Curtis Wall

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.


As many of you know in the summer of 2013, our dad was diagnosed with Idiopathic Lung Disease.   Its a rare disease that has no known cause or cure.   It is a disease that causes scar tissue to form on the lungs which can not be reversed.   At the time of our dad's diagnosis, he was told that unless he had a lung transplant, he would likely not survive much more than 3 years.   Certainly very scary news for him and all of us to hear.    From that point on he had to slow his life down and he began wearing oxygen at night and during any physical activity.   But looking back we have all been blessed that despite limits to his activity, he has been able to live life fairly normally and he's continued to share in many experiences and memories with family and friends, and especially his 6 grandkids.   We have all been fortunate that his lungs have exceeded the three year marker that was given as well.    More recently however, during this past spring of 2018, his lung functioning began getting worse and he has been needing his oxygen pretty much full time (apart from sitting very still and his moments of stubbornness ).    In April he met further with his care team at the University of Minnesota to begin the testing and approval process for getting a lung transplant.     Just this past weekend we were given the amazing news that he was eligible to get on the lung transplant list.   We were shocked to hear this morning (8/21/18) that a set of lungs has been identified as a match.   At the time I am writing this he only recently arrived at the hospital around 2pm.  As our dad is the one of the most caring people around, we know he is certainly thankful but most definitely thinking about the family and friends of someone who is suffering today as he is preparing for surgery.   There is always a chance that the doctors may revoke the decision that the lungs are in the proper condition or match for transplant, there is a lot of testing to be done while he is there, but as of now things are moving forward.   If the doctors approve our best guess is surgery will occur sometime tonight around 9pm.   All of our family appreciates so much and we know our dad appreciates everyone's well wishes and support.   We  all are asking for prayers for a strong set of lungs, prayers for the doctors and all the care team involved, prayers for the family and friends of the individual who is giving my dad the gift of lungs and prayers for my dad to stay strong, positive, calm and healthy during this process.   We will continue to update this site through journal entries as frequent as possible.    Thank you all for your care and concern for our dad.   


Love, Rachel and Aaron