Teaming Up for Donation – Team Bill
In 1994, Bill Laing started having trouble breathing. He chalked it up to strained cartilage in his chest but an e-ray revealed that there was a bigger problem. Bill had sarcoidosis, a disease in which the immune system causes the lungs to fail.
Bill and Tina
Bill lived with the disease until December 11, 2009 – when he was listed for a double-lung transplant. He continues to wait for a donor.
“The hardest part of my day is oxygen management,” said Bill who requires a constant source of oxygen wherever he goes. He adds that his disease leaves him without much energy and household chores, like vacuuming, are too taxing for him to complete.
Bill, a father and grandfather, remains positive that a transplant will come and credits his faith with helping him along his journey. “Jesus Christ has been carrying me all the way,” he said. He hopes to run, water ski, hike and take deep breaths after his transplant!
Bill’s wife, Tina, gathered more than 30 friends and family members to make up “Team Bill” for the Dash for Donation. They will walk and run on July 10 to provide hope for Bill and the 108,000 other Americans waiting for a life-saving transplant.