Barry, after my transplant, a woman who had had her new heart for five months visited me in the hospital. She asked me, "Do you feel as though you're being lifted up on a silver platform of other people's prayers?" I did indeed.

For all of us who feel the urge to pray or help in some such way, I hope we'll also send our prayers and healing light to the donor of Barry's liver and to his or her family who made this donation.

People talk to me about transplants being medical miracles and they are. But to me the deepest miracle has always been the families that give their loved ones' organs to save the lives of strangers.

On the practical side, the estimated time for a transplant is an average. Mine was done like a flash, (3 hours), it was a textbook physical match. They didn't even have a place ready in the recovery room! Average time for a heart is about 5 to 6 hours.

The actual surgery is much more intricate and complex for a liver, so I'm sure they take a long time. Then the person has to spend time in the recovery room, I don't know how many hours, it was all a blur.

Then, they go to Intensive Care unit (ICU). I think I was there for three days. That too is a bit of a blur though some memories stand out, like the wonderful nurse who stayed half an hour after her tour of duty was up, to order and apply some medicine for my skin under the bandages!

Then I went to Cardiac Intensive Care (CCU) for about 4 more days, and then I could be moved to the regular cardiac surgery floor.

I guess that's why Barry figured it would be about a week until he can talk to us himself. Thanks so much to Susan/WYSIWYG for spreading the word about the transplant, and to those who are keeping us up to date!

Rita Ferrara