John’s double lung transplant journey

On November 14th 2020,  John Morgan received the call that would change his life forever. A second chance at life.  He was told that the following day he would receive a Double Lung Transplant at VGH in Vancouver, BC.  He has been on the active transplant list since February of 2019.  His body and mind were ready, he had been preparing himself for this since the day he went on the list. He was persistent and exercised  7 days a week for 2-4 hours a day, and really pushed himself, even on his worst days.

John was born in Nanaimo BC in 1962.
At the tender age of five years old, he had been diagnosed with Encephalitis, Pneumonia, Whooping cough and was in a Coma for three months.   John's five siblings remember the day their Mom came home to tell them that their little brother would never be coming home again. But even then John beat all the odds. A Miracle happened and John woke up from his Coma to surprise and delight everyone. He missed the entire year of Kindergarten and went into Grade 1 the following year. He still hadn’t quite fully recovered, but continued to push forward to everyone's amazement.

All through out John’s life he has been in and out of hospitals with serious life-threatening medical issues.

In 1979/1980 he met Dawn, they married in 1986 and had a baby girl, named Ann-Marie. John insisted that he wanted to be a good provider for his family, so he went back to school. He complete his Apprenticeship in 1990 as an Electrician and eventually became a Foreman managing multiple jobs. He was an extremely hard worker and truly loved his job.

Just a few short years later, John was diagnosed with End-Stage COPD.
In 1997, he was home with his young Daughter when his right lung collapsed suddenly. His Daughter described it as the most frightening moment of her entire life and called 911.  John was rushed to Royal Columbian Hospital and had his first collapsed lung. They immediately rushed him into surgery and did an operation called "Bullectomy" to remove large areas of damaged lung.  Goodbyes were said thinking this might be it, but again John defied all odds and fought for his life.
A few years later, John had a second lung collapse in 2000 which had resulted in his second Bullectomy operation on his left lung.  Sadly he was advised by the doctors, he was not stable enough to return back to work.  He was devastated!

Between then and now, and all the years struggling to breathe, walk any distance and live a somewhat normal life, he now has been diagnosed with Osteoporosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis to add to his life struggles.  

To this day even though he has always struggled with health issues, John has always stayed positive. His love and outlook on life is truly inspirational. His sense of humour has always brought many laughs to all those around him, even during these most difficult times.

John is now a proud Grandpa of an energetic 5 year old. Their bond is incredible. The very first thing John said he wants to do when he heals is ride a bike with his Grandson. He just wants to play with him without losing his breath. It just shows how much we take for granted, the simple things in life like a breath, and being able to ride a bicycle.

Sometimes it’s very hard to ask for help, but unfortunately at times, there isn’t any other options. John has a very long road to recovery. The expenses for some meds and equipment are not covered by BC Medical and they can be extremely costly.  He will also have to travel to and from Vancouver General Hospital a few times a week which again will be costly. We really want John to focus on his healing journey and not be concerned or stressed about how he can afford to heal and live.

Thank you all for taking the time to read John's story.  We want to conclude this by saying how beyond grateful we are for the selfless hero who has changed the story of John’s life with their own tragedy.  The hero who gave others a second chance at life with the greatest generosity ever known, Organ Donation.
A terrible loss that will become our greatest gift. Forever grateful.
If you wish to become an Organ Donor, please follow this link and have the conversation with your family, it takes less than a minute to become one.

http://www.transplant.bc.ca/our-services/organ-donor-registry 


If anyone would feel more comfortable to do an email transfer, you may send it to:

[email redacted] 
(no spaces) 

Thank you