Meet Jan Eldridge a lung recipient who we had the pleasure of interviewing about her transplant journey. She’ll celebrate her first transplantiversary this month!
Howdy, Jan! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how your transplant journey started?
My name is Janet (Jan) Eldridge. We live in Pinehurst, NC. We retired from Seattle and moved to Pinehurst in August 2022.
Shortly after we arrived in Pinehurst I began to really struggle with my breathing. Actually, on our motorhome trip across the country, I noticed increasing shortness of breath. Upon arrival here, I consulted with a pulmonologist who said the medical facility in Washington that I told them to send for records had no knowledge of me and he recommended a memory exam for me.
As I looked into a different pulmonologist, I was able to obtain my records and found a reference to ILD as a possible diagnosis. Apparently, the fact the we moved shortly after meant nobody told me of the diagnosis. They did however use the term “possible sarcoidosis” because I had suggested it as a possibility.
When did you actually get placed on the transplant waiting list?
Sept 1 2023
Do you feel like you had a support system during this time, if so, who?
I did. My husband and my niece. And literally an army of friends sending cards and good wishes.
How would you say your life was different before having to go on the transplant waiting list?
My illness came on very suddenly. It seems like maybe a year from serious symptoms to transplant. I was becoming more and more disabled and needing O2 at ever-increasing levels(20-25). I was unable to do very much at all without being in the 70’s and 80’s.
Before this illness I was very active physically, with a farm and horses which I regularly rode.
Do you remember the day you learned you’d receive your transplant? What was “the call” like?
We had relocated to Jacksonville Beach, FL, to be near Mayo Clinic on September 1. We had FOUR dry runs, which really were grueling. We felt like we were in a race against time, as I had been told I probably wouldn’t live to Christmas.
We were called to the hospital early on Saturday, Nov. 18, and waited all day. We were finally sent home in the evening. Then came our FIFTH call on Monday the 20th. I asked the doc if he was serious and he was, so in we went. The doctor told me that because I had so many dry runs I would get a Corvette. And when I was discharged, I did indeed receive a (matchbox) Corvette.
My surgery lasted four hours, 7-11 pm. I was in ICU for three days, then step-down for a week.
I was off the ventilator almost immediately. Everything had gone perfectly!
How has your life changed since you received your transplant?
I am able to do pretty much everything I want to do. I have to be careful about food and crowds, and I wear a mask consistently. I’m still weak and get tired pretty easily, but I make sure I exercise and push to stay active.I feel stronger every day. I'm learning to manage medications and do daily health checks. I’ve started playing golf a bit, and I volunteer at a horse rescue, and participate in a garden club (no digging in the dirt tho!) and two book clubs.
I am very grateful to my donor and the doctors and staff for giving me my life back. I don’t know how much time I have, but I will make the most of all of my days.
What would you like people to know about what it’s like for an individual or a family to go through an event like this?
I think it can deepen a marriage partnership, but possibly also break some couples up. It is intense. I was very dependent on my husband for everything. He organized meds, appointments, insurance paperwork, getting me moving, etc. Initially I couldn’t drive so he had to take me to appointments and such.
It is critically important for the caregiver to have support and rest. Our family definitely came together to support us. (We have to go to Mayo once a month now for routine tests. It’s a six hour drive, so we make a little vacation out of it.)
One thing that struck me from day one of this journey is that fellow patients tell you who they USED to be before this awful illness struck.I think there is a grief process that needs to be recognized and addressed. Who am I now that I'm not that person anymore?
Most recipients are overjoyed and overwhelmed with gratitude for the immensity of this gift and rightly so. I begin and end each day with gratitude! But even after seven months, sometimes it just stops me in my tracks – I have somebody else’s lung inside me! It's almost unfathomable that this miracle could occur.
Also, early on I got a mentor and she's been a real lifesaver, sharing her experiences with me. When I was first transplanted we texted all the time. Now it's once or twice a week, which is wonderful. She’s been there.
Thank you, Jan, for sharing your story with us. And, congratulations on your first (of many) transplantiversaries!!!
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