A note to caregivers. We have no way of knowing when someone
gets a transplant unless we are notified. If you want other members
of the group to be able to share your good news, send an email to the uwlung
website (with photo, if possible).
If you are checking yourself out and find an error or just want to add or change something, please email UWLUNG administrator .
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After forty years smoking, Harlan Halvorson, of Sandy, Oregon, underwent a single lung transplant. He had developed COPD. The transplant was performed August 23, 2006, and he spent seven days in the hospital. |
| Bill Maesner was transplanted on Nov 29, after 20 days on the list. He went home on Dec 15 but was back in the hospital from Jan 2 to 9. He had a rougher time than most but is now doing well and looked good at the Feb 07 meeting. |
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Anette Lusher was transplanted on the 29th of July, 2006. She spent 9 days in the hospital and all went very well. She is extremely enthusiastic about her experience as anyone at the January 07 meeting can attest. Here is Anette's story. |
| Thomas Judge was transplanted December 1, 2006. He is shown here with his wife Mary. |
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Grace Briceno was transplanted on August 11, 2006, after nearly a year on the waiting list. She spent 2 weeks in the hospital and is doing fine with no major problems. |
| Kashawna Foster, from Issaquah, WA. was transplanted on October 23. She was admitted Sunday night at 11:30 PM, moved out of ICU on Friday, and going home by Halloween for a total stay of 9 days. She also had the newer procedure that does not involve cutting the sternum. She's doing well and plans on attending the November meeting. |
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Mark Wilson from Palmer, Alaska, was transplanted in September. He was listed June 12, and had his transplant just one month before his 48th birthday. He is #42 for the year and #373 overall. He was in the hospital for one week and is reportedly doing great. |
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| Amaris Summer Hayden was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Hypertension in March of 2003. She was treated at UC,Davis until she need a transplant. Amaris moved to Washington to live with her sister and caregiver, Melody. She was on the wait list 10 weeks and received a double lung transplant on May 25, 2006. She was 29 years old. She has one ten-year-old son, Alex. After three months in Seattle, Amaris has returned home and is doing very well. She has already been dancing, kayaking, running, and swimming. Now she plans to return to work and graduate school. Amaris is very thankful and appreciative of the great care and treatment at University of Washington. Thanks a bunch! |
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Glen Cole"s diagnosis was pulmonary fibrosis. He was transplanted on
3/28/06 and was on the waitlist for 12.5 hours. He had relocated here just
in the nick of time from Clarkston, WA and had barely had time to rest
before he got the call for transplant. He has done very well since his
discharge from the hospital which was 5 days following his surgery. He
was quick to return to his normal activities, one of which is cross stitch,
which he has been doing since he was a child. He learned this as well
as many other handicrafts from his grandmother with whom he spent a lot
of time while growing up. And according to Diane, "She also taught him
to be a good man". She adds that Glen had been her caregiver and main support while
she recovered from her own medical issues and because of this it was a
challenge for him to let someone take care of him after his transplant.
He didn't feel "useful" and actually got "caught" doing laundry when he
was supposed to be recuperating.
Glen and Diane have been married for 8 years. They met on the internet and it was love at first byte...(my editorial privilege...). They have 4 children between the two of them and on August 28th they will be moving to their brand new home in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma to live near Diane's daughter. The Cole's wish to thank all of the staff at the University of Washington Medical Center for the wonderful care and the thoughtfulness they received throughout this journey. *This story provided by Angela Wagner. Thanks Angela.
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| James A. Amann received his new lungs at UWMC on July 11. He was admitted on the 10th and surgery was on the morning of July 11. He is 57 years old and was suffering from emphysema /copd. He had just moved to Seattle, from Lebanon, Oregon, on July 1st and was in the process of finishing some more appointments when he got the call. You might say that it was a short wait. That's James on the left and Shadow on the right. |
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Benjamin Aguiluz, 64, a retired Boeing Aerospace engineer from Kent,
Wa. with IPF had his right lung replaced on June 30th. and was discharged
from the UWMC on July 12.
In his own words: "Prior to surgery, I was severely overweight at 216 lbs for a man 5'4" tall. Could not take four steps without coughing. Violent coughing caused syncope and falling. I had to use a scooter for mobility. Weight required by team to qualify for the transplant list was 174 lbs. This weight loss was a huge challenge, especially since my weight plateaued after losing about 10 pounds and would stay at that weight for 2 weeks. With diet and exercise under the watchful eyes of Libby Mullins, dietician, and Steve Crogan, Rehab Clinic, I as able to lose the required 42 lbs. and qualified for placement on the list on June 9, 2006. By June 29, 2006 I received the phone call of lung availability. My wife, Celia, my four children and I wish to thank the wonderful UW Lung Transplant Team for giving me a new lease on life. Special thanks go to Dr. Ganesh Raghu, Dr. Michael Mulligan and their team of Doctors, Nurses, Technicians, Specialists, administrators and coordinators for the superb work they perform every day. Special thanks to my personal physician, Dr. Jon Huseby, for recommending me to the UW Lung Transplant Team. Finally, thanks to Angela Wagner and the transplant support group for their inspiration and well wishes. Have a great day!" Benjamin Aguiluz unfortunately passed away on October 23, 2006. Obituary
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| Geoff Earnest was transplanted on June 5, 2006, after 75 days on the TP list. He was diagnosed with CF at age 7 months. He spent 13 days in the hospital and suffered a stroke, which caused some temporary problems but he seemed fully recovered at the Support Group meeting. He was sporting a custom embroidered cap with among other things, the date of his transplant and a #26 to indicate he was the 26th TP for the year. |
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Jim LeRoy, from Woodburn, OR, had a bilateral TP on June 10, 2006. He was on the list for 10 days and in the hospital for 8 days. Interestingly, Jim did not have his Sternum broken. The procedure involved an incision on both sides but not through the middle. Apparently, the positioning of his arms did cause a problem which resulted in his left arm being paralyzed but he is expected to recover fully in time. He's very happy with his new lungs and not complaining at all about his arm. Jim is 52 years old. |
| Merrilee Striker was transplanted on June 30, 2006. Sadly, Merrilee died on August 2, 2006 due to complications from the transplant. |
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Richard Flora , 59, got his transplant on May 5, 2006. He had IPF and was listed April 14, and had a dry run on April 29. He was in the hospital only six days. Here he is with his wife and caregiver, Barbara at the June Support Group meeting. |
| Julie Haug, a 43 year old mother of three, received a double lung transplant on May 4, 2006. Julie has been married 20 years and lives in Rathdrum, Idaho. She was originally listed in California in 2002 but had been on the UW list for about 3 months prior to transplant. |
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Joanne Unger, from Portland, Or. , was tramsplanted on March 13. She was originally listed on Aug 1, 2000, but became inactive for several years. She was relisted on Aug 10, 2006, and got her call three days later. Joanne's underlying condition is Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). She is now living in West Seattle and has two adult sons, living in Portland, who run a Cabinetry shop, Aura Cabinetry. |
| Mike Henderson was transplanted this past week end (March 18/19). He's doing great. Mike was diagnosed with IPF in June of 2004. There is a great article (and front page photo) about Mike in the winter 2005/2006 issue of "Breakthrough", a UW Medicine publication. |
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Kit Porter, an IPF patient from Portland, Oregon, was transplanted March 3. This makes her number nine for this year..She had been on the list since 2/17/05. She reports that all is going very well. |
| Jason Looney, of Medford, Oregon, was transplanted on January 19. Thirty-five
year old Jason, a cystuc fibrosis patient spent about a month on the waiting
list (after a year of qualifying). He's doing great and reports having
no problems. Read more about Jason here.
Jason passed away Jan 29, 2008. Obituary |
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Mary Smith and her husband, Oliver, moved from Alaska to Wisconsin to try and get a lung transplant. They then came to Seattle and the UWMC. Mary was listed October 21, 2005. She had a dry run December 6, 2005, and had a bilateral transplant on January 14, 2006. |
| Gail Disney was transplanted on January 22nd after about 11 weeks on the list. She spent 12 days in the hospital and is doing very well. Gail lives in a rural area in Oregon just across the river from Longview, Wa. She expects to be returning home about March 2nd. |  |