GoGettersMagazine.com welcomes Amy Tippins, Rock Scar Love founder, to the team. Feel free to “Ask Amy” advice on anything you like. RockScar Love founder, Amy Tippins, is an organ and tissue transplant patient. After five years of dealing with undiagnosed multiple hepatic adenomas (hemorrhaging tumors), Amy received a liver transplant in 1993 and received a ligament allograft in 2010.
Since then, Amy has tirelessly committed herself to coaching others through their transplant experiences. A member of the Lifelink of Georgia Transplant Advocacy Group, Amy speaks at transplant conferences and mentors transplant patients of all ages.
Rock Scar Love is a company focused on helping transplant patients embrace their new, incredibly wonderful journey of a life. Rock Scar Love provides patients, donors, family and friends with unique sports clothing attire that brings laughter and love to them during their journey.
Amy is active in the following groups:
- Atlanta Jaycees
- Camp All American Youth Basketball Coach
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Mentor
- Dress for Success Non-Profit Volunteer
- Georgia Transplant Foundation Adult Mentor
- Lifelink TAG Member
Amy, Stephan and I are honored to have you on the team at GoGettersMagazine.com. Your tireless efforts to put others first encapsulates the mission of our magazine perfectly. Thanks for living a purpose driven life… and thanks for being you!
Amy, could you please make a “privledge of the scar” tank top for women? I love look of it but like tanks better than T’s. Jut a suggestion. Can’t wait to get one of your awesome shirts!
(2 years post liver tx on sept 30!)
The shirt will will be offered in vneck for women soon on the website. Thanks for the support and congrats on your upcoming anniversary!
Thank you so much for asking me to be a part of the GoGettersMagazine.com team. I love the purpose of the magazine to celebrate those who give back and are making a difference in this world. I look forward to being a part of and watching Go Getter’s growth.
Couldnt agree more with that, very attractive article
Hi Amy-
Congratulations on your new gig! You are going to be one busy lady!
Cheryl
Not sure if this is the best place to ask questions for your ask amy segment but here it goes.
If you could tell yourself one thing about transplants when you were younger and awaiting surgery what would that be?
I know I struggled before my surgery because I did not know what information out there was fake and what info was old ect.
I think that the one thing that I would tell others is that life really can be normal! We all imagine being sick for the rest of our lives when we think of transplant. While that can and does happen, normal is obtainable for more patients then not. It is our responsibility to create it though…it isn’t just going to happen. It requires a healthy diet, LOTS OF EXERCISE (this is one of the top things we can do to be healthy) and going back to work as soon as possible.
I look at organ/tissue donation as a very deeply spiritual thing.
I’m sure not a day goes by that you don’t have spontaneous moments of sheer gratitude for the staggeringly selfless gift you have received. Of course this affects you in a positive physical way, but may I ask what this does for you on a spiritual level? I’m not an overly religious person, but do consider myself a spiritual person. I think of the words of Jesus, “This is my body, this is my blood” and organ donation makes me feel that Christ consciousness is present in all of this. I cannot help but think a sharing of an organ goes beyond the physical benefits.
Ms. Tippins, how will you make your biggest impact on the lives of others?
Kelley Ann,
If you do believe in a Higher Being then transplant does have a profound effect on your spiritual walk and they are tied together. Transplant usually affects that walkin in one of two ways. Sometimes patients become angry over what has happened to them and question the goodness of God. When a patient learns to be at peace and accept the good and the bad of transplant then usually it brings them closer to their Higher Being. For me, I had to go through both stages. When you are dealing with the reality that the renewal of your health and life most likely comes from the death of someone (if you are of the Christian faith, some could say this could remind you of Christ since he had to die for the world to find new life) then it can be very hard to dealth with and you can suffer from survivor’s guilt (note: this is one of the hardest things for family and friends to understand). Hopefully, over time you are able to look back on your experience and see how your faith has lead you through it and your Higher Being was there for you. The one thing that I will say is that if a patient has dealt with the emotionally hard part of being transplant, they usually have a great understanding of who they are and what their purpose in life is. When you find your purpose then I believe one becomes closer to God. I know that my life and my love for my God has been enriched by my experience and I wouldn’t take it back for anything; it has made me a better person.
Salena,
I hope that I will make my biggest impact on others by living by example what I am most passionate about…recipients living passioate lives that they are forever in debt to their donor for. My desire for my company and myself is to have an effect on how the outside world views the quality of life that transplant patients are capable of. In my mind, the bar is raised on a transplant patient to live their life with greater purpose, passion and responsibilty than those who have not had this beautiful journey. Transplant is not an excuse for the “why not”, but a jumping off point to achieve the impossible.
With that said, do we ever know how we impact others in our day to day lives with a smile or a word? Moments of kindness to a stranger can have a greater impact than what the masses think remember us by. I hope my impact on others is one that is worthy of the gift that I have been given.
Found you blog via yahoo I must say I m impressed with your posts!
Hi Amy,
Just stopping by to say congratulations on your wonderful column! It is such an honor to know you and your amazing work. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us.
Keilty, thank you so much for the kind comments! Thanks so much for supporting me, Go Getter”s Magazine and http://www.rockscarlove.com!
Sabine,
I am so humbled by your support and all that you have done for me! I can not wait for the day we meet in person!
Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.
I am impressed, Very rarely do I discover a blog that is both educative and entertaining. Your thoughts are important; the issue is something that not enough people are speaking intelligently about. I’m very happy that I stumbled across this in my search for something relating to it.
+1 ))
I just put the link of your blog on my Facebook Wall. very nice indeed.’:~,
Good work Amy, can you tell me why you are so motivated? And, what can I do to reach my goals and dreams to be a business owner?
Tom, I think I am motivated for multiple reasons: (1) I am a sales person and I like to shoot to be the best (2) I almost died and now I realize that life is not to be taken lightly (3) It really frustrates me to see transplant patients that use their experience as a reason for entitlement and/or excuse on “why not”. I want to that to become unacceptable behavior. (4) A lot of people think that transplant patients can’t have a normal life…that should NOT be the expectation level.
The dream to become a business owner always starts with something that lights you on fire and make you passionate! Find what your passion is and how you want to make a change in that world and dive in! Surround yourself with advisors that are successful business owners! And ask Nike says it…”Just do it”. Welcome to the business owner club!