Patrick's New Lungs & Lease on Life
I’m Patrick, a 27 year old who grew up in rural Sandown, NH and am now living in Philadelphia with the love of my life and fiancée, Laura. I have a rewarding career as a medical device engineer creating new devices that will hopefully help thousands of people. I have a loving, close knit family and a great network of friends. And I have a lot of interests like running, hiking, skiing, bicycling, and I love playing board games. I try to live each day to the fullest...except that I can’t right now because I’ve spent the past few months in a hospital ICU awaiting a double lung transplant.
I was born with Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic disease which primarily affects my lungs. CF causes the mucus in my lungs to be very sticky which leads to constant infection and damage to lung vessels. I’ve always prioritized my health maintenance and have been diligent with diet, exercise, and especially the endless medications and time consuming treatments that help me to manage my disease. When I was born, the average life expectancy of this disease was 18; however, when I was 18, I hiked Mt. Washington, the tallest peak in NH! I’ve always been determined that statistics weren’t going to dictate my life.
This past fall I became very ill with a head cold. Normally all I require is a few weeks of IV antibiotics and some chest percussion physical therapy to get me back on track, but this time was different. I suffered through persistent fevers over 103°F for more than six weeks causing me to lose 20 lbs. and have irreversible damage to my lungs. I am determined not to quit and am now working on slowly regaining strength in my body. While I should be able to recover some of my muscle mass, I have had to come to terms that my lungs are damaged beyond repair.
What was once thought to be a possible option for me many years down the road has now become an urgent medical necessity. I am now nationally listed for a double lung transplant and have been accepted for the surgery in a Boston area hospital. However, due to a unique complication, I am not compatible with the majority of donor lungs. Because of this, we striving to have me enrolled in multiple geographical areas such as NYC, Philadelphia, Cleveland, and others in order to increase my odds of obtaining a suitable match.
The financial ramifications of a lung transplant are significant. The transplant procedure itself is in excess of $800,000 and each month of post-transplant medicines is estimated to be $10,000. While most of these costs should be covered by my medical insurance, I am expecting to incur thousands of dollars in deductibles and coinsurance. There will be additional costs of lodging and meals. Unfortunately, I have been unable to work since October and suspect it may be sometime before I am able to return.
Throughout my life, I’ve been surrounded an amazing group of family, friends and community members that have always been there for me in my battle against CF. Today, I need to ask for your help once more and ask for assistance with the financial burdens that my transplant will create. Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for considering making a donation to my cause. Most importantly, thank you for providing me with a second lease on life and helping to shape 2017 into a memorable year full of love, happiness and gratitude.
