update Thursday May 16th 2024

Hello from me and my donors lungs.

To everyone that has put up with this sharing of my GoFundMe page while I’ve been dealing with this illness,

I want to thank you for your kind words any generosity and God Bless you.

Also wanted to give you guys an update from myself personally, now that I am in recovery.

It’s a long process to get on a transplant list, it was over 2 years of testing etc. back-and-forth after the pulmonologist refers you they only accept roughly 75 patients a year.

Our hospital here in Seattle Washington supports Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Washington and they do roughly 68 a year that tells you how tough it is to get on the list, Gods hands.

once I was approved to be on the list. I got the call less than two weeks after being listed. They had a lungs available for me. Miracle number two as the median wait is 148 days. We as a team, accepted it and I had the surgery last Saturday morning. The surgery was successful And I woke up approximately 14 hours later, I did not know what was going on at that point, but I did get good lungs.

From day one we go through some testing in the ICU to allow me to breathe on my own. Learn to swallow and eat, and I’ve passed all of those within the first three days by day four I’ve been up out of bed and have walked 800 feet which doesn’t seem like much but it’s miles in this condition.

My goal is to double that each day, for those of you that do know me, know that I’m a very competitive person, so I have no desire to just waste this opportunity that was blessed for me with prayers and lots of well wishes. I am ready to get strong enough to go back to normal basketball football all the things that I’ve enjoyed over my life, unfortunately the disease that I had hit me fast and the easiest way to describe that disease is to take a balloon and punch it with 100 pin holes and then try to blow it up and release it. That’s basically what it does to your lungs so again I’m passing along I have roughly 6 to 8 month recovery. 90 of those days will be in a recovery system but in addition pay for care giver and place to rehab. I have to have a place close to hospital for a possibly 3 months but could be longer.

You can go home if within a hour but I’m three hours away.

They figure it’s about 60 grand out-of-pocket is what you need to come up with after all your insurance covers.

That’s not counting food and the other things that I mentioned Insurance stinks and I’m a state employee The sharing here is more important than the money to tell you the truth. It just gets it out to more people, that maybe able to give 10 bucks.

I would like to post a couple pictures once I figure out how to do this, as my sister has run this up to this point. To share battle scars, the quick turnaround as far as drinking and walking and I’ve been told I’m way ahead of schedule. I am very competitive so everyone’s support, prayers or money has allowed me to get off to a good start. Also means leaving hospital faster than normal.

I thank each of you who have seen and commented. For your love and possible donation thank you. Those that can’t it’s okay but please share it.

I am personally on the donor list I was 22. I would like to ask you all to consider it. Tragically someone passed for me to live. It could be someone close to you.

When saying prayers please add the anonymous donor as well.

Update: James was approved by the transplant team and is to remain in hospital until he can receive new double lung transplant. There are many expenses that go along with this, any help you can give regardless of how small is greatly appreciated. Please share.

James was diagnosed at the age of 50 with a hereditary gene, Alpha 1 Antitrypsin deficiency. This is a condition in which the body does not make enough AAT, a protein that protects the lungs and liver from damage. He currently has

1 lung gone and the other is deteriorating.

This is a big process just to be able to get on the transplant list (of which he is currently undergoing). The expenses that go along with this require several trips to the hospital for many tests including some multi-day visits. He was required to put together a care team of family/ friends that will assist him throughout this process up to and after he receives the transplant. The transplant, itself, will require him to be in the hospital 2-3 weeks (three hours from home), he then is required to have 24-hour care and stay within 30 minutes of the hospital with his care team. His care team have volunteered to do this without a second thought of traveling for someone that if he was able would not think twice about doing it for others. The care team will take him to all appointments 2-3 times a week and assist him for the 3-4 months he will need to stay near the hospital. Insurance does NOT cover the care team or expenses of living near hospital. Just the lodging can be $4000-$7000 a month depending on availability of lodging not including food, phone, TV, etc. Insurance does not cover the medications co-pays/deductibles/OTC meds that he will need to have out of pocket funds to cover. The meds themselves can be upwards of $8000-$10,000. After James is allowed to return to his home, he will still need some care from family and friends.

James is a brother, father, son, uncle, great-uncle that has always done whatever he can to help his family, friends, co-workers, and those around him. Even with his current condition his still tries to do what he can for others. He is a 1989 graduate of Hermantown High School and enjoys sports. With his current state there are many days/weeks that he cannot even go outside. Hopefully he will be able to do those things again soon. James enjoys his work with the State of Washington as an IP Engineer Specialist.

Any assistance is very much appreciated.