Today marks one year since I had my liver transplant. It's hard to believe a year has gone by already, but looking back, a lot has happened in the past 12 months.

I commented to Des that it feels like the transplant wasn't that long ago, but other events, like getting on the NBN, seemed like a while back. She responded with: "I wouldn't be so harsh with your [recollection of] time-frames over the past year, considering how much drugs you were on." True 😂.

As with most things concerning my transplant experience, my happiness at marking this milestone is also tinged with sadness. As I am celebrating one year since the restart of my life, it also means my donor's family is marking a year since the end of theirs. This was especially poignant with the DonateLife National Service of Remembrance that was held online only a few weeks ago.

Nevertheless, I am happy to be here today (existentially speaking), and especially so to give Zoe a proper birthday celebration, which I robbed her of last year.

This past year hasn't exactly been easy. Other than recovering from the surgery, I've persevered through a bowel obstruction, medication reactions, and a bout of rejection, amongst other things. But all of that has been made so much easier by the people around me.

My managers and all my colleagues at GitHub have allowed me to return to work at a pace that I was comfortable with, and encouraged me to put my health and my family first. Their support has been amazing. Not having to worry about work too much during the difficult times has made things so much easier. Thank you. 💛

And, of course most of all, my awesome wife, Despina. I have said a few times how she is my hero and my superwoman. She has done so much over the past 18 months keeping everything in our family together. She has been taking care of our two young children, taking care of me with my medications, doctor and hospital trips, as well as doing this all in the middle of a pandemic that is forcing the kids to be at home 7-days a week.

She is the real star of this story. I've had the easy job of just letting things happen to me and enduring through it. She's been the one keeping the wheels turning.

I'm the most fortunate and blessed man in the world, and no one can convince me otherwise. 😊