Welcome to Duke Lung Transplant Friends
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Copyright© 2007 All Rights Reserved
Diane Detmer
Website designed, published and maintained by Diane Detmer
Contact Webmaster: dinki@charter.net
Diane Detmer
Website designed, published and maintained by Diane Detmer
Contact Webmaster: dinki@charter.net
My Transplant Story
Dianne Farrell
My name is Dianne. I am presently 43 years old and I live in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. I have Cystic Fibrosis. I was diagnosed at the age of 13 after having had pneumonia twice that year. Looking back now, I am surprised they didn’t test me earlier since I had all the classic signs since birth.
My CF didn’t really cause too many problems for me while I was growing up. Oh, I had the chronic cough and I was always thin but mostly I always did whatever I wanted to do. I went to college and graduated with a BA in Elementary Education. There I met the man of my dreams, John, who I have been happily married to for 21 years. I worked as a teacher for over 13 years before my CF took its toll and I had to quit. John and I have one child, a son, Sean whom we adopted at 5 weeks of age. Sean is now 15 and has become a young man that I am very proud of.
I’d have to say that my CF really started to get in the way of my life when I was in my mid 30’s. I had more frequent infections, home IV antibiotics, and hospitalizations. In 2001 it became necessary for me to quit my job. In the summer of 2004, things took a turn for the worse when I was really sick and diagnosed with having the bacteria b.cepacia. So it was in November of that year when I went to Duke for an evaluation to be a transplant candidate. I got through all the tests and was accepted to the program. However, since I was doing fairly well at the time, I guess you could say I was on hold until transplant was an absolute necessity.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have to wait too long. Infections came more frequently in the early part of 2005 so much so that I felt I was constantly sick and/or in the hospital. Moving up the transplant became urgent. My doctor here at home managed to get me stabilized enough so that we could time my move down to the Duke area and my transplant for that summer. This was so that we could get our plans organized as well as let my son finish the school year.
July 6, 2005 we arrived for what would turn out to be a four and a half month stay in the Durham area. Immediately after my first clinic appointment on July 7, I was hospitalized at Duke for yet another infection. I couldn’t be put on the active transplant list until I was once again stable. Two and a half weeks later I was finally discharged and put on the active transplant list. Immediately after that I was enlisted in the pulmonary rehab program at Duke’s Center for Living. This is a wonderful program to help you get in shape for your surgery. I met such great people who really care about you there, as well as made many other friends who also were waiting for transplant.
On the morning of Aug 23 I was once again in the hospital because of another (or I should say the ongoing) infection when I got my call that I had new lungs waiting for me. With the doctor’s approval that I was okay to go ahead and have the surgery, along with the final okay that the lungs were indeed a match, I was wheeled into surgery early that afternoon. My surgery lasted nine and a half hours and was a complete success.
Recovery was not easy by any means. It’s really hard work, actually. However, over time as I felt better, I began to realize how wonderful it was to be able to breathe easier without the use of oxygen. No more coughing or shortness of breath. Today I can do things that once were unimaginable. I feel like I have a new life, having left behind my old one along with my old lungs. Being sick is now just a memory of my past. My life started as a “Once upon a time” and has truly become a “happily ever after.” I thank God everyday for this gift. I also thank the wonderful doctors, nurses and support staff at Duke, along with my family and friends who supported me and prayed for me.
Dianne Farrell
My name is Dianne. I am presently 43 years old and I live in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. I have Cystic Fibrosis. I was diagnosed at the age of 13 after having had pneumonia twice that year. Looking back now, I am surprised they didn’t test me earlier since I had all the classic signs since birth.
My CF didn’t really cause too many problems for me while I was growing up. Oh, I had the chronic cough and I was always thin but mostly I always did whatever I wanted to do. I went to college and graduated with a BA in Elementary Education. There I met the man of my dreams, John, who I have been happily married to for 21 years. I worked as a teacher for over 13 years before my CF took its toll and I had to quit. John and I have one child, a son, Sean whom we adopted at 5 weeks of age. Sean is now 15 and has become a young man that I am very proud of.
I’d have to say that my CF really started to get in the way of my life when I was in my mid 30’s. I had more frequent infections, home IV antibiotics, and hospitalizations. In 2001 it became necessary for me to quit my job. In the summer of 2004, things took a turn for the worse when I was really sick and diagnosed with having the bacteria b.cepacia. So it was in November of that year when I went to Duke for an evaluation to be a transplant candidate. I got through all the tests and was accepted to the program. However, since I was doing fairly well at the time, I guess you could say I was on hold until transplant was an absolute necessity.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have to wait too long. Infections came more frequently in the early part of 2005 so much so that I felt I was constantly sick and/or in the hospital. Moving up the transplant became urgent. My doctor here at home managed to get me stabilized enough so that we could time my move down to the Duke area and my transplant for that summer. This was so that we could get our plans organized as well as let my son finish the school year.
July 6, 2005 we arrived for what would turn out to be a four and a half month stay in the Durham area. Immediately after my first clinic appointment on July 7, I was hospitalized at Duke for yet another infection. I couldn’t be put on the active transplant list until I was once again stable. Two and a half weeks later I was finally discharged and put on the active transplant list. Immediately after that I was enlisted in the pulmonary rehab program at Duke’s Center for Living. This is a wonderful program to help you get in shape for your surgery. I met such great people who really care about you there, as well as made many other friends who also were waiting for transplant.
On the morning of Aug 23 I was once again in the hospital because of another (or I should say the ongoing) infection when I got my call that I had new lungs waiting for me. With the doctor’s approval that I was okay to go ahead and have the surgery, along with the final okay that the lungs were indeed a match, I was wheeled into surgery early that afternoon. My surgery lasted nine and a half hours and was a complete success.
Recovery was not easy by any means. It’s really hard work, actually. However, over time as I felt better, I began to realize how wonderful it was to be able to breathe easier without the use of oxygen. No more coughing or shortness of breath. Today I can do things that once were unimaginable. I feel like I have a new life, having left behind my old one along with my old lungs. Being sick is now just a memory of my past. My life started as a “Once upon a time” and has truly become a “happily ever after.” I thank God everyday for this gift. I also thank the wonderful doctors, nurses and support staff at Duke, along with my family and friends who supported me and prayed for me.
Duke Lung Transplant Friends Stories