In 2010, Debora Dearring was diagnosed with sarcoidosis, a rare disease in which the body forms abnormal tissue clusters in the lungs that make it difficult to breathe. Over the next few years, stress, severe coughing episodes and shortness of breath took a toll on her lungs and heart, and she was added to the organ transplant waiting list in March 2015 and admitted to the hospital the following month.
“Not being aware of the process and how long it would take, I thought it would be a couple weeks and I’d be on my way,” Debora says. But doctors told her she couldn’t leave the hospital until they found a new pair of lungs for her, so she spent her days walking up and down the length of the hospital floor until even a few steps left her breathless.
To lift her spirits while she was in the hospital, visitors and hospital staff left words of encouragement on index cards, which Debora’s family taped to the walls. “It didn’t only lift me up, but it lifted the staff up,” she says. “As a patient, when visiting hours were over and the unit was quiet, it would just be me and those cards. But I never went a day without a visitor. I had over 300 cards on the wall.”
Despite high spirits, Debora’s health was failing. “Each day was a struggle; it was hard,” she says. “I could tell my body was slowly breaking down, and I was getting tired and weaker. Exercises were hard, getting out of bed was hard. People don’t realize how much of your body is required to breathe. And when you cannot … it got really hard.”
On November 19, 2015, the organ transplant coordinator and nurse coordinator came to see Debora and pointed to a card that said, “God is leaning in your direction.” They told her they had good news and bad news: The good was that there was a pair of lungs waiting for Debora. The bad was that the operating team was right behind them, ready to take Debora into surgery immediately, with barely enough time for her family to make it to the hospital.
Debora came through her surgery and woke up four days later, to the joy of her family and care team. “They took excellent care of me,” she says. “When I woke up, my husband and family and children were there. They were floored—they didn’t think I’d wake up.”
She spent the next two months recuperating, taking short walks and weaning herself off of the ventilator. “The first time I walked without the vent, the respiratory therapist asked how I felt without having to use oxygen,” she says. “I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, I never thought I would get to that point!’ It was hard for me to get off that vent, but getting my lungs and getting stronger were the important things.”
On January 11, 2016—nine months after being admitted—Debora was finally discharged from the hospital. Now, nearly ten years later, she is doing well and shares her story with the hope that people in diverse communities will be inspired to join the organ and tissue donor registry. “I focus on helping people understand the value of transplantation,” she says. “I would not be here without my donor.”
“I’m here to give back,” she adds. “I’m so thankful to my donor; I’m doing this for them. Every day, I’m grateful to wake up, persevere and be positive.”
Every 10 minutes, someone is added to the organ transplant waiting list.
Approximately 113,000 men, women, and children are waiting for life-saving organ transplants. One organ donor has the power to save up to eight lives and change the outcomes of someone’s world forever by giving them a second chance. Additionally, tissue donation can save and improve the lives of up to 75 people with their gifts. You can make a huge impact by registering as an organ and tissue donor.
Learn more about organ and tissue donation, or register as a donor at https://donatelifewisconsin.org.
