Life Before Zephyr^® Valves:

Breathing was always difficult for me, but I was always told I had chronic bronchitis. At about age 25, I was diagnosed with COPD, but being young and stupid, I kept smoking. I was going to live life the way I wanted. Then at age 35, I was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF), although it was not as severe compared to others with the disease.

I started having real trouble about 10 years ago. I was a carpenter, remodeling kitchens and baths. One day working on a job with my brother, I was carrying some cabinets and began having serious difficulty breathing. I finally quit smoking and put up with the breathing trouble for 8–9 years. When I could take my time doing daily activities, my breathing didn’t bother me. I could walk a mile and a half with no problem as long as it was flat and I wasn’t carrying anything. Otherwise, I would be completely out of breath. After a few years I switched from carpentry to truck driving, but that didn’t last long because after a while I couldn’t do long trips.

I was seeing a CF specialist for years, but they had been overlooking my COPD which had become more severe. When I changed doctors and began seeing Dr. Rose Franco, a CF specialist in Milwaukee, she said the CF was not my problem anymore, but rather my emphysema. She’s the one who told me about the Zephyr Valve treatment. I decided pretty quickly to try it because it was minimally invasive and the valves could be removed. I completed the testing within a month and thankfully was a qualified candidate. I was told the amount of destruction was 70% in the upper lobes and 17% in the lower. I was already doing pulmonary rehabilitation, so we set up the procedure right away. Fortunately, my insurance covered the procedure.

Life Before Zephyr^® Valves:

I started smoking when I was 14 years old — back then it was the cool thing to do. There was even a room provided for students who smoked at my school. All you needed was a signed note from your parents that said you could “take smoke breaks!” It’s hard to imagine nowadays how that was ever allowed. Although I typically only smoked one pack a day, I was diagnosed with early-stage emphysema when I was only 20 years old. Believe it or not, I worked as a heavy machinery operator for road construction here in Texas for decades. In fact, that is how I met my husband! Between my smoking and inhaling all the dust and chemicals on a daily basis, my lung health declined quickly.

In 2006, I got really sick, and my dad had to take me to the emergency room at the small hospital in our hometown. I was told I had a lot of CO2 built up in my lungs that was causing me to feel sick and prevent me from breathing. The doctor that I saw that day — who is now my PCP — told me I had to quit smoking, especially if I wanted to keep working. I didn’t listen, though. I kept smoking and kept working.

Thankfully, I have family that live nearby, because in 2017 I had another rushed trip to the emergency room. This time, my sister took me and I had a chest X-ray. They told me that it was crucial that I quit smoking and go see a pulmonologist to get my emphysema managed by a specialist. I was put on a daily inhaler and 2 liters of oxygen 24/7. This was one of the biggest life changes for me. I have always been an active person and on the move but seeing this as my life now really hurt my pride.

I am blessed not only to be a parent of six children and a grandparent to 13, but I am also a great grandparent to two beautiful girls. My parents are also still alive, making them both great GREAT grandparents! After that last trip to the ER, I tried everything to quit smoking — including getting hypnotized. There was a period of time that I had temporary custody of four of my grandchildren. One day, after I got the two older girls on the bus and off to school and the two younger boys fed and down for a nap, I stepped out to have a cigarette. I got through half of it and began to feel very short of breath again. At that moment, I looked up to the sky and said, “God, please give me the strength to quit. I just can’t live like this anymore.” It was at that moment I put that half of a cigarette down and haven’t picked one up since. 

Life Before Zephyr^® Valves:

I was first diagnosed with COPD in 2005. Eventually, I retired from my job as the office manager at my husband’s law firm, but I was still doing some volunteer work. I played tennis, took yoga classes, and walked three miles a day with a group of friends. I was enjoying a very active life.

As time went on and my symptoms got progressively worse, it really changed my life completely. I had to give up most of my activities. I couldn’t walk with my friends any longer because I couldn’t keep up with them. Nor could I do much around the house. If I prepared dinner, I’d be too exhausted to eat it. We live in a senior community and there are lots of activities. I loved dancing, but when I couldn’t dance anymore, I didn’t want to attend anything.

I was only hospitalized one time in 2011 due to a major exacerbation. I came home and Dr. Tran, my internist, was not happy with my bloodwork. At her urging, I went back in for a CT scan and was hospitalized for 3 more days and came home on Christmas Eve with a pic line because of a lung abscess. I was on intravenous antibiotics for three weeks. I think being in good physical condition helped me through that ordeal.

I began using oxygen but only at night. My shortness of breath became so bad that I was losing control of my bladder and bowels. If not for my husband Sheldon, who is 86, I’d be in assisted living. I needed anti-anxiety pills because leaving the house was such a challenge. I worried about where the bathrooms were, how far I would have to walk, and I was carrying portable oxygen around.

I had done research on the valves and watched all the videos online. I asked my pulmonologist about them, but he did not recommend me for them at the time. He said that I wouldn’t qualify. In the summer of 2022, he suggested I look into them. He said “things change” and we started the process. Dr. Javier Longoria evaluated me and said “I think I can help you!!!” I was gung-ho and ready to get it done that day!

Life Before Zephyr^® Valves:

In the early days after my COPD diagnosis, my symptoms were manageable, but as it progressed it was hard to keep up with my job as a house cleaner. I had to give that up by age 64. I was still able to take care of things at home, do small projects, and babysit for my grandchild a couple days a week.

I tried lots of different medications and they gave me some relief. I was on a low dose of oxygen for 2–3 years, just to help with exercise. It was around age 67–68 when I started having serious issues. One day I went to put fresh sheets on the bed and I simply couldn’t do it. I know the correct way to move and how to get rid of the CO₂ but still, I just couldn’t do it. Eventually, I had to be sitting down just to chop celery. If my grandkids had the slightest symptom, my sons knew not to bring them over. They didn’t want to risk me catching anything. My husband Steve was a great help and my sister-in-law lives with us, so between the two of them, they were taking care of me and everything else.

I was hospitalized five times, twice by ambulance. Each time was a 2–5 day stay. In November 2020, I had a major flareup. I’ll never forget it. I tried to walk and almost passed out. It was very scary. This was a turning point. I needed oxygen 24/7 and had to use a walker to get around. Even with the walker and O₂, I would need to stop and catch my breath. I began sleeping most of the day. I used to love doing yardwork, planting flowers, and digging in the dirt. I loved making things. My passion was knitting and crocheting, but as my disease worsened and I became homebound, I lost interest in all my hobbies.

It felt like there was nothing more they could do for me. Treatments only worked temporarily. The bottom line is emphysema is a terminal disease. One of my home nurses suggested I look into hospice. I resigned myself to the fact that “it is what it is” and that left me feeling very sad and depressed. I decided I would sign up for hospice and they were going to send out one of the nurses the following week for me to sign paperwork.

A couple days later my doctor, Dr. Madhu Kannapiran, called at what seemed ‘out of the blue’. One of the nurses in his office, Julie Dahl, APRN CNP, asked him if he told me about the Zephyr Valves. He said if I wanted to explore this further, he would contact Dr. Eric Stoy, who does the valve procedure at North Memorial Hospital. My thought was “I’ve got nothing to lose, and I am more than willing to try.” So, he said to “cancel hospice and let’s figure this out.”  Dr. Stoy called me and we talked about the procedure, risks, etc., and we decided to go for it. They were fast about it because they knew I didn’t have much time. Within a month I was scheduled to have my valves.

Life Before Zephyr^® Valves:

Before emphysema, I led a busy, active life. I worked in accounting, raised two kids, and loved to travel with my husband. We would rent a houseboat every year on the lake with a big group of friends.

I was diagnosed with emphysema/COPD at age 46 during a screening for an autoimmune disease. Over the years I used several medications to help control the symptoms including prednisone, methotrexate, and a nebulizer. I was finally able to quit smoking for good in 2012, but the disease had begun to really impact my life. From 2008 to 2014, I was in the hospital every year. I had to go on disability. In 2014, I was hospitalized three times and during one of those episodes, I started turning blue and scared my poor husband to death! I was not intubated but was put on a ventilator. These were very frightening times for me and my family.

Over the years, the most basic tasks became difficult. I used oxygen during the day in order to go anywhere or do basic housework. Even taking a shower was difficult. I lost a lot of weight because I was very down and had no appetite. I was anxious all the time. It is hard to live when you can’t breathe.

It was difficult on my family too. The kids had to see me struggle and be in and out of the hospital. My husband owned a heating company but ultimately had to close it and stay home to take care of me. One of the worst parts of the disease was how it impacted my role as a mom. It was tough to miss the kids’ activities and special moments. When my daughter wanted to go try makeup and do those fun mom and daughter things, it was often my husband who would have to take her.

In 2015, my pulmonary doctor suggested I get on a lung transplant list. I have a friend who had a double lung transplant and the recovery was a grueling process. And, even after going through all that, the transplant only gives you an estimate of five years to live. When I was referred to Louisville for the valves, even though it was in the trial phase, I went to talk to them. My husband did a lot of research, and the trial team did a great job explaining how it would work so I decided to go for it.