Urgent Letter to the TSRI Community
Our dear friend and colleague, Janis Jackson, is fighting
for her life against the disease pulmonary fibrosis. As anyone
who knows her will attest, Jan is a brilliant, generous, energetic,
caring person. A pulmonary physician herself, she has contributed
much to the areas of inflammation and cancer research during
her 16 years at The Scripps Research Institute. She also set
up the Supply Center program and was actively involved in
the training and mentoring of nearly 50 high school summer
students, several of whom have gone on to become physicians
themselves. She serves on the Board of Directors for Habitat
for Humanity and the Elementary Institute of Science, which
serves to educate and stimulate the children of San Diego
in the area of science. She has always given tirelessly of
herself, offering physical, emotional, and medical assistance
to those in need, from feeding the homeless to working for
charities such as Big Brothers and Big Sisters.
Jan now needs our help. She has been on the waiting list
for a lung transplant in San Diego and elsewhere for several
years. Her condition is now critical. She is in intensive
care, on life support. If she survives the current crisis,
her only hope for long-term survival is through an innovative
program at the University of Southern California (USC) in
which doctors transplant a single lung lobe from two living
donors into the recipient.
The donors (and there have been over 280 to date), who must
meet certain requirements as to blood type, size, and general
health, have all recovered fully and have returned to their
normal lifestyles.
We do not know at this point if Jan will recover sufficiently
from her current crisis to be able to withstand transplant,
but if she does, we would like to be ready. Her family is
reaching out to find those truly selfless people who might
be willing to consider giving the "gift of life," in this
case, a single lung lobe, to another person.
If you are interested, or know of someone who might be,
please see the information on donor requirements and procedure
information below or contact either Sue Revak or Monica Cochrane
in the Cochrane lab, Department of Immunology, at the numbers/addresses
below. We will be happy to provide more information and answer
any questions. Coincidentally, The
San Diego Union-Tribune ran a story on page two of
the Sports Section last Friday (March 7) on a local cystic
fibrosis teenager who received a living lung lobe donor transplant
two years ago and the happy, active life he and his donors
are now living. Additional information can also be found at
the website for USC's
Lung Transplant Program. Thank you for reading this letter.
We know your thoughts and prayers are with Jan and her family
at this time.
Sincerely,
Friends and Colleagues of Janis Jackson
Additional Information
Contact Person: Sue Revak
Mail Drop: Immunology, R-217 Campus Extension: x4-8527 Home
phone: 858-453-8443 Cell phone: 858-336-4241 e-mail: srevak@scripps.edu
Contact Person: Monica Cochrane
Mail Drop: Immunology, R-217, Campus Extension: x4-8213
Home phone: 858-454-5723 E-mail: monica@scripps.edu
Donor Requirements and Procedure Information
Procedure:
Living Lobar Lung Transplant Facility, USC Lung Transplant
Program, Los Angeles
Donor Requirements:
- Blood type: A or O
- Age: 18-55
- Height: Males - 5'9" and up Females - 5'6" and up Two
donors are required. Each donor donates 1 lower lung lobe.
History of the Procedure:
Living Lobar Lung Transplantation was pioneered by Dr.
Starnes at USC University Hospital and provides an alternative
therapy for severely ill patients who are unlikely to survive
the long periods of waiting often required for cadaver organs
to become available. Dr. Starnes, a world-recognized leader
and innovator in heart, heart-lung, and lung transplantation,
was the first in the world to perform a double lobar living
lung transplant on a patient with cystic fibrosis. To date,
over 280 people have donated lobes of their lungs to over
140 recipients. The donors are all willing and available for
consult: potential donors are encouraged to talk to former
donors about their experiences.
Donor Testing:
Donors are required to take a pulmonary function test and
chest X-ray. Numerous diagnostic and blood tests will also
be performed to determine donor suitability. Testing is performed
to ensure that the donor's lungs are normal, and that the
donor can live a normal healthy lifestyle after losing 10-15%
of their lung capacity.
Post Operative:
Donors do well after surgery. They are up walking 24-48
hours post operatively and usually are discharged from the
hospital in 1-2 weeks. Donors usually return to work (desk
jobs) 1 month after surgery; manual labor jobs require 2-3
months recovery. One post-operative visit is required. The
long-term effects for the donors are minimal to none. No diseases
or serious complications have developed as a result of the
surgery.
Cost:
The lung transplant recipient's insurance covers the costs
of the donor's surgery and post-operative care.
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