Greetings,
I have not written since April 2nd because I was waiting for my scheduled visit on June 11th at the Mayo Clinic for my 9 month tests/consultation and waiting to hopefully hear from Rosemary so that I could include both bits of information in one update. Many of you have asked how I am doing and when I was planning to send out my next update [which is an encouragement to me especially when it is a guy], so here is the latest:
The spirometry tests, 6 minute walk test, chest x-rays, blood work, neurology tests..... all went well this past Friday. The spirometry results [breathing tests that measure your lungs capacities] continue to even get better. The doctor showed me a graph of how they have even gotten stronger since the April 2nd tests in which they thought my lung capacity had already reached it's peak. As I have thought through this, the measurements that I am now exceeding are because the Predicated Stats for individuals taking these tests are determined by your age and other factors. Well since I have the lungs of a young man who passed away in his early 20's, Timothy's lungs that are in my 55 year old body are performing like someone his age and not mine. It is so amazing. God has been so good. The smiles of the Doctors and Staff appears to make the statement to me that to them this has been a very rewarding and encouraging journey as they put me through these tests and as they sit and review the results with me.
It's almost comical doing the 6 minute walk test, in that as you do laps through the corridors of the Pulmonary Department, the wheel that measures the distance I walk "clicks" as it revolves and serves as a warning sound that someone doing this test is coming. The ladies at the desk were almost serving as "Air Traffic Controllers" as I would come around the corner with intent on doing my best at this and as other patients were entering/exiting this area. To think back that less than 9 months ago, I could not pass this test even with the use of supplemental oxygen. Oh how different things are today!!!
The only negative results I had were that the residual effects from the paralysis I experienced immediately following surgery continue to be nuisance problem for me. The neurologist told me they would increase the medication I am on to see if that would help reduce the sensations that I experience on my left side of my body and that hopefully through time this problem will work itself within my body as it continues to go through the healing process. In the big picture, it's a small trade-off!!!
While at the Mayo Clinic on Friday, I ran into a fellow lung transplant recipient whom we had met while in Jacksonville last year. This man had transplant 22 months ago and has not been able to leave their temporary place of residence in Jacksonville to return to their home in Georgia. He has had many problems/complications in his journey. While he was in for a bronchoscopy, I had time between my tests and I sat and talked with his wife. Oh my, as I sat and listened to her, I was reminded of how blessed we are to be to the point we are at. She asked me how long did I have to stay in the Jax. area and it was almost embarrassing to say I was released to go home after 10 weeks from surgery. The fortunate thing is that this couple have a strong faith in God and are thankful that he is still alive and has an opportunity and hope to someday return home and see his grandchildren who he has not been able to be around due to his health issues. He must remain in the area for testing/monitoring and he is awaiting a second transplant surgery. As both of them told me, they have not heard a story that matches mine and for that I am very grateful to God. I think it was God's way of reminding me that although I am still adjusting to new limitations in life, I am very very fortunate with the outcome with Timothy's lungs.
Speaking of Timothy, just Saturday we received our 2nd letter from Timothy's mom, Rosemary. Just this past week I had been having phone conversations with Lifelink of Georgia regarding correspondence between Rosemary and I and had previously understood it was OK to write to her without any limitations regarding personal contact info etc. However, that was not the case and the letters filter through this organization and my letter from early March had only been forwarded to Rosemary on June 1st and with the personal contact info removed. The good news is going forward all correspondence will now go through them and the even better news is that once Rosemary received my letter just last week, she in turn wrote back to us and that is the letter we just received on Saturday. It was a very personal and heartfelt letter that she wrote. Since receiving it, I bet I have read it at least 20 times and have spent a good bit of time trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
Amongst the information Rosemary shared with us regarding Timothy was that "he was an amazing person, never sick, always happy, and very giving". She seems to have a genuine peace with God about her son's death and expressed how she was "glad and thankful that I was doing so good". She also said that "the other recipients had not written to her yet because maybe they don't know what to say to me other than they are sorry". Personally, I am glad I made the decision to write the Timothy's family early on so that God could again use "all of our lives together" to help with the grief and healing process and to allow God to be Glorified through it all. As I have shared with Rosemary, I have illustrated to her how our family, friends and friends of friends have been praying for her through this journey. She expressed her appreciation for that and stated she would sincerely want to meet my family and friends. She also mentioned that she did not mind being referred to as the "Mathews Family". She explained briefly Timothy's cause of death, which was attributed to a seizure and subsequent fall resulting in fatal head injuries. Rosemary shared how she felt God's plan for Timothy's life was even carried out to the very end as even a stranger played a significant role in assisting in allowing his organs to be used to save other's lives.
As I have read her previous letter and the most recent letter many times over, both Debbie and I agree that Rosemary may very well be a single mom. How amazing to think, that as Debbie and I have tried to help single moms for so many years through our churches and Sheridan House Family Ministries, that some of the key people instrumental in saving my life might possibly be a single mom and son of a single mom. God has blessed us beyond measure through this journey.
As always, Debbie and I remain grateful and thankful for what God has provided to us as He has answered so many of your prayers on our behalf. Please continue to pray for Rosemary and how we might all be used to encourage her through all of this.
Love in Christ,
Rick and Debbie
From Christy ~ PS. If you have made it this far in the update, congrats :) In an effort to "keep it pithy" as my brother would say I'd like to add a tidbit. Many of you that have followed OBL have also seen my prayer requests for Capt Nick Giglio's wife Leigh and her two kiddos. (Quick refresher: Capt Nicholas Giglio was a pilot in our squadron in South Carolina who lost his life in an F-16 crash less than 2 weeks after my dad's transplant leaving behind his wife, daughter and at the time unborn son). This weekend there is a memorial 5K being held in his name. (http://www.giglio5k.com/) I just ask that you please pray for safe travels for his wife and children as they travel from SC to NJ and as she endures this time. I thought of her as our squadron came back from Iraq, ironically, on Memorial Day of this past year. I found myself once again thanking God for all the blessings I have in life because unfortunately, not everyone has those same blessings. I sent her the following verse to let her know I was thinking about her: Phil. 1: 3-6. So as you pray for Rosemary, please continue to lift up Leigh, now a single mom, in your prayers as well. Thank you. And I am so very blessed (and excited) to be able to spend Father's Day with my dad this year. I'll miss my hubby and kiddos, but God has truly blessed Rick, Kylie and myself with the chance to still get to enjoy the company of our Dad. So to all those dads, Happy Father's Day, a few days early :)
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