During this episode of This Thing Called Life Podcast, host Andi Johnson speaks with Kris Grigsby, an incredible human being that has acted as the primary support system for a loved one. After struggling with Cystic Fibrosis for his entire life, Kris’s husband Joe had to have a lung transplant in 2012. Listen in to hear all about Kris and Joe’s inspiring story!
Episode Highlights:
- Organ donation doesn’t just affect the donor, but also changes the lives of the close friends and family.
- Not all transplant stories have a happy ending, but at the same time, not all stories end in tragedy.
- Kris’s husband Joe was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis as an infant, beating the odds and living well beyond his initial life expectancy.
- When their twins were 3-years-old, Joe was operating at only 20-30% lung capacity.
- Lung donation requires a donor that has already passed away.
- Due to Joe’s convenient blood type, Joe only had to wait just over 3 months on the waitlist before getting his transplant.
- Spending 6 weeks at the hospital for the transplant, Joe and Kris went 5 weeks without seeing their children.
- Just 16 hours after his transplant, Joe was able to walk 150 feet.
- After the transplant, Kris had to change her mindset from one of a caregiver to one of a more normal wife.
- Kris continued to work full-time throughout the entire process for insurance purposes, but it also gave her some relief.
- Both Joe and Kris, very independent humans, had to learn how to say yes when people offered help.
- It took over 2 years to connect with the donor’s family, and now Kris and Joe are very actively connected with them.
- Staying connected with the donor’s family has helped with the healing process on both sides.
- Kris and Joe’s children do not remember the time when Joe was sick and unable to live an active lifestyle.
- Going through the transplant process alone is impossible, so it’s important to accept the help that is offered.
- The transplantation process is a journey for both the donor and their family/friends.
- As a result of the different recipient and supporter groups, Joe and Kris have connected with people all over the country.
- Kris’s grandpa passed away in April unexpectedly after marrying his new wife just a year and a half before.
- The funeral home director advised Kris’s grandpa’s widow to deny the option for her deceased husband to be an organ donor.
- It should be the #1 responsibility for transplant centers and funeral homes to support the family.
- We must all advocate for ourselves and our loved ones for what’s right in the moment of a donation decision.
- Leave the decision on whether you can or cannot be a donor up to the medical professionals.
- Tissue and cornea donation has the potential to help up to 50 people from one donor, and can change/save lives.
- Science is constantly evolving and as a result, the number of people that can donate is constantly increasing.
- Transplant is not a fix-all option and it’s important to remember that there will still be rough times.
- 2020, while chaotic, has presented an opportunity for everyone to grow closer to their families.
- Faith has acted as an essential support beam throughout the transplant process and life in general for Kris.
- Support groups are incredible resources for those affected by transplantations.
3 Key Points:
- Unlike kidney and liver donation where you can have a living donor, lung donation requires a donor that is already deceased.
- Kris and Joe actually watched the accident on the news that involved Joe’s donor but didn’t know it until later.
- A misguided funeral home director gave incorrect advice to Kris’s grandpa’s widow and ultimately swayed her to turn down his option to be an organ donor.
Resources Mentioned:
- LifeCenter (website) (Facebook) (Instagram) (YouTube) (Twitter)
- Andi Johnson (website) (LinkedIn)
- Kris Grigsby (Facebook)
- Matthew West (musician)