Linden, right, and her husband, Bob, hold up a quilt Linden made for the transplant services team.
Liver transplant patient Linden Dare and her husband Bob returned to Intermountain Medical Center last week to give her caregivers a quilt stitched with “a whole lotta love, inspiration, and hope,” as a way to say thank-you for the care she received 18 months ago.
The bright pink flower quilt is called, “Dream Big,” and is just one of 13 Linden completed right after her liver transplant.
Linden was diagnosed with NASH (Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease) in 2013. Her health began to decline last year and she says she really didn’t think she was going to make it, so she started giving away her beloved quilts. However, just two and half weeks after being listed for a transplant, she got the call they’d found her a new liver. On May 13, 2020 she received the gift of life. She’s now giving back to all those who’ve given life back to her.
Walking them through the whole process was Craig Myrick, Intermountain liver transplant coordinator. The three embraced while meeting for the first time in person this week. Craig tells transplant patients and family, “At the end of our journey together I just want you to know that I care.”
“I was so overwhelmed with meeting Craig for the first time,” Bob says. “I was also grateful we were able to express our thanks to Dr. Shar Christopher, who was there from the beginning, and all the other nurses who helped us through some tough days.”
“It’s always nice for patients and caregivers to see the positive outcomes of transplant and how it allows people to return to the people and things that they love,” says Derek Ginos, Intermountain transplant services director. “It’s so motivating for our team to see the end product of all of our hard work.”
Linden and Bob just celebrated 52 years of marriage and are now looking forward to more quilting, traveling, and working in the garden together.
The “Dream Big” quilt will be encased and mounted on the wall in the halls of T10 at IMED, where, “It can brighten the day of other patients when they see it,” says Linden.
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