Cheryl Garcia's New Lungs

She finally got the call! We want to share our sister and friend, Cheryl Garcia's story. About ten years ago Cheryl was diagnosed with interstitial lung disease, an autoimmune disease that attacked her lungs. She was told she would probably need a lung transplant at some point in her future. Cheryl did not let this shocking news stop her from living her life. She is strong, brave, resilient and has faced many obstacles over the years, including breast cancer and recovery from a head-on car collision. Nothing has stopped her, even as her lungs have functioned less and less.

Two years ago at UCSF Cheryl was told the only option left was a double lung transplant and she was placed on the lung transplant waiting list. This began multiple trips back and forth to San Francisco, trips that were time consuming, difficult and at times very scary. She has been poked, prodded and tested, and put on a ton of different meds, trying to slow down the deterioration of her lungs. Eventually she became dependent on “Hank the Tank”, her oxygen tank.

Through all of this Cheryl has maintained a positive attitude, never complains, always wears a smile, and has kept her sense of humor! When decorating for Christmas this year it broke my heart when she mentioned her fear of not making it to Christmas. Then on Monday, December 18th the long awaited call came…..there was possibly a pair of lungs for her! They immediately headed to San Francisco, making the trip in two and a half hours. Not bad with Bay Area traffic and rain on top of that. Once she arrived at the hospital they ran all kinds of tests to see if the lungs were a match. Everything was falling into place, all of the tests were coming back as a match. Her doctor told her he needed to examine and measure the lungs before giving the final “thumbs up”. At this point it became a waiting game. There were some logistical problems and the hours passed. Finally, at 1:00 AM Cheryl was rolled into surgery. She was on the operating table for twelve hours. SHE MADE IT THROUGH!!

We have been praying for new lungs for Cheryl for the past two years. She finally received her new lungs on December 19th, her birthday! God is so good

Phase two of Cheryl’s journey has just begun. She was in ICU for four days and is now in her own room at UCSF. The doctors are thrilled with how well she is doing. If all goes according to plan she will be in the hospital for another week. When she leaves the hospital Cheryl and her care giver have to remain in the city for six weeks to insure that she is near the hospital in case something goes wrong. During the first few weeks she will have multiple doctor visits to make sure that her body is not rejecting her new lungs.

Cheryl worked for many months longer than she should have, not because she loved her job (she does like it) but because it was financially necessary. When her body finally said “enough” she went on disability. Her disability has run out. She won’t be able to return to work for a year. Cheryl has a gigantic heart. She gives to others even when she can’t really afford to. She has always put herself at the back of the line and taken care of family and friends. Cheryl would never think of asking for help.

Now we are reaching out for her. The medical bills are already piling up, the six week stay in San Francisco is going to be outrageous. She will be taking up to thirty pills a day for the rest of her life. There will be many more trips to UCSF over the next year. When I read about all of the dos and don’ts Cheryl will be dealing with post transplant, it is overwhelming. Cheryl has so much to face over the next year. Our prayer is that we can raise enough funds so that she doesn’t have to stress about how to pay her bills over the next few months. We so want her to be able to rest, not worry, but just concentrate on getting better.

Thank you so much for reading her story! We know that life right now is hard for most of us. Just paying our own bills is tough. If you aren’t in a place where you can donate, that’s okay. We would appreciate your prayers very much. Please keep them coming. Please SHARE her story with everyone you know. Cheryl has a long road ahead of her, with possibly setbacks along the way, but we are trusting God to carry her through!