My dad, or as most know him, Chip, was diagnosed 11 years ago with Emphysema COPD. He worked in a refinery for over 30 years. It wasn’t long after being diagnosed with Emphysema that he was put on oxygen. At the time, my daughter was around 2 years old so they didn’t get to do the things most grandpa and granddaughters get to do. At the time (2009) my dad's pulmonologist threw out the idea of a lung transplant and my dad was interested and started the process with the testing and classes and soon opted out. It’s overwhelming when you have all this information being thrown at you, not to mention it’s scary. Soon after, my dad was put on three liters of oxygen (2009) as his emphysema progressed. After months of pulmonary rehab, the pulmonologist again (2017) suggested a double lung transplant. My dad hesitated and said he needed to discuss this with his wife and family and that he would let him know. He decided he wanted to go ahead and see if he was a good candidate for the double lung transplant. It’s a long process, test after test, pulmonary rehab after pulmonary rehab, appointment after appointment. It’s all worth it in the end. After all the appointments, after all the obstacles, on March 22, 2019 Dad was finally put on the Transplant list!!! Then, on April 9, 2019, while I was at work, my cell phone rang and it was my mom calling. I answered it of course. “Laura! Laura! We have a donor! Barnes has a donor for Dad!” I could barely hear what she was saying because she was crying. So I repeated what I thought she was saying. She said, "Yes! You need to get here as soon as possible." I instantly started crying. You wait and wait for this day to come, all the anticipation, the hard work you watch your loved one go through, and then you get the call. It’s here, this is the day ! It’s a feeling I know none of us will ever forget. On April 10, 2019 he underwent a double lung transplant. The surgeons said the surgery should take 6-12 hours, and it took 4 1/2 hours. He just celebrated his six month anniversary on October 10, 2019 and is doing incredible. He finally gets to live life again.
If you’re a donor family or a living donor, you’re a hero and your family member is a true hero. If you’re on the waiting list, don’t lose faith! Your time is coming, and my family will be praying for all of you. 💙💚💙💚
