 |
| They're all so YOUNG! |
Next Friday, I’m to see a doctor at Toronto General. The man’s name is Dr. Shane Shapera. He’s the medical director of the interstitial lung disease clinic and also a team member of the lung transplant clinic. Although I’m not absolutely clear of the purpose and goal of the appointment, I believe Dr. Shapera will put me through my paces, examine me and assess my suitability for the lung transplant programme. Maybe, he’ll put my name forward for inclusion on the Transplant List.
Now if you’re thinking it’s a simple procedure, this getting a new lung business, you couldn’t be more wrong. It’s anything but. If I’m accepted as a candidate, I’ll be expected to lose weight - probably twenty pounds or so. I will be encouraged (ie expected) to achieve and maintain the highest level of fitness possible given my current state of health. That will mean frequent and regular trips to the hospital for supervised exercise, and to submit to a battery of tests all designed to ensure the best possible outcome if a transplant becomes possible. Drugs will be prescribed with inherent and possibly unpleasant side effects. I’ve been told it’s a long, arduous, stressful journey.
And, as a parting note, remember lungs do not grow on trees.
