From Physician to Patient in 150 days
This story was written by Shirene, lung recipient
“It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.” – Psalm 18:32
From an outside perspective, my life over the past couple years seems far from perfect or ideal. And if I had heard my story five years ago, I would have said the same thing. But my perception has changed as I’ve reflected on my journey to being a transplant recipient. Each person’s life experiences are unique in their own way. I have come to understand that this is the life that God chose for me, and He has given me the strength to face one of the most difficult times in my life. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
Back in the summer of 2021, I graduated from medical school and started my residency training as a physician. I was finally living the life that I dreamed of for several years: living in my dream apartment, cooking and hosting for friends, while working at a job I loved. I finally felt like I had my life in order. But things took a turn in July of 2021.
After my first rotation through the inpatient palliative care service, I found out my Dad, who was known to be healthy all his life, was diagnosed with stage IV metastatic lung cancer. Because of this sudden diagnosis with a poor prognosis, I decided to spend Thanksgiving with my family. But little did I know that I would become a patient myself, exactly 150 days after I started my first job as a physician.
It started with a loss of taste and smell for just 24 hours, which in 2021, anyone would be worried about COVID. Although I tested negative, I continued to not feel well with nausea, vomiting, and a fever of 103.5F, which led me to an emergency room on the Sunday evening after Thanksgiving. I was later admitted, and slowly, but acutely, went into respiratory distress. I felt my lungs collapsing, just as I had seen with my patients with COVID just a few months before. I was started on 2 liters of oxygen with a nasal cannula, but quickly progressed to 15 liters on a non-rebreather mask along with Optiflo, a humidified high-flow nasal cannula, just about a week later. It was at that time that I knew that my body was getting fatigued and I couldn’t fight this alone. I turned to my faith in God, that He would get me through this, as I finally asked to be intubated that evening.
Thankfully, I had scribbled down some names from my residency program before I was intubated. My mom made some calls, and through the help of those contacts, I was able to be transferred to a larger medical center for more advanced care. Once I was transferred, I was quickly placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a heart-lung bypass machine, while my family was asked to make a decision on whether or not to place me on the lung transplant list. We have had conversations about organ donation in the past, and because of that, they had concluded that I would be okay with an organ transplant, as I had been a registered organ donor myself.
In February 2022, after one dry run, endless support from medical personnel, and much prayer from people around the world, I received my second chance at life, as I was blessed with a lung transplant from a generous donor and their family. Though there were many complications before, during, and after transplant, my medical team never gave up on me. Because of my transplant, I was able to see my Dad one last time before he passed away, which happened to be on my 26th birthday. I have been able to experience life and memories with those I care about the most, bring about awareness of organ donation and delirium in the ICU, and will be going back to the job I love to complete my residency in Internal Medicine. I have learned so much from being a patient that I hope to implement in my everyday practice as a physician, to better care for my patients both at the bedside and through advocacy.
Life is never how we planned it. But it is the experiences we face that shape who we are, and certain people are placed in our life for a reason. I encourage everyone I meet to do their own research about organ donation and transplantation, so that they can make an educated, well-informed decision. The more I learn about organ donation, the more miraculous this whole process seems as so many different aspects have to align so that a person’s life can be saved or improved. The experiences I have faced have shaped me who I am today. This journey has helped me understand what patients face everyday, from calling insurance companies, to getting blood draws regularly, and to complying with a medication regimen. Being a patient is a full time job, and as a future healthcare provider, I hope to be able to better assist my patients as they navigate the maze of the healthcare system.
The past few years have not been easy or ideal in human eyes. But God had a purpose and a plan for each step along the way, and all I have to do is trust the process. It is easy to say, hard to do, but worth it all.
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