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What really happens when a family receives the call for a lung transplant?

In this episode of Between Breaths, Courtney shares the moment her son Ryder received donor lungs after months on the pediatric lung transplant waitlist.

At 7:35 AM on June 17th, 2024, my phone rang.
It was a blocked number.

Two minutes later, everything changed.

In this deeply personal episode of Between Breaths, I share the story of the moment we received the call that donor lungs had been found for my son, Ryder.

After months of living in the uncertainty of the transplant waitlist, managing oxygen, BiPAP support, infections, and the constant fear of becoming too sick for surgery, the call we had been preparing for finally arrived.

But pediatric transplant isn’t as simple as getting a call and rushing into surgery. This episode takes you behind the scenes of what actually happens between the call and the operating room.

You'll hear about:

• The emotional chaos of that morning
• The shock of realizing transplant was finally happening
• The final hours at home before heading to the hospital
• The reality of waiting during a 12+ hour lung transplant surgery
• The medical details of what Ryder’s body went through in the operating room
• And the moment we learned the surgery was successful

This episode also explains some of the realities transplant families face that most people never see, including the possibility of a “dry run,” the complexity of lung transplant surgery, and the incredible medical teams who make these miracles possible.

But most importantly, this episode honors the unimaginable gift that made Ryder’s new life possible.

Because every transplant begins with an act of generosity from a donor and their family during one of the hardest moments of their lives.

Somewhere out there is a family whose decision allowed my son to breathe again.

And for that, we will be forever grateful.

Next week, we’ll talk about what happened after surgery, the moment we walked into the Cardiovascular ICU and saw Ryder for the first time with his new lungs.

If this story touched you, please share this episode to help raise awareness for organ donation and pediatric lung transplants.

Between Breaths is a space for families walking through pediatric lung transplant. The fear, the strength, the grief, and the miracles.

This podcast shares personal experience and is not intended as medical advice.

If you found comfort here, follow the show and share it with someone who might need to hear it at 2am.

We’re in this together.