Today we’d like to introduce you to Liz Strom.
Hi Liz, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I, Liz Strom (@espressofied), am a survivor. I’m a double-organ transplant survivor living with Crohn’s Disease, was a type-1 diabetic since the age of 9, worse than legally blind, and have battled with chronic pain, tumors, and much more.
Background:
I still do. I was an energetic, curious, strong-willed, creative child. I climbed trees and bookshelves like a monkey in the jungle, danced until I was dizzy from twirling, made make-believe pies in the broken backyard grill with sticks and mud, and grabbed onto any other child I saw walking down the block so they would play with me, and just loved people. I hid library books in my pillowcase so that I could read during nap time and learned a lot about life and magic at a young age. I remember going through my aunts’ closets to try on their sequined dresses and red lipstick, reading through the private notes. My cousin hid in the back of the closet (who was like an older sister to me). And pretending to be Madonna as I belted out every lyric I could remember on our deck in the summertime. I knew that life was much bigger than anything I could ever have imagined, and I acted on that young wisdom by creating the world I wanted to see around me.
Then, it happened. The month before my 9th birthday, I felt tired, sluggish, thirsty, and just plain sick. I had to run to the bathroom every 5 minutes because my body craved water every few minutes, slept most of the day without wanting to go outside to play, and remember having to manually wet my lips with water when I tried to speak. I was dehydrating quickly and losing weight within a few days. When my parents saw how gaunt I was starting to look, they had my aunt take me to the doctor to get checked out. The doctor sent me to the hospital immediately, and I was admitted immediately. I stayed there for about 3-4 days before the doctors knew what was happening. One day, a tall, thin, dark-haired, spectacled doctor came into my room:
Doctor: “Hi, sweetie! Where are your parents?
Me: “At church!”
Doctor: “Well, we think we know what’s happening here. You have diabetes.”
Me: (with a crushed soul as I thought “diabetes” meant I was going to “die”): [bawling]
The doctor then realized she should probably not have said anything at that very moment to a mere 9-year-old child who was alone in a hospital bed. She hugged me, told me everything was going to be fine, took me to the playroom until my parents returned from church, then told them what my diagnosis was. I remember the day so clearly because it affected my life forever. From not being allowed to have sweets and being on a strict diabetic diet as a child to the middle of the night, low-blood-sugar reactions, seizures, 4 blood tests and 4 insulin shots each day, wavering eyesight, and dozens of ophthalmic surgeries and procedures. And more, I became tired of what life felt like. I was diagnosed with chronic kidney/renal failure at 33. My doctor told me that my kidney function rate was dropping and that he’d keep an eye on it for me. A few months later, my nephrologist called me on a Friday afternoon.
Doctor: “Hi! Are you available to come into my office today? I received your blood work back and would like to sit down and talk numbers with you.”
Me: “I’m in DC. Since it’s 4 PM, I couldn’t even get to you in a taxi until 6 PM. You’ll be long gone before then. Can you talk numbers with me on the phone?”
Doctor: “Sure, ok. The most important number I want to discuss is your kidney function rate. It has dropped, and you’ll need a kidney transplant.”
I thought I was going to pass out from the lack of oxygen going to my brain (& heart) after that news. I sat down, talked to him a bit more about what the process would look like in general, and hung up the phone. I texted my fiancé to pick me up from work early, then collapsed in my office chair to cry. I felt like I was the only person on Earth at that moment, alienated from the rest of the happy-go-lucky world. I didn’t feel like moving or breathing for the next few hours. That weekend, I cried alone, remained unable to communicate with anyone as I didn’t want to tell anyone the news (except for my fiancé), and locked myself in my bedroom. A huge storm hit that very night and knocked out all of the electricity in the DMV area. Given my state of being, it seemed fitting. I mean, why not? I might as well turn out the lights literally if I felt like my lights had been turned out figuratively, right?
I remember telling my parents a week later. I gave myself enough time to process what was going on, got myself together, and told them when I was strong enough not to cry. I must have crushed their hearts that day. I couldn’t talk about it more, or I’d cry, which would cause more damage. The next day, my dad called: “How are you doing??”. I didn’t have a better answer to give him than to say, “I’m fine. I’ve had time to process this a little, but I’m ok.” I wanted to protect his feelings in this, too. No use in us both crying. A few months later, I lost most of my vision after having dozens of eye procedures and surgeries performed. I developed ischemia and went completely blind in my right eye and peripherally in my left eye; furthermore, there is a wrinkle on my left eye’s surface, so things do not look/appear as they should most of the time. They stopped doing surgeries after that. I have some of my left eye’s vision and want to keep it. Thank you very much. I was on the organ transplant list that same month and received my first “offer” call after only 5 or 6 days. It scared and excited the daylights out of me. My surgeon turned that offer call down but only after 4 more months of waiting and 4 more calls later. I received the call and underwent transplant surgery on June 1, 2013.
To keep this story a little shorter for this interview’s sake, I’ll tell you that:
I am almost 10 years post-transplant and still without most of my vision. I will always live with Crohn’s Disease and love life. Without vision, I can “see” the world so clearly. My senses (& intuition) have heightened to a new level I never before knew existed for me. I decided to do something with my life that I truly love and am passionate about. No more being told what to believe or what I should be doing with my life—no more feeling sorry for myself. No more claiming sickness/disability as my way of life. It was time for me to rise and reclaim the power meant for me in life, so I am doing it! I bring light to the world through coaching and my espressofied page. I inspire, share, motivate, and live with vibrancy as an example to others. Instead of telling people how they should live their lives, I live by example and show others how I live in hopes that they’ll live their lives fully and as vibrantly as possible, too. I’m a double-organ transplant survivor living with Crohn’s Disease, was a type-1 diabetic since the age of 9, worse than legally blind, and have battled with chronic pain, tumors, and much more.
As you know, we’re big fans of espresso fiend. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
I am a DC lifestyle ambassador who reports on fun finds, elevated experiences, and delicious sips + bites through social media coverage and blogging. I am also a Transformational Life Coach, Licensed Workshop Facilitator for The Desire Map & The Fire Starter Sessions by Danielle LaPorte, Founder of Creative Calm Solutions LLC, wife, mother, healer of sorts, and organizer of a 7,900+ member Latin-dance enthusiasts group in the Washington DC metropolitan area, and more.
What matters most to you?
Living as vibrantly as possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: espressofied.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/espressofied
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/espressofied
- Twitter: https://www.twittter.com/espressofied
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/espressofied
Image Credits
Photography by @kate_andreya
