Dot was 40 years old when she was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), which is essentially scarring of the lung tissue. A devastating diagnosis that felt like a death sentence, she was told that the only thing that could save her was a lung transplant. With many more people waiting for transplants than organs available, she knew the hourglass of time had begun and that she needed a miracle.
“This was a hard time,” shared Dot, “and I found strength in God, love and my family. I came to peace with the fact that God was in control and that my life was in his hands.”
But Dot wasn’t done living, and this Texan wasn’t about to go down without a fight. She set her sights on her future goals to have a family, children, travel and play sports, sing and dance without being tethered to oxygen.
Then the call that Dot had been waiting for – there were lungs available and she’d need to get to the hospital for her transplant. Already packed, she was both joyful for the gift she was about to receive, and deeply understood that somewhere, a family was experiencing a horrible loss.
While Dot’s lungs were an incredible gift from a generous stranger, the gift of time has been an opportunity to make progress toward her goals and embrace life. “I can breathe again! I can sing at church again! I’ve made amazing memories with my family and have been blessed to watch my niece grow up.”
Dot has spent the years since her transplant traveling and working on writing a book. With 10,000 Texans still waiting for a transplant, she shares her time as a volunteer with Texas Organ Sharing Alliance, promoting organ, eye and tissue donation so that more people get the facts about donation and are inspired to register as a donor.
Explore more stories of donation from donor families and transplant recipients. Read more.
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