First post:
Apr 21, 2021 Latest post:
Aug 17, 2022
Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your prayers, support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.
About 5 years ago Tony had a cough that wouldn’t go away and he was diagnosed with IPF - Interstitial Pulmonary Fibrosis. (Scar tissue buildup in his lungs). There is no cure for it. They don’t know what causes it. People who work in an office have it, so it’s not construction dust related.
In January of 2021 we noticed he was experiencing shortness of breath. A visit to his pulmonologist confirmed our worst fear, the disease was progressing rapidly. January 2020 his lung function was around 50%. January 2021 it was down to 35%. February he started needing oxygen at night and by March he was on it 24/7.
Sanford pulmonologist referred him to Univ of Minnesota Hospital and Clinics where he underwent extensive testing the week of March 30-April 2, 2021.
A team of doctors and other hospital personnel reviewed all his test results and on April 8, we received the phone call from U of M saying that YES! Tony is a good candidate for a double lung transplant and has been approved! 👍🏻👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 Praise God!!! The answer we (and a mighty army of prayer warriors) were so praying and hoping for!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
It takes 7-10 days to muddle thru some red tape and he has a couple more tests in SF next week, BEFORE HE IS ACTUALLY ON THE LIST, so I will post an update when he is officially on 👍🏻.
This is a huge surgery but we feel God is leading us in this direction.
We really have no idea when the surgery will be. It all depends on when a “good match” donor comes available. ( please remember 🙏🏻 the unknown donor family who is tragically thrown into this situation 🙏🏻 ) Transplant patients have received a call 2 days after listing but most wait a matter of months- some even years if they are a difficult match or are semi-healthy. (which Tony is neither) Tony has common blood type 0 and the antibodies tests came back negative (good!) which are 2 main things they look at, along with about million other things.
After the surgery, the typical hospital stay is 2-3 weeks. After discharge from the hospital, we need to live within 15 miles of the hospital for three (3) MONTHS! U of M assists patients and family to find apartments near the hospital to rent .... so I guess we’ll be Mnpls temporary residents. (not extremely excited about this 😝🙃 but 🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️)
Thanks again sooooo much for all your calls, cards, texts, prayers and support that we have been blessed with! Ya all are aMaZiNg!!!!!!
God’s got a plan. 🙏🏻 praying He gives us the grace to accept it. 🙏🏻
