I had a double lung transplant in2007 at the age of 65 and it will be 10 yrs on December 3 2017 it was a experience that I will not forget. I was diagnosed in 1996 withb pulmonary fibrosis and was on oxygen for a while but got better then 2007 I oxygen level dropped to 50% and I was told I had to go on oxygen just to go to the bathroom. I started pt at rex hospital three days a week and the nurse there was the one that mentioned a transplant and I was put in touch with doctor at duke and went to see doctor at duke.
The Lung Transplant Foundation was started by a group of Duke lung transplant recipients who wished to address the serious problem of chronic rejection. Rejection occurs most frequently in lung transplant recipients compared to all other solid organ transplant recipients, in part due to the constant interplay between the lungs and the environment. Five years after transplant, approximately 50% of lung recipients have rejection, some of whom have already died as a result.The Lung Transplant Foundation seeks to change this by raising research funds for allocation to physicians with active research programs investigating risk factors and therapeutic treatments for chronic rejection. I am thrilled to be partnering with this organization comprised of inspiring individuals.
The Lung Transplant Foundation has maximized their assets and resources to help promote awareness about organ donation and the need for research to improve the lives of individuals with lung transplants. The foundation works alongside families and practitioners in a region that fully supports the foundations goals. Therefore, the foundation is able to make quick, effective progress towards their goals.
Our foundation was established because there simply is not enough research out there for post-lung transplant recipients. After lung transplantation a person has a high risk of developing rejection at any time, more so than with most solid organ transplants. You would think this would lead more health organizations, drug companies, etc. to invest in studies that would benefit those at risk? It's simply not happening. Doctors have to look to other studies done specifically for kidney transplantation, etc. for therapies and meds needed for lung transplant recipients. It's just not ideal, so the LTF is here to promote awareness and raise money to help initiate new studies for the many, many people who are post-lung transplant and hoping to continue to live life rejection-free! I am on of those hoping!
The Lung Transplant Foundation (LTF) is building,from the ground up, an organization devoted to raising funding for research into chronic rejection in lung receipients. This organization, conceived by a caring physician and a patient, has been growing by leaps and bounds in the short time it has been running. The board is constructed of lung transplant recipients and people who care about recipients. We have launched a website and we are currently preparing for our first big event in the fall. We have some amazing people working on the established committees who inspire us and also direct us in fundraising. This organization provides hope to thousands of recipients who, even if healthy, have the spectre of chronic rejection hanging over their head as there is no known cure. This organization has already provided hope for recipients world-wide.