3rd Time's The Charm

7:45pm on September 1, exactly 7 months on the double lung transplant waiting list. 

We had just finished a Nagel family dinner with my siblings and their children. I was also in the middle of doing a “back to school” hair style on Kylie when Jed’s phone rang with a potential donor match. We did the usual routine of running around grabbing our bags, family helping with the kids and loading the van. We arrived at the Hospital around 10:30pm and got settled into his room, then the process of waiting started. We were informed that if the surgery happened it would be early the next morning around 7am. We got to sleep around 2am. At 5am, we were told we needed to get up, shower, and get Jed prepped and ready for when they might come for him. 7:30am and no one had come to take Jed or do the final medicine prep. At this point we were starting to feel like this might be another dry run. Then walks in the anesthesiologist with his team to check in, so we were asked to say our goodbyes. Jed’s father prayed over Jed and prayed for the surgeon and his staff, then by 7:54 they wheeled Jed out of the room. Holding my breath knowing that this is not certain until the incision is made. So, we wait to hear, praying that Jed will wake up this time with new lungs.

9:40am the O.R. nurse calls to inform me that they have started the surgery and that the lungs are across the hall waiting. They are good viable donor lungs! I am instantly overwhelmed and sick to my stomach. “This is it!” A family lost a loved one, while we rejoice at the chance of keeping our loved one with us longer. My mind races with thoughts. Will there be complications? What will this new chapter of post-transplant hold for us? As I take a deep breath, I know just as every other stage in my life the only option is to trust God as we step forward.

11:50am another call from the O.R. came and my heart jumped. They informed me that his right lung has been removed and they are working on placing the first half of the donor lung in. He will then go on bypass to give his heart some rest. His life is truly in the hands of the Surgeon and ultimately God’s.

1:46pm another call from the O.R., the nurse lets me know that the right lung is in and they are working on attaching the left side. He is still on bypass and they will wait to make sure bleeding is under control before taking him off and closing him up. She says the surgery has gone well so far with only slight difficulty remove the right lung due to the amount of scar tissue.

2:46pm I received the call that they were closing Jed up and had taken him off bypass.  By 4:15pm he was brought back to his ICU room, and we could see him.  He was on a breathing tube still with 4 tubes coming from his chest to drain the new lungs and a maze of cords surrounding him.  At first it was a little much to take in. I was informed that his oxygen level through the ventilator was only at 40% which is the minimum that they do, so the staff was very happy with his progress.  All his levels were looking great! The reality he has new lungs sunk in.  The Lord is amazing. Jed was woken from his sedation for neurological testing, it was a sigh of relief to see his eyes briefly open. For the next 24 hours, he was to remain under sedation and on the ventilator.

September 3, around 11am Jed started to wake up. He still had to remain on the ventilator to ease in the new lungs. At this point, he was starting to breathe on his own with assistance only from the ventilator. His oxygen, blood gas, and volume levels were all looking great. By 3pm the staff was given the approval from the Critical Care Doctor that the breathing tube could come out.

He finally breathed 100% on his own. It is beyond amazing that his lungs that were so worn out and ready to quit are gone. God took the tragedy of another family and gave us a huge gift. No words can express the emotions of that reality. We continue to pray for the donor’s family and for the road of recovery. “Lord may these lungs continue to give life to Jed for a long time to come so he can bring encouragement and love to those around him.”

At this point Jed will remain in the hospital for a minimum of 10-14 days and a week in a hotel with daily therapy at the hospital. He currently still has many cords and tubes attached to his body. In 4-5 days, they hope to start removing the chest tubes that help drain the new lungs. (These are quite painful on top of the large incision that runs across his whole chest.)  The next few days will be draining physically for him as they get him up and moving even with so many things attached to him and his body adjusting. Also, he is not allowed to drink and eat until day 5. When told that day 3 will be one of the hardest his response was, “No pain, no gain, only by God’s strength. I have received a miracle” The Surgeon has warned us that there will be obstacles within the recovery over the next few weeks, we just don’t know what or when they will occur.

We continue to trust God with every step, knowing His timing is perfect. Thank you to all the friends, family and even people we have not met that have been covering us in prayers and the family of the donor.

May God be praised in the answered prayers.

Job 33:4 "The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life."