Remarkable young woman gets a lifesaving lung transplant

By Mike Jones, Tulsa World, August 6, 2006

Terry Detrich chuckled into the phone from her loft apartment in St. Louis and said, "I dare you to try to wear her out."

She was speaking of her daughter, Lo. That might sound like an odd challenge from the mother of a 22-year-old. But for Terry and Lo it is a challenge they have waited to make for 22 years.

Lo was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when she was 3 months old. Her life has been a constant cycle of medications, doctors, breathing treatments and a myriad of other medical and personal challenges.

The average life span for a person with CF is about 33 years. Lo, however, was in dire straits in the winter of 2005 and into January 2006. Lo''s lung capacity had dropped to 11 percent. She was using 10 to 12 liters of oxygen per minute. Her weight had dropped to 81 pounds. She used either a walker or a wheelchair to get around.

"I would not have made it through the summer," Lo said.

But hope was on the horizon. Lo and her parents traveled from Tulsa to St. Louis for an evaluation at Barnes Jewish Hospital, a facility famous for its work in organ transplants, among other things.

There, doctors put her on the list for a lung transplant.

It was critical. To remain on the list, the hospital stipulates that potential recipients cannot be more than two hours from the hospital. So, Lo, Terry and her father, Don, found a loft apartment across the street from the hospital and moved in.

"Don didn''t want us getting lost," Terry said. They moved in on Jan. 14 and began the long and tense wait.

The news that a donor had been found came on June 7 and two hours later Lo went into surgery.

Since the surgery, Terry describes her daughter''s recovery as "remarkable."

Remarkable is only one of many words that can be used to describe Lo and her family, which includes an older, CF-free sister, Jane.

Some other words that come to mind are inspirational, determined, strong, unselfish and funny. Yes, funny. Even in the face of CF and a lung transplant, Lo and her family maintained a sense of humor.

I first met Lo and her family two years ago. In the first interview and in subsequent conversations there never was a time that Lo didn''t laugh and make me laugh.

Since Lo entered the transplant program at Barnes Jewish Hospital, Terry has kept an e-mail journal, as has Lo. Terry and Don published a book a few years ago, "The Spirit of Lo -- An Ordinary Family''s Extraordinary Journey," about dealing and living with CF. Terry is planning to compile her journal and e-mails into a followup book about this new journey.

The excerpts I have read are often funny and always poignant. When it comes out, don''t miss the story of "Knit and Purl" about Terry''s and Lo''s adventure with knitting. It''s a serious message spiced with Detrich humor.

Lo is now doing something she hasn''t been able to do since third grade -- run. She''s not ready for a marathon and probably never will be, but simply being able to run is one of the things that Lo has missed out on all these years.

"I''ve run a couple of times in the past few years, but not much since third grade. I''m hoping to get back into the shape I was when I was in third grade," Lo said with that familiar, wonderful laugh. "I''ve been using the treadmill a lot, since it has been so hot."

It''s amazing the things that most of us take for granted that are now so special to Lo.

"I was at a restaurant recently and I was telling a story and opened my mouth to act like I was screaming," she said. "I have never had the lung capacity to be able to scream."

That evening, however, she opened her mouth and an actual scream came out. Not a loud one, but loud enough to draw the attention of other diners. For most of us that would have been embarrassing. For Lo, it is something to celebrate.

Lo, who has always been a champion for CF fundraising and awareness now has another cause -- organ donation.

Her message is simple: "Be a donor."

She does not know who her donor was, but she is immensely grateful. Lo said all she knows is that it was a 22-year-old man. "Whoever he was, he was in great shape."

Lo''s story seems to be coming to a happy ending. But there are thousands of people across the country who wait daily for an organ or tissue or corneas. Sadly, many succumb to their illness before receiving a transplant.

One has only to look at the life Lo has led and the life that now lies ahead of her to understand the importance of becoming an organ donor.

Lo is planning and hoping to be home by Labor Day weekend. When she returns she will resume selling real estate with her mom.

But before getting back into the business, Terry chuckled and said that she and Don will "have to go somewhere where parents can recover."

Lo''s battle is far from over. She will have to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of her life.

Lungs are the only transplanted organ that the body never forgets is a foreign organ, Terry said. It will be a lifelong effort with medication to maintain her health, she said.

In addition, Lo must still struggle with the effects of CF. Although her new lungs are fine, the disease attacked other parts of her body, such as her pancreas. She also acquired CF-related diabetes. And she lives with the knowledge that she carries the CF-related gene.

But those are merely minor details for Lo. She can breathe. She can run. She can live.

Lo will be forever thankful to her donor. She will never forget all the support and prayers from friends, family and even strangers during her ordeal.

Well, here is some news for Lo: Anyone who has ever met you will never forget you. I know I never will.

Remarkable. It describes the journey. It describes Lo.