Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 25, 1993 TAG: 9311250115
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A1 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: CAROLYN CLICK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It's been three months since the 17-year-old Cave Spring High School senior underwent the double-lung transplant at the University of North Carolina Medical Center in Chapel Hill.
Three months without the oxygen tank and the 50 feet of tubing that had become her constant companion. Three months without the daily pulmonary exercises and mist pumping to break up the congestion in her lungs caused by cystic fibrosis, an inherited disease linked to an abnormal gene.
This week, Leftwich went back to school full time, another sign that her life is taking on a normalcy unheard of two years ago.
She still faces problems because of the cystic fibrosis - including diabetes. But with the removal of her diseased lungs and the transplantation of the healthy set, she no longer has to fear the buildup of mucus that has led to lung failure and death among other cystic fibrosis victims.
She remains on anti-rejection medications - she laughs about developing "chipmunk" cheeks because she takes steroids - and will likely rack up thousands of dollars in prescription costs in the coming years.
But after waiting 13 months for the organs and enduring a 14-hour operation, Leftwich figures the worst is behind her and her family.
"We just take it one day at a time," said her father, Dick Leftwich.
It is a philosophy honed on the reality of waiting lists and the limited supply of organs that become available for those who need transplants.
Some donated organs aren't suitable. Leftwich, who moved to Chapel Hill in June as her name crept toward the top of the list, was called at 2 a.m. to come to the hospital and prep for surgery, only to be told later that the organs were not a good match.
And even when the transplant team members emerged from the operating room, they pulled no punches with the family, Dick Leftwich said.
Whitney, they told him, almost died, forcing doctors to quickly perform a cardiopulmonary bypass to get her heart working again in tandem with the lungs.
That information hardly fazed Whitney Leftwich, who has developed an equanimity far beyond her years. She has taken the long view of life ever since she was forced to face the limitations of cystic fibrosis - including restrictions on physical activity and, for the last several years, home tutoring.
Now, for the first time, doctors are urging her to sweat, to ride a bicycle and jog and participate in many of the normal noncontact sports teen-agers enjoy.
She also has developed an appetite for the first time in years.
"I think we've spent about $1,000 on Chinese food in the last month," Dick Leftwich said, laughing.
Taking the long view helped her and her family through the operation and long, painful days of recovery. High dosages of steroids sent her into seizures before doctors quickly adjusted medications.
Several others in her transplant support group received lungs at the same time. They and their families were able to lean on each other.
"I learned more, sitting in those pre- and post-transplant support groups, about life than in all the years before," said Dick Leftwich.
Whitney Leftwich still must rise each morning and meticulously record her temperature and other vital signs before heading off to school. She still must keep track of more than a dozen medications.
And, while Blue Cross and Blue Shield will pay for the bulk of the transplant operation, the family still has to figure out how to pay for medications and procedures health insurance won't cover.
Through her grandparents' church, Goodview Baptist in Bedford County, about $60,000 has been raised to help defray expenses.
The outpouring of financial and moral support is "such a miracle," she said. "It's hard to put into words how to thank everyone."
Her experience has made her more appreciative of life, and she worries that people get so busy "they don't take time to enjoy the simple things of life. Sometimes you want to give everyone a dose of reality," she said.
by CNB