Pre-Transplant: Living in the Waiting Season

Waiting for a transplant can feel like living in two worlds at the same time.

One world is filled with appointments, phone calls, medications, and trying to keep life moving forward. The other world is waiting for something that could change everything.

People around you may say things like, “Just stay positive” or “Your time will come.” While those words are often meant with love, they do not always touch the reality of what waiting feels like.

Waiting can feel exhausting.

You may feel:

• Fear about what is ahead
• Anxiety every time the phone rings
• Frustration that life feels on hold
• Guilt for feeling overwhelmed
• Loneliness because people around you do not fully understand

Many people begin measuring time differently during this season. Days can feel long while months seem to disappear.

Something that is rarely talked about is that you do not have to feel hopeful every moment of every day. Hope does not disappear because you have hard days.



You are allowed to feel tired.

You are allowed to feel scared.

You are allowed to wish things were different.

Waiting is not “doing nothing.” Waiting requires strength most people never see.