In October of 2017, my father was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, which is when the lungs become scarred and breathing becomes increasingly difficult. Just six weeks later, as his lung function rapidly declined, he found himself on the lung transplant list at Spectrum Hospital in Grand Rapids, MI.      

While lying on what we all thought was his “death bed,” connected to two towers of IV medications, an ECMO machine (a form of life support) and preparing to be intubated, he said his goodbyes to as many people that he could. After a while, his breathing became so difficult, he began to use a dry erase board because he was essentially suffocating in the air we were breathing.   

After five long days on a ventilator, as his body continued to weaken, the transplant team advised waiting just another day or two before taking him off the transplant list, effectively guaranteeing his passing away. By God’s Sovereign Grace, a lung transplant match was located, and a 12 hour surgery meant my father had another shot at life. 

We were blessed with an additional 4 years before his death from complications in January of 2022. But those years were not easy. Despite the amazing gift of life he received from his transplant, his life could never be what it was before his diagnosis. There were still major challenges with his health and restrictions around some of life’s simple pleasures, like sitting in the sun, or enjoying a steak dinner. Doctors appointments, nausea, challenges breathing, additional procedures and more medications than you can imagine were staples of his daily routine. Not to mention, having to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, which directly and primarily targets lung function and the immuno-supressed. 

Throughout his illness, he never once complained or felt sorry for himself. He considered each day a gift and enjoyed every one of God’s blessings to the fullest. In the most simple way, he’d repeatedly pause for a moment, lifting his hand, as if pointing up to the heavens, and saying “Thank you, Lord”. This was done in big moments, like seeing the Atlantic Ocean for the first time since his transplant, or simply with his first sip of warm coffee each morning.