LUNG
ORGANS – LUNG
Steve says . “ But if something happened , I wanted to be able to talk to my kids .” Instead of a ventilator , Steve opted to lay on his belly and wear a mask with high-flow oxygen . “ The mask wore my nose down to the bone ,” he recalls .
After a stint at a physical rehabilitation facility , Steve returned home , but only for five days . He developed COVID-related acute respiratory distress syndrome ( ARDS ) and ended up in the emergency room . “ They thought I was going to die ,” Steve says .
In fact , the palliative care team was working with Lynne and the couple ’ s three adult children to arrange for end-of-life care . “ Steve didn ’ t want to die in a hospital on a machine ,” Lynne says . “ He was going to go home , whatever that looked like .”
From Resignation to Hope While the family was in meetings with the palliative care team , Steve received word that he ’ d been referred to the UAB Comprehensive Transplant Institute ( CTI ) for a double-lung transplant . On Nov . 13 , 2021 , the CTI sent an air ambulance to fly Steve to UAB . “ It happened so quickly that it felt like getting hit by a tornado ,” Steve remembers .
Charles Hoopes , MD , his surgeon and the CTI surgical director for thoracic transplant , notes that Steve ’ s situation – known as a “ salvage transplant ” – comes with unique challenges . “ A transplant is more complicated when a patient has no history of chronic disease , has no long-term relationship with the medical team , and is not expecting it ,” Dr . Hoopes says . “ Psychologically , it ’ s a challenge .”
Lynne acknowledges that difficulty . “ Most people who receive organs are sick , and they ’ re able to mentally adjust to the fact that they ’ re sick ,” she says . “ We went from sick to dying really fast . It ’ s an adjustment .”
The family faced another hurdle in December 2021 , when they were told that donor lungs were available , but then the transplant didn ’ t proceed . “ The good people at UAB had become our family and everyone was disappointed , but I knew that the good Lord kept me there for a reason ,” Steve says .
The couple spent Christmas and New Year ’ s at the UAB CTI , and Steve doubled down on his efforts to be in the best shape possible for his transplant . “ I walked three miles a day in the ICU – 30 laps in the morning and 30 in the evening ,” he says .
Dr . Hoopes says Steve ’ s efforts positioned him for a successful transplant . “ A transplanted heart beats on its own , but lungs require that the patient participate by breathing ,” he says . “ Physical therapy is critical prior to the operation .”
A Birthday Gift The gift of new lungs arrived on Jan . 30 , 2022 . “ They kept me asleep for the first day but woke me up on February 1 , which is my birthday ,” Steve says . “ I was able to stand up on my own and walk 1,600 feet .”
Dr . Hoopes notes that , while Steve struggled during his recovery , his motivation to succeed was never in doubt . “ He walked and fought to stay off a ventilator ,” he says . “ The brain interprets difficulty breathing as a life-threatening situation , but Steve pushed through it .”
When Lynne worked for the county clerk ’ s office issuing drivers ’ licenses , she encouraged residents to become organ donors . In the past year , the couple has had the unexpected opportunity to witness transplantation from the perspective of both the donor and the recipient . “ Last year , our daughter-in-law ’ s brother was killed by lightning and was an organ donor ,” Lynne says . “ This year , Steve received a double-lung transplant .”
Steve is looking forward to the day when he can get back to working , fishing , and hunting , but he isn ’ t taking his new lungs for granted . “ The reason I got into shape was because of the donor ’ s sacrifice ,” he says . “ I prayed for the donor and their family , and I hope they realize that their loved one ’ s sacrifice saved my whole family .”
Lynne is documenting their day-to-day journey and one day will read it to Steve . “ There have been terrible nights and long days , but marriage is for better or worse , right ?”
30 UAB CTI Report