SUNS GAME

When I went to the grocery store with Monica one day, a young lady approached me and asked me if I were a Phoenix Suns fan (I was wearing a Suns playoff jersey from 2007) I told her I have been a Suns fan since about 1979 when I moved here. She identified her herself as a marketing intern for the Suns organization. She explained to me a promotion that was going on in conjunction with Checker Auto parts. That if I filled out the entry form and if I was chosen, I would get to go to the suns game and be center court with the captians of the game. Well, I was chosen and we went to the game on Dec. 6th. By the way the tickets were free, and the seats were good. Monica and I had a real nice time. In all of the years I have lived here, I have never been able to get to a game. There is alot of entertainment during the time outs, I didn't even miss chanel surffing since there were no commercials. Monica took some pictures that I will try to post later. I just got this picture in the mail today, notice that Steve Nash and I are the same height! What do you think of the Suns recent trade?

TWO YEARS!!!

Well, tomorrow will be two years since I first went into Scottsdale Healthcare for my "cold". On Sunday, the 30th, it will be two years since I was put on life support. Little did I know how long and hard the journey was going to be. I have had so many emotions and feelings going through my head lately. Mostly they are feelings of thankfulness and gratitude. First of all to God. He is always there. Then the person who donated their lungs, what a wonderful gift of life. I feel words aren't really enough to thank their family. Then there is just about EVERY person who I have come in contact with these past two years. I know that sounds like I am being extreme. but I mean it. I could name so many people... my family (here and in Ohio), my grandson (he always makes me smile), church family, STARS employees, old friends, new friends, ALL OF THE MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, The Transplant team at ST. Joseph's, the home healthcare people, and the people who gave Monica support throughout this whole ordeal, I am so thankful for. Today Monica and I had to return a monitor to St. Josephs from a test I had to take. We had our grandson with us and sometimes he has to do exactly what I do, and today was no different. When I go into a hospital, I always need to wear a mask. Well, our grandson had to wear one too. So we were walking down the hallways of the hospital, holding hands with our masks on. Oh yeah, he also had a blanket tied around his neck like a "Superman Cape" as we walked. His first question when I put the mask on was "Are you sick again Papa?" When I told him I wasn't sick, he just said oh, ok. We also went back to the 4th floor Rehab at Scottsdale Healthcare. They hadn't seen me since I was using the wheelchair and using oxygen. It felt so good to walk in there, on my own, to say hello and thank them. They were all so kind and supportive to me and Monica both times I was a patient there. So, on my two year anniversary...(anniversary doesn't almost sound right) and after many changes in my life, I am alive... given a second chance..Thanks to God, everyone in my life these past two years and the person who made the unselfish donation of their lungs to me. One request....PLEASE CONSIDER BEING AN ORGAN DONER.

OHIO

OHIO 11/08

My Sister and Brothers

Well, it has been awhile since I have posted and Many things have been happening. The main thing is that my Drs. said it was ok for me to travel(fly). So after much thought... Ohio or Redondo Beach (actually it didn't take much thought at all) we decided to go back home to see family in Ohio. My two brothers and sister live in Ohio, and Monica's Mom and Sister live in Ohio, along with many other family members. By the way, thank you Susan and Greg for making this trip a reality for me. We had a non stop flight from Phoenix to Cleveland and I didn't even feel weird having to wear my mask on the plane. We sat beside a young mother with a 13 month old son. I thought "Oh boy is this going to be a long flight!" But he was the best little boy during the whole flight. My brother picked us up in Cleveland, the last time I saw him was a year ago, and I was still using the wheelchair to get around. I could walk, but lost my breath after just a few steps. I also was on 4 liters of O2. Needless to say, I was very grateful to be able to walk off the plane to meet him. My sister hadn't seen me since Dec. 9th, 2006, when I was in ICU, in a medically induced coma, medically paralyzed, and on life support. When we got to her house; there was a long hug and some tears. I got to see my other brother too. Again, I felt such gratefulness to be able to stand and give him a hug too. We spent alot of time with both sides of our families. Many special meals, familiar activities- even some new ones like tag sales, rides through our hometown, visits with aunts and uncles, and even a birthday dinner with ice cream cake at Monica's Mom and Bill's house (the cake was for a combined birthday celebration for Monica, Susan, Susan's husband Greg, and me). I got to do so many things I thought I would NEVER get to do again. It just felt great, like I again have a life. One of the things Monica and I like to do everytime we get a chance to go to Ohio, is to go to Amish country. This is something that I have done as a child and something that Monica has always done with her kids when they were younger. We have a routine(for those of you who know me, I have to have routines...routines for everything) Anyway, we start out at the Mennonite Thrift Store in Kidron. We can always find something to buy for CHEAP. We then go down the road to Lehmans Hardware Store. It used to be just a small hardware that catered to the Amish and selling the non-electric appliances they use, but now, it is just too comercialized. They have added on so much, it almost looks like a Wal mart with many reproductions. Lehmans also has a smaller store in Mt. Hope that still has the non electric items. Next stop, the Kidron auction(selling pigs, cows, hay etc...) So cool, that hasn't changed too much at all. I noticed that after getting back to Az. I am pretty tired, so maybe we over did things a bit. But it felt good. Well, that is it for tonight: there are clinics, chest x-rays, and pulmonary function tests tomorrow morning, oh, and rehab. It does feel good to be back HOME with my familiar routines!

Delete What??

Oct. 2006

Oct. 2006

Ok, this is Monica again..... I really messed up Marty's post a few days ago. I thought I was just deleting a photo, but I guess you can't do that because I deleted the whole darn post. What he said in a nut shell is that He is feeling like he is not recovering as fast as he wants to. He is doing very well, it is just that he is feeling so much better now, he wants to do EVERYTHING. He recalled a nurse and a physical therapist at Scottsdale Healthcare, saying to him that for everyday you are in the hospital in bed, it will take three day's recovery. So he was in the hospital for 189 days, so that is 567 days to recover. Then add on to that the double lung transplant.....So he is doing very well. There are pictures of Marty at SHC from 2006 in a previous post; So as you can see, he is much healthier. He also talked about all of the wonderful care he received at Scottsdale Healthcare. Everyone there was great. He thanked Dr. Shah (and all of the other Dr.'s) for keeping him alive and healthy enough for the transplant.

He also had some pictures uploaded from Oct. 2006. I work with adults who have developmental disabilities and Halloween is a very special time for them, and we try to show our support to them with their activities. Well, Marty decided to go in costume, so the pictures are of him at their party.

He also wrote about our grandson Jonathan's birthday. He turned 3 on Nov. 2. He really loves his "papa". Jonathan was so proud to have helped his mom make and decorate his "pancakes with mushrooms" which is really cupcakes with marshmallows. It was just a small family birthday party, which seemed larger in our small home. Uncle Cory, Grammy, Daddy, Mommy,Aunt Susie, Uncle Greg(from Ohio), Papa, and Grandma were there. Aunt Marissa and Caleb had to work, and couldn't be there. But everyone had fun.(by the way, I can't find the picture of Jonathan and his cupcakes Marty had posted...go figure. It was in the original blog I deleted)

Thanks for being patient with me with this computer. I am again sorry for my computer illiteracy. Next time I try to help, I will make sure someone is with me who knows how to Blog.

Scottsdale Healthcare

4th floor rehab 4th floor rehab.

I have no memory of this. ICU w/4th floor P.A. 6/06

Our 9th anniversary 5/07.

Scottsdale Healthcare made us a special dinner.

I forgot to post these pictures from my stay at SHC. Like I said, 567 days for recovery. I think I am doing good. EVERYONE at SHC was great. They all treated me and Monica really good. They along with Dr. Shah (and many other Dr's) kept me well enough for a transplant.

THREE MONTHS OUT

Well, today is my 3 month "anniversary" if that is what you want to call it. It is 8:51 pm, and three months ago at about this same time, I was just getting ready to go back into pre-op. I thought I was pretty calm and at peace, but now when I think of the alternative, I wonder if I was really all that calm. My wife, daughter Marissa, and Monica's kids; Erin and Cory were all there. Erin was even aloud to bring our grandson Jonathan back for a very short time before I went in to surgery. I never really thought at the time, that I would never see them again. It is amazing to me that today, 3 months later, I can drive, shop, go to church, and really, just live. I still can't believe this has happened to me. I am so greatful for the gift of life that was given to me. I have thought often of writing a letter to UNOS (the organization that allocates the donated organs) to give to the family, but how do you even begin a letter like that? I have so many ideas that go through my head all the time, I just want the words to be the right ones, so I will wait until I feel like the right words are there. So, today on my three month anniversary, Thank you to the person who made the donation of their lungs, what a gift, Thank you St. Joseph's Transplant Team, you are all amazing to me, Thank you to my family in Ohio; your love and support given to us is appreciated so much, Thank you to all of our "old friends" and all of our new friends we have met this past 23 months, Thank you Dr.'s Shah and Levinson........Words aren't enough to let you know how much I appreciate the care you have given to me, you kept me alive and healthy enough to receive the transplant, Thank you Monica for always being there. A good three months.....God is so Good!

Computer literate???

Hi, this is Monica..... as many of you know, we started an e mail fundraising campaign. Well, as I was putting it all together one evening, I meant to save the draft and proof read it in the morning since it was getting kind of late for me. Well, I guess I didn't do that, and I hit SEND instead. So there are a few spelling goofs in the body of the letter, some typos, a transposed phone number for the National Transplant Assistance Fund, and one piece of info that I forgot to add.... 1. The correct phone number for NTAF is 1-800-642-8399 2. The piece of information I forgot to add is that all contributions made in Marty's honor(or anyone else who is fundraising with the NTAF) are ONLY used for medical expenses. I am sorry for my computer illiteracy, but my heart was in the right place. If anyone would like any information, just drop Marty a line in the comment section, or sign the guest book page on his NTAF site. Thanks everyone! Monica

Busy Day

Well, today was a busy day in a way. I started a mind and body class at the senior center, It is basic exercises like the warm up at Rehab. At the end of the class, we practice breathing the correct way. Believe it or not, I am the youngest person in the class. I have realized two things, I am still way out of shape and that I am known at the center as "the guy with the pillow". For those of you who don't know, I have a very special Butt. After the class, I drank a cup of coffee and just sat and talked with some of the people there. I started to feel guilty that I was enjoying myself, like I have a life again. Monica works all day, and here I was, having "fun". She reassured me that I shouldn't feel guilty, that this is all part of my recovery. So I am ok with that now. The next thing I did was to go pick up my wedding ring. It had to be resized since I have lost so much weight. It feels good to be wearing it again. My next stop was to drop in to see Monica at work. To be able to go in there without the wheelchair was a great feeling. I only stayed for a few minutes because my next stop was back to the senior center to see what this WII fit bowling is all about. I was late, so I didn't get to experience it. They are trying to get a WII bowling tournment going. I have always loved to bowl, so this just might be a good start since I can't really hold a heavy bowling ball yet. So since I missed that, I decided to drive to Mesa ,where my daughter works and surprise her. To my surprise, she treated me to lunch at Olive Garden. All the soup, salad and bread sticks I could eat. By the time I finally made it home, Monica was just getting home from work. We had planned to go out for our Friday night date, but she said she was pretty tired, and made the suggestion that we just stay at home. I think she may have said that because she knew I was tired out, but when she put her PJ's on before 6:00, I knew she was serious. So, that was my exciting day, and it sure felt good. By the way, I drove the whole day.

Well, I have been driving to rehab on Tuesday's and Thursday's. (I even drove home this Thursday) It is going pretty good, but I forgot how crazy some people can drive. I feel like I am getting stronger each day. I have begun to go back to the gym on my off days of rehab. Today I walked on the treadmill for 22 minutes and rode the bike for 22 minutes. There are so many good people at the Granite Reef Senior Center(where the gym is) . The people who use the gym have been so patient with me, especially when I went with the oxygen and the wheel chair. No one complained that I took up too much room or that I was too slow with the weight machines. We have met some very amazing people who have become friends. We would have never met all of those people if I hadn't gotten sick.

CAN'T WAIT

Hi, this is Monica, Marty's wife. I just wanted to post a picture of Marty taken before he got sick. In this picture, he is playing the drums at our church, Church on Mill in Tempe. If his recovery continues on this track, he may just start playing those drums again. His drums at home are in storage, and just waiting to be set up again. The other pictures are of our grandson, Jonathan, learning to play the "drums" with Papa, and then playing Papa's drums. He is now almost three, but he still likes "drumming"

BACK BEHIND THE WHEEL

Today, Sept. 20, 2008 I drove for the first time since Nov. 26, 2006. I started out driving around the neighborhood just to get a feel for it again. Monica was a bit nervous, but she said I did great. I just may drive to rehab next week. I thought I would never get to drive again.

GO DBACKS/GO ST. JOES

I will try this again.... I wrote so much, but who knows where it went, it obviously didn't post.... Anyway, we went to the Diamondbacks game last night. From what I understand, The Diamondbacks partner with St. Joes, and last night the 18 lung transplant reciepients were guests in two skyboxes. We had a catered meal, and a lot of fun. Members of the transplant team were there also. It was so nice to see the Dr's, surgeons, and all of the nurses, and everyone involved, in a setting other than the hospital or the Dr.'s office. I am also going to try to upload a few pictures. Monica will admit that she is n0t much of a picture taker, but you will get the idea of how nice our evening went. For those of you who have known me for a long time, you will understand the pictures with the numbers. (our suite was #7, and our parking spot was 4101) We left at the begining of the 8th inning, since I had to be at clinics and rehab today. Both went well. I have to close tonight by saying that everyone there last night is a miracle, and Monica and I are honored to know you all. Isn't is funny how total strangers from different walks of life are now bound together by this amazing gift of life?

Short road trip

Well, we decided to go to Superior and Globe yesterday instead of Black Canyon City. There is a good Mexican Restaurant in Superior that we had planned to eat at, but we were not hungry yet. So we continued to drive up to Globe. We went into a few antique shops and it was just so nice to be able to walk around and enjoy looking at things. By the time we got home, we were both pretty tired. I hate to say this, but I sure didn't mind not driving, I just sat and enjoyed God's beautiful creation. I did feel badly that Monica had to do all of the driving though. Next weekend.... another new adventure.

FIRST DATE

Well, Monica and I went out to eat at a "sit down, get served" restaurant tonight. It is the first time since the transplant that we have gone out in public to eat. I felt pretty "normal" without the wheelchair and the oxygen tanks. Yes, I said tanks, because before the transplant, just to go out, I needed so much supplemental oxygen, that I needed to take two tanks of oxygen. I was able to sit in a booth, something I haven't been able to do for almost two years. It just felt so good. I forgot to mention before that The Arizona Diamondbacks partner with St. Joesephs hospital, and the 18 people who have had lung transplants at St. Joes, are invited to the Diamondback game on Wed. Sept 17th. I guess we will even get to sit in a skybox! Not much of a baseball fan, but it will be fun. Monica and I are looking forward to the evening. This picture was taken when I was in the hospital in May of 2007. This was part of my occupational therapy. It is probably the last time I will ever make and decorate a cake!

CLINICS,REHAB, AND SUPPORT GROUP

Today was a busy day. Chest Xray, clinics at the transplant center, pulmonary rehab, and then the once monthly support group for people who have lung disease, who are pre or post transplant, and their family members or caregivers. It is pretty encouraging, and everyone is so grateful for their new life, or the hope of a new life. Last week I sent an email out about possibly needing to have some fluid removed from my left side. Well, today one of my Dr.'s said it would not be necessary at this time, today's chest x ray showed there was actually less fluid. The transplant team at St. Josephs is wonderful. They are very strict, but also very human, understanding, and they encourage us to get out there and live again. I can't wait. This weekend, we are going to try to go to Black Canyon City. It sounds like a big place, when actually it is a small town. There is a home cooking restaurant that we used to go to often. My first out of the city trip in almost 2 years. The last time we went there was Nov. 2006 to pick up some Christmas gifts for family. Maybe well will do some shopping! By the way, this photo was taken on our way up to Black Canyon City, just two weeks before I got sick in Nov. 2006.

BACKTRACKING A BIT

This is the special roto bed I was in for a few weeks back in Dec. 2006 and part of Jan. 2007 . It moves side to side so the fluid in the lungs won't settle. I am going to backtrack a little bit, and post a brief history of my illness for those of you who may not know. This was originally posted on the NTAF web site. It is still there, but putting it here may be more convenient. Monica wrote this for that site so I will take it directly from her words."As most of you know, since November 29, 2006 Marty has been in a battle with lung disease. He had spent many months, a good part of 2007, at Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn. During his stay, he was tested for many, many things, all to come back with "negative" results. He was in and out of the hospital a few times throughout 2007, but in February 2008 he began requiring more supplemental oxygen. He had a lung biopsy in March 2008. It showed a diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis. So, what we thought began as a normal cool in 2006, ended up being life threatening His pulmonologist, Dr. Alpa Shah, then referred him to The Heart and Lung Institute at St. Josephs Hospital in Phoenix. After the consultation with the transplant team, we decided to go ahead with the lung transplant. We began the evaluation process to see if Marty would even meet the criteria on July 16 and completed the tests on the 18th. The transplant team met on the 24th of July and decided that Marty would be a good candidate for a lung transplant, basically health enough to make it through, and sick enough to need one. He was officially "listed" on that same Thursday afternoon. We went about our daily business as best we could, always carrying our phones with us, waiting for the call. Well, the transplant nurse coordinator, Kate, called Marty on Saturday the 26th with the question; "Marty, how would you feel about getting some new lungs today?" That call sure came a lot quicker than we thought. His response was a definite YES, and we headed off to the hospital." That is a very abbreviated version. I will try to upload some pictures of my stay at Scottsdale Healthcare. For as long as I was there, there aren't really too many photos, but there are a few.

By the looks of it, I am doing good

Well, I guess I am doing much better now. These were taken while I was at Scottsdale Healthcare. After being released from the ICU, I went to the rehab floor so I could learn to walk again (2/07). They did wonders. The other picture is on my birthday, after being readmitted to the hospital (6/07). My Dr.(pictured with me) actually sang Happy Birthday to me.

Still getting the hang of it

Ok, So my pictures are a little huge! I will try to make them smaller next time.

LEGOS

My grandson came to visit today. He loves to play Legos. That is the second thing he asks to play, after baseball. The one picture of us palying Legos, is before my transplant( Jonathan has longer hair, and I have an oxygen tube). After the transplant, I didn't need any support pillows, or the oxygen tube. It feels so good to be able to get down on the floor(and up again for that matter) to play with Jonathan. We also went shopping at Wal Mart today. It feels great to be able to walk without loosing my breath, it feels like such a long time since I have been able to do that.

Hey, I figured it out, This is taken after I got home. My staples are all out now, but the 4 places where the chest tubes were still are healling. Very amazing isn't it.

SIX WEEKS POST TRANSPLANT 9/5/08

I am new to this blogging thing, so bear with me as I learn. I just thought it would be nice to update people in a more up to date method other than my rotary phone. Well, it has been six weeks since my transplant and my recovery is going very well. I have had some small procedures done as an out patient, but no admissions to the hospital. I started pulmonary rehab last week, and even though I am out of shape, I am looking forward to getting into shape. I am not able to drive yet, but am very fortunate that my wife can take time off from work to take me to the clinics and to rehab (which is usually 2-3 times per week). The transplant center at The Heart and Lung Institute at St. Joseph's is very wonderful at working around my wife's work schedule with my appointments. If I can figure out how to add photos, I have one of my surgical area that just amazes me. Well, More later. Thank you everyone for your prayers, words of encouragement. They have all meant so much to me.