Gary Heintz

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 most of our family and friends know, Gary was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in 2014.   Pulmonary Fibrosis is a disease that affects  100,000 people   yearly in the US , with 30,000 to 40,000 new diagnosis each year in the world.  Unfortunately, there is no cure for this devastatimg disease.   A lung transplant however , can add many quality years  of life to those affected by this disease.  Gary has continued to try and stay as active as he can, and was able to get in 70 rounds of golf  last year  (with a cart, his oxygen and his golf buddies ), as well as cheering on our grandkids at their sporting events.  
We also were able to take a trip to San Diego this past October with our traveling buddies, Dave and Sandi, so Gary could wade in the Pacific Ocean.  Was an amazing and unforgettable trip that we are so thankful for.  Since then , Gary has gone through countless tests and procedures to become approved for a lung transplant.  Last Thursday, Gary was accepted at the University of Minnesota -Fairview Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  We will remain here until Gary gets the call for the double lung  transplant surgery.  In the meantime, we continue to be in a "protective" environment in our hospital room, trying to keep colds and viruses away ,so Gary can have the best outcome with his surgery.  He will be hospitalized for several weeks and then we will be living here in Minneapolis for three months for tests and rehabilitation,  before we can go home to La Crosse.

Our family and friends  have been amazing in supporting us, and we feel comfort that all of you are only a phone call away (and Annie and Shane, just a few miles away).

I will try to keep you updated on what is happening ,but it may not be everyday. We would both love hearing from you.Gotta keep up with the local "scoops", so we are all caught up when we come HOME💟