Listen (29 min) KPFA Radio
Facing a transplant of both heart and liver, Christopher Bowers and his wife talk to us about massive anxiety, heart-felt gratitude and sustaining love.
In his 45 years, Christopher has squeezed every beat of life outta his congenitally-fragile heart. He’s living with congestive heart failure and a liver compromised by the many treatments.
Now, if the planets align, he will soon undergo a double organ transplant.
Christopher Bowers is a musician and father of a two-year-old son. After high school he worked with Positive Images, an LGBTIQ group for youth, as a straight ally and speaker. He went on to challenge his white privilege in an anti-racism group, become a social worker and advocate for homeless people in Sonoma County, California.
Now, his project is his own body. We talk about the cost, the logistics and the necessary support for such a massive undertaking. But, we focus on the mental and emotional mindset of this remarkable family. It’s not all hearts and flowers; it’s realistic trade offs. It’s putting aside individual needs at the same time fiercely, radically taking care of oneself. Impossible? Of course. And, yet… it’s the only way.
Produced and hosted by Shelley Berman with assistance from Adrienne Lauby.
If you would like to follow Christopher’s journey and his race to $75,000, go here. A tax deductible donation site is available here.
SHARE
