Letter to the Editor

Boo-Zhoo Anishinabe-Doog,

        I would Like to Thank The Red Lake Nation and Buck Jourdain for all the support and prayers while I was going through this Double Lung Operation. I was diagnosed with Kartangeners Syndrome ( a progressive Lung Disease), Dextra Cardia ( My heart is on the right side) and Sidus Inversus ( all my inside organs are on the opposite side).

I recently have been in the hospital for a double lung transplant. I waited for five years while on the national organ donor list, and was admitted January 3, 2006. I went thru a long and painful surgery and I am still in recovery.

I died on the operating table and had five system shutdowns. My liver and my kidneys and several other parts stopped and started to fail. I had a large loss of blood, around 50 pints of blood were pumped back into me. My lungs were fused to my ribcage and had to be scraped out.

When they sewed me back up I was still bleeding and while in the Intensive Care Unit, I died again, They started to revive me and broke two ribs and punctured my new lungs and had to be taken back into surgery. The surgery took ten hours. I was in a medical Coma for three weeks and finally woke up. but it has been a slow and painful few weeks.

I have been discharged from Fairview University Medical Center on February 13, 2006.  I am staying in Minneapolis for follow up visits to the clinic and rehabilitation.

So I want to say Migwitch to all the Anishinabe Nation that prayed for me and for all the ceremonies. I have a new set of lungs now and I am very happy. I will come back home to Red Lake to teach our Children Hoop Dancing in the future months to follow.

Giwedin O Ginew  ( Steve Blake)

northern_eagle@yahoo.com