Local VA helped extend my life. By Robert A.
Hall
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/opinion/column/guest/robert-a-hall-local-va-helped-extend-my-life/article_94793495-93be-5abb-a5a6-723eff4a8e00.html
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/opinion/column/guest/robert-a-hall-local-va-helped-extend-my-life/article_94793495-93be-5abb-a5a6-723eff4a8e00.html
My
column in the WisconsinState Journal,
Sunday, 5/25/14.
Posts
Very well written, I am humbled :-)!
ReplyDeleteMr. Hall,
ReplyDeleteMy dad also had IPF. He had a right lung transplant on Christmas day, two days after your transplant. He had a similar experience - oxygen-free post-transplant, doing great, going to pulmonary rehab, excited for his new life. He also suffered complications - pulmonary emboli, viral pneumonia, bacterial pneumonia. He succumbed to these complications on April 25, just 4 months after a transplant he hoped would help him thrive for years, if not decades.
He was an absolute poster child for IPF - surviving 9 years post-diagnosis before being transplanted. His doctors at the UW loved working with him, as they knew that any recommendations they made would be followed 110%, with a smile and a good attitude. He was on a first name basis with doctors, nurses, PAs,respiratory therapists. Sent them post-cards while on vacation, brought them smoked fish he caught and prepared.
I wish you a better outcome than my best friend, my dad, my hero. The world lost an incredible man on April 25, and your story held so many parallels that I wanted to reach out and thank you for sharing your story. I sincerely hope you join the 80% who survive the first year, so you may continue to advocate for the VA, for organ donation, for research and funding for IPF. Best of luck to you.