Melody Masha Pierson

Some of my friends thought I was becoming "religious." That was a good one, considering I always thought an observant Jew was someone who noticed that the carpet needed a cleaning...

One month ago, I was literally running out of breath. The breath of life. My lungs were dying. And while my hope and belief in life were alive and well, the idea was to get my body to catch up with my faith. This required some work...

From the outside, people think I am doing great. They compliment how patiently I am waiting for my double lung transplant and how well I am preparing for it. But truth be told, I am not really handling it so well...

At every juncture, on every bridge, at every bend in the road, with every turn of the head, someone lives, someone dies, someone waits, someone cries...

In my loneliest of moments, when I feel all friends are gone I look out the window and see the birds and the colors of the season and realize

My number on the transplant list has jumped from seventh to fourth! The phone can ring at any time. The "call" can be in an hour, a day, a week or a month. I can't sleep. And I am not afraid...

I am one of the lucky ones. I may need a lung transplant and am entering a new decade, but I have friends in the here and in the now...

When I found out I had been accepted into the Lung Transplant Program due to emphysema, one of the first things I did was re-write the lyrics to the song "Matchmaker"...

I trusted him with my life, my world, my children and I thanked G‑d for Uncle Hershey all the time...

I have tried all the recommended sleep rituals the professionals suggest. Low lights, don't hang around in your bedroom until it's bedtime, take a bath, listen to soft music or nature sounds. Nope. Nada. None of that works. I am up...