Transplant patient celebrates 20 years

Since Jim Waggener of Kalispell received a double-lung and heart transplant 20 years ago, it’s been Christmas every day.

“Every day is a gift,” he said, throwing a smile at his wife, Suzi. “I take one day at a time.”

Suzi agreed, adding every day is good but some are better than others.

One of the best days of their lives was Nov. 2, 1990. After waiting two years for a heart-lung donor, Jim awoke following an eight-hour transplant surgery with a new lease on life.

Over the years, Jim’s own lungs had slowly developed emphysema from a genetic deficiency that prevents his body from fighting pollutants such as dust and smoke. Not much longer than a year before his transplant, his mother died of emphysema at 62.

“She had been sick for a long time,” Jim said.

He ended up just two doors down from  his dying mother at Kalispell Regional Medical Center when one of his failing lungs collapsed. He was airlifted to a Denver medical center on the day his mother died.

 By November 1990, Jim’s own condition had become just as dire as his mother’s, but he was only 42.

“I was pretty much on my last legs,” he said. “I wouldn’t have made it through that winter.”

 Jim had declined from his active life of skiing snowmobiling to being dependent on oxygen. He had an oxygen tank with him as he waited for the call to come to Sacred Heart Medical Center for the double transplant.

Suzi said that by implanting both organs, surgeons eliminated many complex blood-vessel connections and reduced chances of rejection. On the downside, his doctors had told him he had only a 22 percent chance of finding a heart-lung donor.

 Even with that dim prospect, Jim kept a positive attitude. He continued to repair office machines, golf with a cart and even road hunt from his pickup.

“The day they called me to come to Spokane, I had been hunting in the Swan Range,” he said.

The couple, who have four children, jumped into their vehicle with their son Brad and raced to Spokane. Most of the way, Jim expected that  the donor most likely wouldn’t match his tissue or some other problem would develop.

“In transplants, there are a lot of dry runs,” he said.

They stopped in Pablo at a pay phone to call and found out the prospects were still good that the 18-year-old boy who had died in an automobile accident was a match. Jim didn’t know it at the time but a man with heart disease was racing to Spokane from Medical Lake, Wash., hoping for a match with Jim’s heart.

When the Waggeners and their son arrived at 4 a.m., Jim went directly into surgery. It was only the second double-lung and heart transplant performed at the six-month-old Inland Northwest Thoracic Organ Transplant Center at Sacred Heart Medical Center.

The concept of transplanting both heart and lungs was fairly new 20 years ago, causing Jim’s insurance company to call it “experimental” and balk at first at paying. Fortunately, the company relented.

Jim’s surgery was the Northwest’s first “domino” heart transplant with a living donor.

“I donated my heart to Sunny Wilson,” Jim said.

 While he was in surgery receiving the 18-year-old’s heart and lungs, Wilson waited in an adjoining room for his own new chance at life. During their recovery, the two men would wave at each other through the glass of the isolation units.

They have kept in touch over the years although Jim said he hasn’t spoken to Wilson in a couple of months.

“It’s pretty neat,” Jim said. “He called once and left me a message saying ‘This is your heart giving you a call.’”

After the surgery, the medical staff had him up and walking in about a week. Jim felt an immediate difference in his ability to breathe and his coloring returned to a healthy pink.

His assessment of his health prior to the transplant was confirmed after the operation.

“My surgeon said my lungs were like wet tissue paper,” Jim said. “He couldn’t understand how I lasted as long as I did.”

He said his transplanted organs felt no different from his own except the lungs worked better. Jim said he felt none of the mysterious transfers of characteristics from the donor that other recipients have reported.

“I get asked that all the time,” Jim said.

His recovery suffered a major setback when he caught viral pneumonia and spent 33 days in intensive care. Jim attributed it to not wearing a face mask as often as instructed.

“It nearly did me in,” he said.

But he survived and worked at staying fit. Up until the last year, Jim walked two or more miles each day.

Even though he minimizes his public exposure, he has had some recurring lung infections over the years. Suzi said the last year has been particularly rough.

“He acquired a non-contagious form of tuberculosis,” she said. “It’s common in transplant patients.”

Strong antibiotics caused his weight to plummet 30 pounds and his energy to nosedive. Jim hopes to resolve the problems with a visit back to Spokane, recommended by his transplant surgeon Dr. Timothy Icenogle.

“Dr. Icenogle told me it was time for me to come back to the mother ship,” Jim said with a laugh. “They’re going to take me off this antibiotic.”

Suzi, who works as the supervisor of the Flathead County tax department, credits JIm’s positive attitude and determination for his 20-year survival. Even with his present problems, he still walks and even shovels snow.

“He works hard,” she said. “You can’t sit on a couch and survive 20 years.”

Jim remains as surprised as anyone that he has lived 20 years. Initially, his doctors speculated the transplant would extend his life by only about five years.

 “Five years looked pretty good to me then,” he said.

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of his transplant operation, Suzi threw an open house for Jim. About 100 friends came throughout the afternoon.

 She said they know they are blessed with so many more years together as a family. Jim has lived to enjoy graduations, marriages, six grandchildren and so many more holiday seasons than either ever dared to expect.

Suzi said they both become “blubbering messes” at their church’s Thanksgiving services when they try to speak of their gratitude. Jim said his experience strengthened his faith and appreciation of the gift of each new day.

“It makes you aware of how lucky you are to get out of bed in the morning,” he said. “You don’t have to look very far to see someone who if worse off.”

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.