Miracles and Earth Angels
A true encounter with both, “Miracles and Earth Angels” by a guy who has and is living it! My name is Jack and I am now 67 years old.
Due to smoking for a lifetime – from when I was young until I quit in 1985 – I developed Emphysema in 1997. By 1999 I was so bad that I could no longer climb a flight of steps without stopping every other step. It was to the point that I was practically crawling from room to room. I received a new operation known as a Lung Volume Reduction in July of 1999, but for the next 5 years I continued to go downhill. I was on or tied to an oxygen tank with a hose in my nose 24 hours a day for 5 years.
It is hard for people to imagine what that was like. It was hard to breathe at any time. I was no longer able to take walks, often unable to drive, having to leave restaurants due to cooking or tobacco smoke without finishing my meal, unable to enjoy special moments with my wife or play with my 6 grandchildren. It was even hard to carry on a conversation because I couldn’t talk much because of the lack of oxygen. For a fast talking Auctioneer who was used to speaking at a high rate of speed for hours, this was a huge adjustment. I even needed help taking a shower because of the moisture in the air. I was sleeping many nights in a chair and couldn’t travel on trips or vacations.
Then in 2003 I met with a MIRACLE team of doctors and staff at Ohio State University Hospital under the direction of Dr. Patrick Ross, Jr. who after giving me every test in the book approved me as a candidate for a lung transplant. Later, I met my 2nd Miracle team – Lifeline of Ohio – who help find the donors for people like myself. They help produce miracles for hundreds of people in Ohio every year – I know because I am walking proof of their efforts.
On Memorial Day, May 31, 2004, I received a call from Dr. Ross. It was a day that forever changed my life. This day was the greatest miracle in my life since birth. A donor lung had been found that matched with me. Three days later I was off of oxygen and haven’t needed it since. This is a TRUE MIRACLE brought to me by God and his “Earth Angels,” the doctors, nurses, coordinators, and Lifeline of Ohio. But most of this entire gift was brought to me by a real HERO – my DONOR! I don’t know if it was a man or woman, young or old, what race or religion and it doesn’t matter because whoever it was will always be MY HERO and my EARTH ANGEL!
If it wasn’t for my Donor I wouldn’t be able to write my story for you. I don’t know their name which is why I capitalize the word Donor. I DO know that he or she was my personal earth angel and will always be in my prayers and life. Plus, think about it, not only did they save my life and allow me to live as a human being again, but it was a MULTIPLE MIRACLE because I only received their left lung – so that means someone like me is also once again living a productive life with the Donors right lung. WOW!
I now do just about everything I ever did. I even shoveled the snow on my walk this week for the first time in probably 6 or more years. Why, I bet if I was in Florida, I could even mow a yard again. I drive myself around and best of all I can now get down on the floor and play with my two little grandchildren or go to the school functions of my older grandkids. I have gotten back into my hobby of cooking and am practicing my auction chant in the hopes of trying to do it again next month for a benefit auction.
So you see, there really are MIRACLES and EARTH ANGELS today and I am living proof of it. If you don’t believe it – contact me. I give thanks to my Donor for allowing me this new lease on life. If you are not a donor, please give serious thought to being one – it makes all the difference in the world to someone else.
Remember you are hearing from a genuine walking, talking, and breathing MIRACLE all because of an EARTH ANGEL DONOR!
In Deep Appreciation and Gratitude to my Donor, Dr. Ross and the entire team at the Ohio State University Medical Center, and Lifeline of Ohio, Jack