A new set of lungs
Courtesy photo Alex Heisel of Post Falls, 25, left, is recovering from a 12-hour lung transplant surgery at Stanford Medical Center where her best friend, Katy Rhodes of Post Falls, right, will be traveling to spend a week with her as she heals. The duo are seen here in this September 2017 selfie.
By DEVIN WEEKS
Staff Writer
Finally, Alex Heisel can breathe easy.
The 25-year-old's dream of having a set of functioning lungs came true after several months on the transplant waiting list. At noon Sunday, she received the call from Stanford Medical Center that a perfect match had been found. She left North Idaho on an Angel Flight right away and was in surgery that night.
"That first deep breath was just awesome," Patty O'Reilly, Heisel's best friend's mom, said Tuesday. "She couldn't speak because of the soreness from the ventilator when they took it off, but she gave the thumbs up that everything was OK."
Heisel, of Post Falls, was born with cystic fibrosis, an inherited disorder that causes fluid in her lungs to thicken and make breathing difficult. She frequently visits the hospital for extended stays to clean out her lungs and give her time to rest and recover. Vitamins, antibiotics, nebulizer treatments and chest therapy have always been a part of her daily life.
"This is crazy to think that I'm going to hear her breathing without that crackling sound," said Katy Rhodes of Post Falls, Heisel's best friend and O'Reilly's daughter. "She's going to be taking real breaths instead of what seems like she's breathing through a straw."
Rhodes left Wednesday to visit her friend in Palo Alto, Calif., where Heisel will be staying for about four months while she recovers from the 12-hour procedure. The two had not talked over the phone as of Tuesday afternoon because of Heisel being so fresh out of surgery, but Rhodes said Heisel's family has been keeping her posted on her friend's recovery. The two have been close since they met 13 years ago.
"I wish I could have been there for the first breath she took after they took the ventilator out," Rhodes said. "Her sister said it was the most incredible thing she’s ever seen."
Heisel and her mom have traveled to Stanford several times for pre-transplant appointments since she was accepted into the program and placed on the waiting list earlier this year. Her friends and family are working to raise $500,000 to help offset the costs of the travel expenses and medical costs not covered by insurance. They have been brainstorming fundraiser ideas and plan to host events in the community in the near future.
"Alex is a funny and positive person. Literally everybody she comes into contact with remembers her. She’s tiny, but she has a huge personality," Rhodes said. "Her lungs and her body are going to be able to keep up with her now."
Info: 208-818-8886
•••
Background story: http://www.cdapress.com/article/20170728/ARTICLE/170729808