Two are Better Than One

(Originally published on 5/25/14 on cotaforjensh.com)

I'm on a break from being in room D944 this afternoon. I was thinking back to one of my favorite emails from Emily Huff. If you've been following along, you know how she is training for a marathon and running in honor of Jens (Read more here and here). One of my favorites was called “Two Are Better Than One.” In this writing, she talks about her friend and occasional running buddy, Elizabeth. Emily writes of her friend helping her finish the Portland marathon last year and the ways her friend always makes her a better and faster runner. This verse came to mind: “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, NLT)

Emily wrote:
As I ran, I thought about how this rings true for you that TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE. It is so much better to go through something scary and risky when you have a hand to hold. It is so much better to run the race when you have someone who can run alongside you to encourage you and pace you and give you reason to carry on. It is so much better to have someone to cry with, to laugh with, to share the mystery of life with…

You both have each other in this. And that is so very very good. TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE. I am giving thanks that God gave you to one another and that you all will be there for each other with the marathon ahead that sometimes may feel too long.

As I think back to the last few months and the last week, I've thought about how important this has been.

Two are better than one while sitting in hospital all day, waiting to hear if you're getting a lung transplant that day.

Two are better than one when you have to meet with the surgeons after the surgery.

Two are better than one to get through the 20 minutes of breathing on your own before they'll take the breathing tubes out of your mouth.

Two are better than one to see smiles and hear such grateful words after you've had a transplant.

Two are better than one when you have to move from the bed to the chair (and vice versa). 

Two are better than one when you get to celebrate moving from the ICU to the step down unit.

Two are better than one while walking down the hall with chest tube drainage things, IV poles, and oxygen tanks.

Two are better than one to learn all of the pills you have to take after transplant.

Two are better than one when the hospital food isn't that appetizing, and you need a runner to go get something more palatable.

Two are better than one to watch your favorite TV show with you in the hospital.

Two are better than one to FaceTime with when you feel cooped up in your room.

Two are better than one to cheer you on when your cough is weak, your chest hurts, and to reach your incentive spirometer goals.

Two are better than one when you see a smile every time you reenter the hospital room and remember what this is all for.

Two are better than one to help you raise money months in advance of the transplant, so that when it happens, you don't have to worry about a thing.

Two are better than one to take care of your students to make sure they have an awesome end to their 2nd grade year.

Two are better than one to help you move, pack, load, unload, and find your way as you leave a town you love.

Two are better than one to pass the time waiting by exploring and discovering new things together in a city where you don't know anyone.

Two are better than one to pray for you, encourage you, support you, and cheer you on via emails, texts, calls, comments, care packages, cards, and more during the toughest battle. 

Thank you for being part of our "two." We are so honored that you have come alongside of us during this journey.

(I'm having trouble including pictures on this post, so make sure you see them at www.facebook.com/lungs4jens.)