 6.. also the strings stay in tune better than nylon once they settle. They are as expensive as concert gut but I’ve never had a string break over the past year.
Maria, I’ve seen a DHC Light played up close but have not played one yet. Even though they are the same type of string, I assume the diameter, length of string and other factors come into play and you can have higher tensioned savarez and lower. The way someone described it in another thread it sounded like the DHC might be lower tensioned than my harp, the strings are also spaced closer together. I guess rubber band is not the best way to describe, they are not THAT loose, by rubber band I meant it feels like you can actually stretch them when you pull them. They have an altogether different feel.
Diana, I’m very happy for you. A swan in Koa, with concert gut, hope to see pictures around Christmas. I’d be counting the days.. the Ana unfortunately was not meant to be for me. Sometimes life gets in the way of our plans. Will live vicariously through your dream harp for now : )
Niina, you sound amazing! how long have you been playing?? I have played many harps since I started this thread,none of them paraguayan, loved them all, but am so glad I started this thread just so I could see you play Pajaro Campana!
Salvarez strings can sound terrible if they are played rough or rigidly, they sound sharp, piercing. They are very flexible and rubber bandish, and if played thoughtfully have a wide range of subtle nuances and tonal qualities. They also make it possible to get a full range harp in a smaller more portable package. I don’t think you can judge the strings by swapping out nylon on a harp designed for nylon with savarez. It takes a while to get used to the different touch needed to bring out them best in them. I really love how a light touch gives ornamentation a very subtle quality. I think they are a love them or hate them kind of string. If I’m not focused or stressed they can sound like a cat screeching : ) they are very responsive, not quite so forgiving …
times like this I am grateful for my little Aziliz! Takes up very little room. I carry it easily upstairs, downstairs, outside.. I think I could fit it in the passengers seat of my Avalon if I really wanted too…
that’s amazing! I have trouble keeping track of what to do with eight fingers never mind reading a book while playing!
