I subscribed to Cystic-L from around 1995-1997, when too many of my friends died on me for it to be of much "support" anymore. It might be of general interest, and of interest to anyone who survives from the period when I was subscribed or active on the list, that I received a double lung transplant in September, 2001.

By 33 I had pneumonia, was losing the drive to breathe, and probably within a few weeks of death. I received my transplant and recovered rapidly. This summer I will be 35. My lung capacity hovers around 110% of expected, I row competitively, and take practice rows in excess of 18 miles on the South Sound. I've had no problems at all with the transplant, no infections, no rejection episodes whatsoever, and have not been ill. I have a very different body type than I thought I had all my life. Although I rowed in college, my weight never topped 145; I now am a very muscular 165.

I'm not sure if my experience is typical, and it has had its ups and downs, however small. Post this to the list if you feel it is appropriate. I am not going to subscribe, as I no longer feel that I have CF. I am now a transplant patient and that is a much easier thing to be. But anyone who is thinking about a transplant in the future might want to talk to me about how well it can work. Before my transplant I was ambivalent about it. Many of the statistics are not encouraging. But it can be miraculous.

-- Will Hutcheson in June, 2003