Gary Bearden - Lung Transplant_relocate to Phoenix AZ Hosp

Update 05/17/2024:

Gary has officially finished all of the required testing for his double lung transplant evaluation at St. Josephs Hospital in Phoenix AZ. It has been 4 long weeks but we could not have asked for more hospitable people in the hospital system. They have all been great. Currently, he is participating in their Pulmonary Therapy (PT for lungs) at the Hospital 2 days a week and will continue through and after transplant.

Monday 5/20 we meet with the pharmacist and surgeons to discuss his impending lung transplant along with having a testing wrap up session with transplant doctors. We should know what their strategy is leading into decision day on 5/24 when they present his case to the board for listing approval. We are confident they are going to say yes. We will know by noon CST Friday 5/24 the final decision. Please pray over their decision we need this to be a "yes".

Gary's oxygen requirements are increasing as a faster rate than they have over the past 2 years. 4 months ago he was on 3Liters at rest and 4 liters with activity. He is now on 5 Liters at rest and 10 Liters with activity. Big difference. Please pray his condition slows down until he can get transplanted.

We appreciate all of you who have donated to GFM account, prayed for us, checked on us and just kept us in you thoughts.

UPDATE:

We have completed 13 out of 20 days of testing and evaluation at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix, AZ. Gary will complete his testing and evaluation process on May 20th. So far, all test results have come back great and are leading to a positive listing decision from St. Josephs on the morning of May 24th.

The donations received thus far are helping us adjust in the Phoenix area and settle in for the long haul. We will need to live in the Phoenix area for 1 to 2 years. It has been a big adjustment, but we are doing very well here. The people here have been awesome to us in helping the adjustment period. Thank you to the people of Tyler who have provided us moral support and offered to help in any way possible inside work and out. Tyler is such a family-oriented company, and I could not ask for a better company to celebrate 10 years of employment within July 2024.

Gary will begin Pulmonary Therapy on 5/7 (2x a week) to gain some strength and will continue this therapy until he is able to have the transplant surgery. It is important for him to be as strong as possible because this surgery is extremely invasive and long. The surgery is about 10 hours to get a double lung transplant and he will not be able to use his arms for about 3 months. He is doing a some better in Phoenix because there is no humidity like there is in Brenham, TX area. We miss Texas but we are enjoying the weather in Phoenix.

As most know, Gary has been waiting for 2 years to get on the lung transplant list. After 2 years, Houston Methodist Transplant Hospital denied him a transplant due to considering him high risk. With Gary being considered a high-risk for lung transplant and his current prognosis, we are forced to temporarily relocate to Phoenix, AZ for a period of 1 to 2 years to get him to a hospital willing to do the lifesaving double lung transplant.

We will need to maintain our home in Burton, TX along with an apartment in Phoenix, AZ while he is a patient of St. Josephs Transplant Hospital. The cost of a studio apartment in Phoenix, AZ starts at $1,500 per month and goes up from there for a 1 bedroom. That is just the rent and does not include any of the expenses or furnishings. Hotels and temporary housing costs are even more expensive. We are currently working with the Social Worker at the hospital to find suitable/affordable housing for us.

I will continue to work as much as possible and do everything I can financially. However, affording 2 households is near impossible for a single income family. Reaching out to family, friends, and acquaintances for help is a hard step to take but in order to save Gary’s life I am willing to do whatever I have to. We have never had to do this, and it is extremely difficult to ask for donations. We have tried every other route including hospitals closer to home without success. If you are willing and able, we would appreciate your donation. If not, please pray for us through the rest of this life changing process.

Gary will no longer be racing as his prognosis is getting worse by the day and we now know we have to relocate for his health to get better. He is sad to leave racing behind for some time but so glad he will be able to breathe good again in the near future.

If you are interested in Gary’s Journey, I have written a few paragraphs below that will give you some context of the last 2 years.

Gary’s Journey thus far:

On December 28, 2021, Gary was admitted to the hospital for Covid and would remain in the hospital for 3 months on up to 18 liters of oxygen. The Covid virus destroyed his lungs with incurable Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. IPF is not only incurable but also continues to destroy the lungs with scar tissue until the lungs are hard as a rock eventually causing death due to no airflow. This usually occurs within a 2-to-3-year period of time making immediate transplant crucial. After being released from the hospital in March 2022, Gary was told that he would need a double lung transplant and referred to downtown Houston for a consult/testing.

Gary’s first appointment with Houston Methodist Hospital was in May 2022 and then the weeklong evaluation was conducted in June 2022. His listing was delayed for a host of reasons such as weight loss, heart stent surgery, had to be off blood thinners, required vaccinations (Covid, RSV, Hepatitis A & B, Shingles, Flu, Pneumonia, and many more), attend 3 months of Pulmonary Rehabilitation and much more. Gary and I worked tirelessly to get all of the requirements accomplished.

In December 2022, Gary underwent heart surgery to place 4 stents in his heart to prevent a massive heart attack. He remained on extensive blood thinners for 6 months and was released for transplant again in June 2023.

Since then, he has had several heart catheterizations to ensure his heart is safe for transplant and was cleared by the heart surgeons in January 2024.

In February 2024, Gary was admitted to the hospital for 1 week where they drained in excess of 22lbs of fluid off of his body due to his IPF disease progressing. The week after he was released from the hospital, about a month ago, Houston Methodist Hospital outright denied him a double lung transplant stating that he is too high of a risk to do the double lung transplant.

Over the past 2 years, Gary has been through so much including testing, losing weight, vaccinations, heart stents and heart catheterizations, cancer scanning and much more with Houston Methodist Hospital. It was disheartening for them to deny him after such a long time processing him.

Meanwhile, his IPF has gotten worse making his need for a double lung transplant even more critical to his ability to survive. His lung function has decreased from 60% 2 years ago to 38% 1 month ago. He is now requiring 8 liters of oxygen for any activity making it more difficult for him to do the activity he used to do.

After Methodist denied him, I started reaching out to social media for referrals to hospitals in the United States that will do high risk double lung transplants. We were referred to several out of state hospitals and St. Josephs in Phoenix, AZ is the hospital that is progressive enough in their transplant process to accept high risk patients for lung transplants. Currently, we are working with them to get Gary on the list for transplant and as a result we have to temporarily relocate there for 6 months to a year.

Thank you to everyone who has and will be there with us through this long arduous journey that is long from over yet. The end result is so worth it for Gary to be able to breathe freely again.