Kathleen Hartman

Help Kathleen Breathe Free

*If my husband gave you a card that landed you on this page, this is the reason he wears a mask: to prevent him from bringing any germs or viruses to me; I had my transplant July 24th 2023 and am totally immunocompromised.

May 20, 2024. It has been one year since I started this page, and a LOT has happened in that time! (The Updates section below has real-time reports in greater detail.) My right side lung transplant was July 24th; and for the first few days all was going well. The doctors started to notice a buildup of fluid in the lung cavity, and when they analyzed the fluid, it was found to be the lymphatic fluid, known as Chyle. I was moved back to ICU while more tests, x-rays, etc. occurred. Chyle is normally present in the lymph system, but it is not supposed to be leaking out into the lung cavity! There were numerous attempts to stop the leakage, including using a robot system to put 1 mm clamps on the leaking lymphatic ducts, but none were successful. The final solution was another operation, this time to remove a portion of the lymph glands (about the size of a small fist) from the lung cavity, so I have not one, but two scars on my back, and four smaller scars where the drain tubes were located. The things a lady will do for beauty marks!

While all of this was taking place, I was experiencing constant delusions, hallucinations, mood swings, and weird dream-states. It seems one of the anti-rejection drugs, in less than .5% of patients, and only when combined with certain anti-infection medications, will produce these symptoms. Lucky me, I happen to be one of the .5%! When the doctors finally figured this out, they changed up the medications, and within five days I was back to my feisty self, and wanted to get out of the hospital.

At this point, I had spent 51 days in the hospital, 47 of those in ICU. In that time-frame, I had lost 20% of my body weight, and almost all of my muscle mass. I could not walk without assistance, and even then I could only manage very short (15-20 feet) walks. I had to learn how to eat again, as I had been on a feeding tube for all of the ICU time. I even had to learn how to swallow water! It took another 17 days before I was well enough to be released to the Craig Nelson Rehabilitation Center (also a part of University of Utah Health Care).

My time in rehabilitation was spent learning how to walk, stand, sit, climb stairs, eat and drink; how to shower and in short everything. I could not be released until the doctors were satisfied I would be able to move safely in my home, and that there would be someone with me 24/7 when I was discharged.

I was discharged on October 18, 2023. A total of 89 days in the hospital and rehabilitation clinic. When I was released, my daily regime consisted of 33 pills and one liquid medication, plus pain pills (Tylenol) and anti-nausea pills as needed. I went to pulmonary therapy 3 times a week at the University Hospital, blood was drawn as often as three times a week, and at least one clinic appointment each week for the first 6 months of “home care”. My husband, Bob, or my sister Kay, were with me 24/7 through those first 6 months, but even that did not prevent me from falling once, and I managed to cut the back of my head open when I fell on a heat vent under a desk, which meant a trip to the ER and a staple in the back of my head.

On Friday, April 12th, the doctors re-admitted me to the University Hospital for extreme dehydration, as my creatinine levels were elevated, which can put a person on dialysis. After being intravenously fed fluids for three days, I was released on April 15th, and admonished to drink constantly, aiming for 64 ounces or more per day. Mio is my new friend!

Thursday, April 25th, I received a call from the transplant team that I needed a transfusion of red blood cells, as my numbers were dangerously low. This began a 10-day stay at the hospital; my bone marrow had shut down and was no longer producing blood cells, and my kidneys were beginning to fail, the level Creatinine was at 4.2 mg/dL. ( the normal level of Creatinine is .57-1.11 mg/dL in a person of my weight/sex/height/age, etc.) Over the next ten days, I had 4 red blood cell transfusions, 2 bone marrow biopsies (the first one came up “dry”) and countless blood draws, etc. The eventual conclusion was two of the anti-rejection drugs, and one of the antacid drugs, had interacted causing the bone marrow and kidneys to stop functioning. They stopped those three drugs, and my bone marrow started to produce blood cells and platelets again, and my kidneys resumed functioning. I was finally released after 10 days of being poked, prodded, drilled, and filled. One bright spot of this hospital visit was the visit from the dietitian, who explained that I needed to eat high calorie small meals, and at least 6 times a day, in order to regain the weight I have lost over the past year. The three drugs that were stopped, one has been replaced by a different pill with the same benefits, but hopefully without the side effect, and they have re-started one other medication at a much lower dosage. The trick is to find the right balance of drugs in the cocktail that can produce the needed results without the damaging side effects.

Before I started this whole adventure I needed to put together my care team. I had to have someone with me 24/7 for at least six months post-transplant. Fortunately I have a wonderful husband who loves me very much and was willing to do whatever was needed to take care of me and make our home environment safe. The second person was my sister Kay, she would drive up from Lehi three or four times a week to care for me and take me to my various doctor’s appointments. Bob and Kay watched over and cared for me lovingly and patiently. I don’t know how I would have gotten through this without these two special people whom I love very much and hold close to my heart. My adult children were my “second string”, when Bob or Kay were unable to take me to my appointments, or just watch over me, my children stepped right up. Meghan, Michael and Sandy filled in whenever they were needed. I am lucky to have such caring children. I will never be able to put into words what Bob, Kay and my children did for me. I am forever grateful to have these loving and compassionate people in my life. All I can say is THANK YOU and I LOVE YOU to infinity and beyond.

Bob says: This whole process would have been impossible were it not for my wonderful employer, the “Smith and Edwards Co.” They are not a national company, but a local Utah employer since 1947. (I work in the West Jordan store, I’ve been there since it opened in 2017.) The entire company, the owners, store manager, and my department manager, have been very understanding and supportive of me. They allow me to take all the time I need to care for Kathleen, even during the long hospital stay and and the emergency “I have to leave NOW” events. While in this age it is customary to curse at your employer, I have only praise for Smith and Edwards Co. When you have a chance, please patronize this wonderful company. If you don’t know about this excellent company, here is their website: https://www.smithandedwards.com/

(May 20, 2023) Hello, and thank you for visiting my fundraising page. My name is Kathleen Hartman, I am a 60+ grandmother, mother, wife, and sister, who enjoys kayaking, RV camping, hiking, fishing, barbeque, geocaching, and most importantly, spending time with my husband and family- two adult children, an amazing daughter-in-law, and five wonderful grandchildren- while doing “all of the above.” That is, until about 5 years ago, when I was diagnosed with connective tissue disease related interstitial lung disease, pulmonary fibrosis in the context of lupus, and systemic sclerosis with anti-synthetase syndrome. As a life-time non-smoker, this diagnoses was totally unexpected!

In English, that doctor-speak means my lungs are failing, and continue to fail, and cannot be restored or improved by medication. I have been on oxygen 24/7 for the past 3 years, and this has dramatically reduced, or you might say curtailed, my previously active lifestyle.

In 2002, when the Winter Olympics and Para-Olympics were held in Utah, I volunteered as an assistant to the NOC for the U.S. Virgin Islands teams, and as an assistant to the NPC for Great Britain’s teams. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience, being in the Olympic Village with all the participants, experiencing the different cultures, making new friends, and expanding my world-view. I particularly enjoyed meeting and working with “Grandma Luge,” Ann Abernathy, who taught me age really doesn’t matter!

Mt. Olympus Chapter #23, Order of the Eastern Star of Utah, a Masonic affiliation organization, has been an integral part of my life since 1987; I have served in various positions in my chapter, appointed and elected, including twice as Worthy Matron; and have had two appointed positions in the Grand Chapter OES of Utah. How integral, you might ask; well, our son met his wife through the OES!

I have been actively employed throughout my adult life, until my health deteriorated to a point in December 2022 when I was forced to take a medical retirement.

Now that you know a little about me, here’s why I have created this fundraising page. The only way for my life to continue is to have a lung transplant; this is a $1,000,000 + medical procedure, with both pre-operative and lifetime post-operative costs not included in that figure. We do have health insurance, through my husband’s employer, but it does not cover all of the expenses for the transplant or for the post-operative needs and medications, which I will require for the rest of my life. I am raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with transplantation.

I have chosen to fundraise for Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for contributors. Contributors can be sure donations will be used to pay or reimburse medical and related expenses. To make a tax-deductible donation to my fundraising campaign, click on the Give button. Please share a link to this page on your social media accounts, if you would like to help me meet my goal. I thank you in advance for your generous donation.

Thank you for your support, hit the “subscribe” button to receive updates, and please sign my guestbook before you leave!

Kathleen Hartman

For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.