Today is November 25, 2020, and I am celebrating six months with my new lungs! There are so many things bouncing around in my head and heart. I don’t think my fingers are fast enough to capture all my thoughts and harness them to the keyboard. I’ll give it a solid mid-western try, though. 

My Donor and Family

I’m filled with gratitude when I think of my donor and the gift I received, but at the same time, grieve for my donor’s family. Their loss was my gain, and that breaks my heart for what they are undoubtedly going through. I’m beyond grateful for the life they have passed on to me, and I pray they are comforted by that precious gift as much as I am. 

It is my commitment to them to care for these lungs as the treasure they are. I will protect them to my best ability. I’m committed to exercising regularly to fill them with the oxygen they so deserve and to make them stronger. 

By the way, it’s a good thing I enjoy physical fitness as much as I do because, I’m telling you what, working out gets much more challenging when you swap out major organs. Especially the lungs. I don’t recommend trying it. 

The Medical Team

I’m overwhelmed by the number of doctors, nurses, assistants, and therapists who cared for me during the months I spent in the hospitals. I’ve always known it takes special people to do their work, but I never truly understood it. Maybe I still don’t. However, I learned a lot by watching them and counting on them for my every need. 

Their profession is a calling. It’s not a job where people just land. Take my past career in the travel industry. I spent nearly 18 years there because I only had to commit to three months of training to do it. Boom! It was a quick education, but I found myself smack in the middle of a career that I didn’t genuinely love. No, doctors and nurses spend years learning their craft and are committed to all it involves.

Nonetheless, to my knowledge, there is no way school can prepare them for the emotions that will come with each day of work. They provide more than medical necessities. They also give kindness, mental support, encouragement, prayers, and human touch. In a Covid world, when your family can’t be with you, these beautiful people take on much more than they used to. They truly care! 

I’ll leave a big THANK YOU right here to all the health care professionals reading this. And if you happen to be part of the medical team who helped save my life, words can never express how deeply grateful I am for you. You are real heroes! 

Science

Science amazes me. When I think about how researchers have discovered ways to take one human’s body parts and put them into another human, I’m mind blown. I have someone else’s lungs inside me! Mine are in a landfill somewhere in the Durham area. Well, maybe not anymore. It has been six months. I know, Ewww, but it’s true.  

Science is a gift that we often take for granted. We should all stop to give praise for the secrets God shares through test tubes and clinical trials. 

Family and Friends

I hope I’ve been able to express my thoughts and feelings to all of my family and friends adequately. They continue to carry me through this unexpected adventure. Ups and downs can happen quickly, and they take it all in stride. There are a few special people I want to acknowledge specifically. 

My husband, John, is an incredible man. I’m fully aware of the fire he’s been walking through since April. I have no idea how he remained so strong while sitting alone in our house, waiting for the next call from the hospital. Would it be good or bad news? Although I know he was glad to do it, the hours he spent focused entirely on being my caregiver when I left the hospital had to be exhausting. There was very little I could do on my own at that point, so it was all on him. Now, he lives with a somewhat crazy woman entangled in a ball of emotions. Oh, my cup runs over with love for this man. 

My precious daughters have had to face far too much loss in the past several years. Since February 2015, three of their grandparents passed: my dad, their dad’s mom, and John’s mom. They dealt with the threat of losing their mother with much grace, hope, and faith, as did my amazing step-daughters. I long to spend as much time with them as possible and squeeze them tightly. Life is too short to let precious opportunities escape. 

A mother should never have to face the death of a child, no matter what their age or circumstances. But the fact is, they sometimes do. My mom is incredibly special to me. She has been my rock, spiritual advisor, mentor, the voice of reason, cheerleader, and much, much more. I can’t imagine her emotions as she sat nearly 800 miles away as her daughter clung to life. A mother’s love runs deep, and the pain her child suffers also hurts her. I hate she had to face such a scare. I know her well, so I can hear her pleading with God for my healing. There’s significant evidence that He listened to her cries. I strive to have the audacity to approach the throne of Heaven as she does, with confidence and conviction. I’m quite sure she tells God precisely what she wants. He must get a little chuckle from her “I know You can do it, so just get on with it. please” approach. 

The Tribe is my inner circle of friends. They started training with me in a small group in the gym. It didn’t take long for these gals to capture my heart and for our friendships to blossom. These women are strong, independent ladies who also have the biggest hearts imaginable. There aren’t many days that pass without a touch from them. Those touches come in the form of text messages, emails, and prayers. And wow, have they prayed me through. They aren’t just The Tribe; they are MY Tribe. 

My family and friends are always willing to listen, to comfort, and to laugh with me. Trust me. There’s much to laugh about, even amid all the turmoil. Nose hoses and tube juice (known to most as tube feeds) come to mind, along with my need for my mom’s boobs. Not to put on my body, because to be frank, my frame couldn’t tolerate that. I needed them for cushion to take a good nap like the babies in our family do. I know these things are silly, but the laughter they brought was great medicine. 

I could spend countless hours sharing about all who encouraged and prayed for me. However, I must move on. But before I do, if you are one of these people, please know I see you. I hold you tight in my heart, and I’m forever grateful. 

Emotions

Although many of my emotional swings are brought on by the loads of medications I’m required to take, I understand much of these emotional roller coasters are caused by something much more profound. Grief is evident, anxiety is ever-present, and depression and anger lurk. They all hover in the corners of my heart and pounce like lions when least expected. 

You may wonder why grief is part of this and possibly think I should be content with the fact that I’m alive. I am, but I’m also forced to deal with what I’ve lost. At times, this loss makes me sad and angry. It certainly causes anxiety. 

I can no longer be around family members without considering where they’ve been and what illnesses they might have unknowingly contracted. This concern will continue even past the current pandemic. Taking the risk of getting any virus or infection is not a good idea since I have a suppressed immune system that can’t aggressively fight against these things. 

My diet has had to change. Did you know there’s such a thing as pasteurized eggs? Yeah, I didn’t either. Probiotics are found in many fitness supplements and are no longer allowed. They’re live bacteria that assist with gut health. Even good bacteria are not what I should knowingly be putting in my body. And when you’re a nutrition coach, you’d rather not hear processed foods are better than fresh foods in many cases. How can that even be?

I’ve plummeted from my fitness high-horse. Now I feel as if I’m clinging to its reigns while it runs full speed ahead, dragging me bouncing and banging around behind it. My husband used to tell people I jumped like a flea. At this point, I’m lucky to get both feet off the ground at one time. My heart rate while sedentary has rocketed from in the 50s to the mid-80s on good days. And let’s not even talk about all the work that went into creating a nice, round backside. GONE! 

Not that I ever truly enjoyed large crowds or that they are even happening right now, but being told that I should consider staying away from group events is infuriating. Quite frankly, I prefer making my own decisions. 

I could go on and on, but I won’t. I have no desire to dwell in the negative. There’re too many things for which to be grateful. I know I will find “fit Lana” again, and all these changes will become the new normal. Until then, I will stay on my knees with my eyes looking up, allowing God to do His work.

Lungaversary donation page

At this point, I want to share some statistics with you about lung transplants. However, it won’t be as much as I would like because I found myself in tears as I read through the information available. It’s tough stuff to soak in as a recipient. I’ll share the few facts that I could manage to absorb today.

According to research, my life expectancy has decreased significantly. I have always pictured myself living to a ripe old age, getting on everyone’s nerves with my, shall we call it, independence and determination. Nevertheless, the percentage of survival rate after transplant is not as high as I’d like it to be. I will continue to trust and know God has a way of astonishing us. Scientific facts don’t limit Him. 

Lung transplants are much riskier than other organ transplants. While all other organs are encapsulated and protected, lungs are always exposed. Every breath taken goes straight to these precious organs. Everything I smell makes me stop to consider what is going into my body. Relaxing by a fire is nerve-racking. Hairspray to help conceal noticeably thin hair? Hold your breath! 

Transplants are expensive. According to the National Foundation for Transplants, a single-lung transplant has an estimated bill of $861,700. Now, double that and add a lift in a medical helicopter! Yep, that’s about right. 

Before transplant patients can be placed on the waiting list for an organ match, they must show proof of funding of 20% of the cost of their organ transplant surgery. Praise the Lord for our outstanding insurance coverage. 

The average wait time for a lung transplant is 185 days. Due to my case’s severity, my transplant took place just six short days after I was listed—yet another praise.

At this point, you may be wondering if there is anything that you can do to make a difference in regards to transplants. The answer is overwhelmingly YES! I’ve listed two options below for you. Take a look.

First, consider becoming an organ donor. It’s simple to do, could leave a significant impact on many, and you presumably won’t miss your organs when you’ve departed this world. All you have to do is visit Donate Life, fill in a few blanks, and click submit. Go ahead, save some lives, you awesome superhero! 

The second option is to donate funds for research to stop all lung transplant rejection. I have created a LUNGAVERSARY donation page to celebrate my new life. My one-year lungaversary will be on May 25, 2021. It’s my goal to raise $1250 or more for The Lung Transplant Foundation. This foundation was founded as a non-profit organization by a group of lung transplant recipients from Durham and Chapel Hill, NC. They have been raising funds and advocating for lung transplant research since 2009. Go ahead. You know you want to save some more lives. 

Thanksgiving

Tomorrow marks the day of Thanksgiving in the United States. I enjoy the reflection this holiday leads me to. But this year is different. My gratitude is embedded far deeper in my heart. The peace that surpasses all understanding is almost tangible. The joy of living is front and center. 

Although I don’t know what my future holds, I will continue to keep the faith. I will fight to do the work I’ve been called to earth to do. I will ROCK MY PURPOSE!