Eva Markvoort - 65 Red Roses

It has been a year now since Eva Markvoort lost her life to Cystic Fibrosis. In the days that followed I wanted to write a post, but I found it difficult to write about Eva because of the profound effect it had on me, especially in a time when thousands of others were feeling much like I was. An overwhelming grief and loss had touched so many lives and I couldn't focus on what it was that I wanted to write after reading so many other comments and posts. My words and feelings had somehow blended with everyone else's, and so I chose not to write anything. I wrote for myself and how I was feeling.

During this time, my illness had me looking at my own mortality. Because of this I found myself reading many blogs and becoming fast friends with some wonderful people. Sadly, this online network also made it possible to see the rapid deterioration of some of these people I had made friends with, and over time I found myself reading their blogs written by family members announcing their loved ones were in the hospital and their days were ending.

The first time this happened I cried for days. It was a friend of mine who had passed away from breast cancer only two weeks before Eva. Both of these women had touched my heart in many ways because of the remarkable outlook they had in dealing with their illness. The strength they carried was phenomenally bright in such a dark time. I was moved that they could both reach out and offer hope and give wonderful advice to so many people during a time when they were faced with so much of their own.

The thing about Eva was her desire to educate people about cystic fibrosis and promote organ donation. It was in a sense a passion that drove her, along with her deep love for her family, friends and network community. Eva's legacy continues today. In the last year, fund-raising projects have raised over $200,000 in her behalf toward cystic fibrosis and donation awareness.

I think of this young lady quite often and still read the updates that her family post on her Livejournal blog: 65RedRoses.
Over a year ago Eva brought great inspiration to me. As I struggled with the thoughts of my own mortality, Eva's advocacy for donor awareness helped me understand more about my own disease. I also realized that family and friends and love and God meant more to me than I knew. When you see things slipping away you start to understand the things you sometimes take for granted. It could be the simple act of saying, "I love you," in the morning when you say goodbye to your wife or husband on their way to work, or your children as they go off to school. It may be a "Thank you," to a friend or coworker or stranger.

Eva's post helped me understand how amazing people can become when faced with life-altering events. Thank you for this, Eva, for teaching me to see how much life could have stolen from me if I wasn't looking.

MARKVOORT, Eva Dien Brine

March 31, 1984 - March 27, 2010

65 Red Roses

Over the past several months I have taken a personal interest in organ donation. I am not talking about pounding the pavement and meeting and greeting people who will get the wheels rolling, but more of self-interest because I think organ donation is important worldwide. I will write a post every so often that reflects this, or I will post a banner on my sidebar to remind people they can sign up if they haven't already. I actually do very little when it comes to donor awareness, but I still try to get the message out there whenever I can.
A few months ago after I started having breathing issues, I found myself exploring the internet looking for answers as to why I had trouble breathing and losing my voice when I talked. Unfortunately I didn't find out anything, but I discovered some sites that had to do with Cystic Fibrosis. I soon discovered one site called
65 Red Roses and I watched a video about a young girl -- 25 year old Canadian Eva Markvoort -- who's been struggling with this awful disease all of her life. Despite all of her hardships, she continually maintains a beautiful, kind and spirited sense of self that is uplifting for all who meet her. She has been a powerful inspiration to me and for many others.
In 2007, the idea for a documentary about Eva's life and the journey she's been on was just in the making. Eva had been told by doctors that she probably only had a couple of years left before she would need a transplant. The clock was ticking.
On Monday, Nov. 16, 2009 65_Red Roses, a documentary aired in Canada on the CBC News Network's The Passionate Eye and since then has won several awards. I was sad to miss the premiere but unfortunately it has not yet come to the United States. From what I understand it is waiting for someone who can sponsor the program before it can be brought here for viewing.
The two filmmakers, Philip Lyall and Nimisha Mukerji, had hoped that their documentary would inspire people to sign up to be organ donors. I can only pray that it worked.

The other day I was visiting Eva's LiveJournal website and there was a video post titled "I love you all". I was on a computer that didn't have a media player hooked up on it so I couldn't watch the video. Looking at the comment section I noticed that there were over 900 comments on her post. I took a short breath and let it out with a prayer. Something was happening; her page had gone viral.
I was wondering if this was it. Was she getting another transplant? I read a few comments and as usual they offered her comfort and prayers. But they did not seem like the kind of comments you would get before going into a transplant. They seemed sad and I could only surmise that something was wrong.
A few hours later when I got home I turned on my computer and I learned that Eva's health had changed for the worst. She has been sick for some time now where she has been facing chronic rejection and has been staying at Vancouver General Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The province has the lowest donor rate in that country.

On February 11, Eva posted a goodbye video telling all her friends that she didn't have very long to live. Her mom and dad and sister are gathered around her thanking everyone for all their support. They are biding time. Sharing memories. Hanging out with close friends and family.
I quietly cry and once again find myself praying for a miracle. It is very hard for me to comprehend this. The situation is hard to fathom; someone must die so another can live. Everything must be perfect. As if a double lung transplant wasn't already enough.

There isn't a lot that I can do. But while I keep a journal documenting my own transplant experience, I can occasionally remind people that there is something they can do. Consider being a donor. Consider what you might have to offer. Consider the fact that you might save someone from dying and that you might bring some family the gift of life and happiness.

Eva, you are in my prayers...


(On a side note, I'd like to say that there are literally tens of thousands of people worldwide who have Cystic Fibrosis. And while this post was written with Eva in mind, and it was meant to drum home the necessity of organ donating, I in no means wish to take away from all those who live and suffer from CF on a daily basis. There are approximately 1,000 new cases of CF diagnosed each year.
Each year thousands of people are waiting for vital organs and tissues so that they might have a fighting chance at life.)