HELP DAVID GET BILATERAL LUNG TRANSPLANT
In December 2018, David was producing a show on the beach in the Bahamas with Damian Marley. He began coughing uncontrollably and ended up in the ER. While treating him, the doctor noticed the shape of David’s fingernails and asked if he knew he had a lung disease. Obviously this was a shocking statement! When he got home, he went to his doctor who said he had pulmonary fibrosis and needed a specialist. Fast forward 6 months and David was receiving a lung biopsy to confirm the diagnosis of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.
Updates (3)
July 1, 2022
I thought I had posted since David received his double lung transplant but I guess I never finished writing it!! We got THE call at 11:30 pm on April 10 from Mayo Clinic that they had lungs for David. Of course, we were in Freeport instead of Jacksonville when the call came! We drove all night to be at the hospital at 6:30 am. After 12 hours of tests and preparation, they deemed David suitable for the lungs. At 10 pm the surgeon called me and said they had received the lungs and it was a perfect match for him and they were beginning the surgery. I was kept updated through the night with messages from the operating room. The surgeon called me at 7:30 am to let me know they had finished. The first 2 weeks were nerve wrecking as David was sedated for 10 days. They had to leave his chest open for 5 days before closing because one of the lungs was a little large and also had to be put on the EKMO machine to strengthen it. One they closed him up, they ended up giving him a temporary tracheoscopy to get him off of the ventilator. Once he was awake, he started moving full steam ahead! Physical therapy began coming in right away and he began walking and breathing on his own without ANY OXYGEN! After 3 weeks in ICU, he was moved to the transplant floor. One week later he was walking laps around the floor and then dismissed from the hospital to our apartment in Jacksonville. Since May 8, we have been going back and forth to Mayo for follow up blood work, rehab, physical therapy, bronchoscopies, esophageal tests, multiple doctor appointments, etc. just about every day. I (Delaina) have been the caregiver to make sure ALL of his medicines are sorted and given on time as well as driving him every where and making sure he has the correct amount of food so the meds don't make him sick to his stomach. We are now on the other side!! We waited, prayed, trusted, prayed some more and had faith that this was the exact right thing to do for David's health. We got word yesterday that he is being released and we can start making plans to move back home! We still have to come back once a month for a while and then it will be less frequent. We are excited and grateful beyond measure for the selfless donor, Mayo Clinic and their excellence for making all of this experience possible. As the doctor said, "You are now in maintenance mode." If this is maintenance, we got this!! We are blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family who have contributed to our fundraising campaign (cuz this ain't cheap!) and who have kept us in their prayers. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
February 7, 2022
Last night was another adventure! David had an overnight sleep study on the campus at Mayo to see if he had sleep apnea. He wanted me to go with him since they allow the caregiver a place to sleep, too :) We met with the doctor a few hours later and learned that he does NOT have sleep apnea! Mayo is so thorough to cover all the bases in preparation for his lung transplant. We are so thankful to be going there.
Photo Galleries (1)
Guestbook
May 13, 2022
Rejoicing with you!!!!! Prayers continue. Much love, Linda
Linda Montgomery
April 27, 2022
David, You're a Believer and a Winner! He will see you through this.
We love you and keeping you in our prayers.
Richard and Ginny
Richard Dostie
March 31, 2022
Dave so sorry to hear what you are going through - sending hope and love to you.
Donna Tine
