A Bit about Tammy

One of my friends reminded me yesterday that in the age of FaceBook, many may be reading this who don't know Tammy or her story. So, her is the readers digest condensed version.

In December of 2004 and at the age of 32, Tammy was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.  IPF is a disease that causes the lungs to get inflamed, then that inflamed tissue scars, making the lung tissue cease to expand and absorb oxygen like it should. Instead of inflating easily, they become tough (fibrous).  The "idiopathic"means they have no idea what causes it.  It is incurable, so after much testing, and trying to slow the progression of the disease, she was placed on the transplant list for a pair of lungs.  She received those lungs on Mother's Day 2006.

During that time she worked right up until the transplant, then was back at work as soon as she was released after the transplant.  Since then she has played softball, ridden her motorcycle, worked hard, played just as hard, and loved everyone around her.  I won't gush about her here too much because you can read old posts to hear about what kind of person she is. Unfortunately during that time, she had some bouts of rejection which would put her in the hospital for a few days or weeks, then she'd go right back to life.

Last February (2009), she was brought to the hospital by ambulance.  She was lethargic and had a hard time breathing.  Within a week she was in ICU on a ventilator, completely sedated and fighting for her life.  There were many complications that you can find in the blogs from last February.  Long story short,    we needed a miracle of God or we were going to be planning her funeral.  So, partly in self defense (because repeating bad news 100 times makes my soul weary) and mostly to let people know how to pray, I started this blog.  For a long time she was just laying there, and the only way we could know if there was improvement was if the tests would indicate a change.  So, I began to ask questions so we could pray specifically.  As we lifted our hearts and our love for Tammy to the Father and Master Healer,  He addressed each issue.  Day by day, number by number, miracle by miracle, God brought healing to her body and strengthening to our faith.  He even convinced the head of the Transplant Department to re-list her for another lung transplant.  For those of you that know the world of transplantation, it is a huge thing to get a second transplant. But I will write more on that in the days to come I am certain.

When she woke up, she had no strength, couldn't see well, and couldn't speak.  Her muscle tone was so bad that she couldn't move her legs or push the button on the TV remote.  She thought she was paralyzed and couldn't understand why we were so thrilled about it.  Poor kid!  But we knew that she would be able to get strong again because she is just that strong, that stubborn, that independent, and that amazing.

She was released from the hospital in May and came to live with us. She was able to walk into the house  with the help of the walker! She hasn't been able to enjoy her room upstairs though, well, because... it's upstairs.  And it is hard work.  So, we moved her bed to the living room.  She can never say she missed out on anything.  She has lived smack in the middle of it for a whole year!  And we have loved and been thankful for every minute of it. She has been doing some respiratory therapy, when health and weather would cooperate. But, still she has noticed a decline, and her oxygen needs have increased little by little over the last year.

So that is the "short" version.  Or as short as I can make it.  But to God be all glory and honor and credit for all that we have been given.  We know it didn't come from us or from the doctors (one even admitted it himself)!  So we stand on all we have learned and come before Him yet again.