Greg: Diffuse Scleroderma and Lung Transplant Patient

I was diagnosed with diffuse scleroderma in October of 1997. I am now forty-one years old, and married with four wonderful children. I was always in great shape. I was a scholarship linebacker for the University of Texas back in the Earl Campbell days.

Since then, I have taken a great deal of pride in my physical shape and abilities. I was very in tune with my body. In July of 1997, I enrolled in a martial arts class. I felt I was losing some flexibility, and I thought the stretching would help. Little did I know the tightness and loss in my range of motion was due to scleroderma, not just age.

My next symptom was shortness of breath. I was lucky in that I was properly diagnosed quickly. Lung x-rays showed fibrosis, and pulmonary function tests (PFTs) showed a severe reduction in lung capacity and oxygen diffusion. Things started to go downhill from there.

In May of 2000, my doctor informed me that my condition was severe, and that a lung transplant might be my only option for survival. I was not ready to deal with that. I considered the options and asked Dr. Frank C. Arnett to make the necessary arrangements to see if I was a candidate for a transplant.

I was evaluated by a great team of transplant specialists at Methodist Hospital in Houston and was approved for the operation. The call came just fifteen days after I was listed on the transplant network. What a miracle! July 25, 2000, is a day I will never forget. I was eating dinner at six-thirty and on the operating table by eight-thirty. My new lung was in San Antonio; I was in Houston.

I prayed and they put me under. I awoke and was sore as heck, but I could feel the new lung working! I stayed in the hospital for twenty-eight days, and I am pleased to say, I am making excellent progress. I have to take a lot of drugs, but I can ride my bike and take walks with my family. I am truly blessed.

Scleroderma has not attacked my new lung, and I am hopeful that it will remain unaffected. My heartfelt thanks go out to all the doctors and staff members who have helped put my life back together. I have been told that transplants are not very common for scleroderma patients, but consult your doctor concerning this matter. I do not know how long my new lease on life will last, but I do know that we are making progress toward solving the mystery of scleroderma.

Make the most of every day. Each day is a chance to do something for which you can be proud. Keep up the good fight!