Awaiting a Double Lung Transplant

Hello, my name is David Rundell, I am 68 years old and Father to 5, Grandfather to 10, and a Great Grandfather as of March 17th. I very much look forward to being able to meet him!! My hobbies include classic cars, camping, boating and going to the lake and river. I love to spend my time with my family and pets, being outdoors and working on anything and everything I can build or fix!

We found our dream house with over 20 acres in Heber City, UT. This rental property gave my family the opportunity to have space to run around, raise horses, chickens and cattle. While working a full-time job, I was very active taking care of all the animals and maintaining the ranch including growing, cropping and baling alfalfa which was in itself, another full-time job. Very sadly our landlord passed away in 2017 and handed the house down to his children.

We noticed an increasingly musty smell in the basement, especially apparent in the bedroom at the bottom of the stairs. In March 2018, I informed one of the landlords that it appeared there was black mold in the carpet and extreme moisture and buckling of paint on the walls. In June, we were informed by the Trust attorney that we were to vacate the property no later than August 31st as it was being sold.

Finally, at the beginning of July a man came to assess the situation. He returned on July 22nd and began removing the mold without any protection over the doorway from that room while tearing up carpet and removing the mold from the walls, unfortunately exposing the entire house to the black mold spores. I immediately had my family get a hotel room and stay out of the house until it was safe to return. While they were away, I had to remain in the home to pack the house to vacate, take care of all our animals and to allow the contractor in and out.

After about 30 days of being out of the ranch, I began to experience breathing and coughing health related issues. My primary Dr finally referred me to a Pulmonologist in 2019. After extensive testing it was confirmed there was a mass growing in my lungs. It was estimated at the time to be the size of a golf ball. Due to the delays of the pandemic and additional testing, finally In June 2021 I was able to have surgery to remove the mass. The mass turned out to be larger than a baseball and caused due to the black mold exposure. I was diagnosed with I.L.D. (Interstitial Lung Disease) which causes the lungs to rapidly harden over time and unfortunately there are no medications or therapy that can reverse it.

After testing positive for COVID in September 2021, I was admitted to the hospital and have been between there and a respiratory rehab facility and in the hospital for over 6 months. I am currently back in the hospital and after working very closely the past several months with the AMAZING transplant team at the University of Utah, I feel very blessed to be on the transplant list awaiting a double lung transplant.

As of today, April 3, 2022 I am awaiting my new lungs and looking forward to the day that I can again spend quality time with my family and our animals !! I am truly grateful for any and all contributions I receive as I have been incapable of working over the past 6 months which has been quite a financial burden and there will be a multitude of medical expenses and expensive medications following my double lung transplant.

This has been a very challenging and emotional time for my entire family and I am so very grateful they have been here for me every step of the way and have helped keep my spirits high!!

Thank you and God Bless you and your family !!