e scar tissue makes it a little bit puffier than the rest of my skin. It looks very tribal.The scar felt foreign at first, and I had mixed emotions. Obviously, I was thankful to have it because it m

Just over 18 years ago, I had to have a liver transplant. I was only 22 at the time, but had been diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis, which caused my body to malfunction and attack my own liver because it recognized it as a foreign object. As a result, the doctor said I had the liver of an 80-year-old male alcoholic, and if I didnt get a transplant right away, I wasnt going to make it.I was in denial at first, thinking, Just give me a shot or some antibiotics to see how this plays itself out, but Im not going to die. I went home that night and started throwing up bile. I was completely dehydrated, swollen, and I was too weak to walk on my own. The livers function is to clean your blood, and mine had gotten to the point where it wasnt filtering any of the toxins out, so I was completely toxic and had to be stabilized. I wound up hospitalized for a week. Thats when I was like, Oh, this is for real.It took 18 months before a donor match was found, and my doctors prepared me for what surgery was going to be like. They never sugar-coated things and helped me manage the fear as well. They said, Imagine what it would feel like for a Mack truck to run over you, and whatever you think that could feel like, amplify it by 10 because thats how youre going to feel after the surgery.The liver is located toward the back of your body, so what they had to do was open my chest up like a book. Theres a vertical cut that starts in between my breasts that goes down six inches and then horizontally across on both sides. They peeled my skin back to expose my rib cage and broke a rib on my left side to have better access to my liver. After they replaced it with a new one, they had to reconnect the bile ducts and all the major veins, reset the bone and then closed me up with sutures and staples.?The whole process took eight hours.During the recovery process, its mandatory to give blood every week so your doctor can monitor whether or not the liver is functioning properly. The average hospital stay after surgery is about two to three weeks. I was so tired of being sick that I checked out in eight or nine days. The staples didnt come out for another week or two.Theres nothing you can do to prepare for the first time you see the scar. Its such a deep cut, and the lines are so huge that its not something that will ever completely close -- you will always see this huge upside-down T on me. All across the scar lines are the dots from the staples, which have faded over the years, but its still slightly pinker than my normal skin color, and the scar tissue makes it a little bit puffier than the rest of my skin. It looks very tribal.The scar felt foreign at first, and I had mixed emotions. Obviously, I was thankful to have it because it meant that I made it. I was one of the lucky people that was given the gift of a donor, and Im here to tell the story.But I can remember that first summer going to the beach and wearing a two-piece -- because I was a 20-something and thats what Ive always worn. I didnt even think about it until I noticed people staring.At first I thought, What are they looking at? Then I realized it was my scar. It was bittersweet because something that brought me life caused people to look at me with what felt like scorn. I dont think I processed it as curiosity or even concern; I processed it as if they were judging me for being imperfect.I dont notice the stares now, but that first year after surgery I was extremely aware of them. I was a young woman and was much more concerned about what others thought. It made me less confident around men and in dating because I was like, Oh, God, Im going to have to tell them about my experience. If things progress, hell see it and what will he think? Its not something that I ever get to walk away from.There were definitely times where I felt awful. I was so mad at my surgeon because the cut isnt a straight line. It sounds crazy now, but Id taken such good care of my body, and before the surgery I had no other scars. None. I never had an accident as a kid that required stitches or didnt heal completely. I dont even have tattoos. So I just felt ruined.Thankfully, my mom was there to talk me through it emotionally because she grounded me. Whenever I expressed concern about people thinking Im ugly because of the scar shed say, How can you worry about that when youre here and youre healthy? If a scar, which is something that was integral to making sure that you were even here becomes a deterrent, then that person has their own hang ups and is not the one for you.Im very proud of my scar now, and I have been for a very long time, but in the beginning it definitely helped me make a lot of smart decisions about people. If I was talking to someone who was very focused on physical perfection and what is and isnt beautiful I would remove myself because Im actually extremely imperfect. Im very comfortable with that, and my scar allowed me to be more aware of the kind of person I want to share my imperfections with.Another surprise bonus of my scar is that I can use it as a weight-gain tool. I dont have the luxury of saying Im going to put on 10 pounds, because whenever I put on weight the scar tissue stretches and it hurts. I immediately feel physically uncomfortable. It just feels like your skin is being pulled taut -- but from the inside -- so it itches. Because of that, its important for me to stay physically fit, so I work out regularly. Im only 5 foot tall, so my sweet spot is 118 pounds. At that weight I still have my curves and my tummy is flat. Thats when I feel my sexiest because a toned up Mitzi is a happy Mitzi.Although my surgery and illness is not the type of experience that I would wish on my worst enemy, I wouldnt take it back because its such a tremendous part of my life journey. It informed who I am today. Im a survivor, and my scar is a daily reminder that life is for the living. I was literally just two cuts away from dying. Theres not a day that I dont get up and recognize how blessed I am to be getting up, period.Anslem Samuel Rocque is Brooklyn-based writer whose has appeared everywhere from Essence and The Root to Complex and Penthouse. When hes not shopping for memorable socks, hes procrastinating about finishing his debut novel. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @iamARocque. Under Armour Shoes Free Shipping . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. Cheap Under Armour Shoes China . The recently retired Stern was elected Friday to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be enshrined with the class of 2014 on Aug. http://www.cheapuashoes.com/ . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. Under Armour Clearance Sale . -- Matt Kuchar and Harris English ran away with the Franklin Templeton Shootout, shooting a 14-under 58 on Sunday in the final-round scramble to break the tournament course record. Wholesale Under Armour Shoes China . Now, with Game 6 set for Fenway Park and an 8:07 p.m. ET first pitch, the Detroit Tigers face the unenviable task of having to beat the Boston Red Sox twice, on the road, to advance to the World Series. LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Asia Durr scored seven points in overtime, including a key free throw with 10.3 seconds remaining, and Myisha Hines-Allen had 26 points before fouling out to help No. 7 Louisville edge No. 17 Kentucky 69-67 on Sunday.Louisville (7-2) ended a five-game losing streak in the annual Bluegrass rivalry. The Cardinals had a chance to win at the end of regulation but couldnt get a shot off. They regrouped to score the first five points of OT behind Durrs 3-pointer and the first of Hines-Allens two baskets before she exited with 1:15 left.Briahanna Jackson added a reverse layup and Durr a free throw that proved a cushion against Maci Morris 3 with five seconds left that got Kentucky (6-2) within 68-67.Jackson added a free throw with 4.1 left and sealed off Taylor Murray long enough for the horn to sound and spark a celebration for the Cardinals. The win ended a two-game losing skid and came after coach Jeff Walz questioned his teams resolve and talked abouut entitlement in a postgame rant that went viral.ddddddddddddMakayla Epps had 22 points and Murray 21 for Kentucky.THE BIG PICTUREKentucky: Two cold stretches for nearly 6 1/2 minutes combined in the first half hurt the Wildcats. Evelyn Akhator (eight points) was limited by foul trouble and exited in OT. The Wildcats were beaten 49-40 on the boards as well.Louisville: Walzs postgame rant after the loss to Maryland seemed to do the trick as the Cardinals didnt let a late deficit bother them. The Cardinals won despite shooting 9 of 20 from the foul line.UP NEXTKentucky: Hosts Middle Tennessee on Friday night. The Wildcats lead the series 14-4 with four straight wins.Louisville: Returns from finals to host another in-state rival in Western Kentucky on Sunday. The Cardinals trail the series 20-15 and lost 71-69 last season in Bowling Green. 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