Lung transplant helps man catch his breath

Havre Daily News/Becky Losey

Gary LaValley poses for a photo in his home in Havre.

The LaValleys credit the success of Gary's life-saving double-lung transplant surgery to the support of his family, friends, caretakers and community.

"You've got to go through hell to get to heaven, but you can get through it if you have the support we have had, " said Gary's wife, of 20 years, Yvette.

On-set of disease

Gary LaValley has been working in the dirt for most of his life. Born to a family that has been farming and ranching in Montana for several generations, he is an avid hunter, fisherman and gardener. Gary has always been most comfortable outdoors.

It was while Gary was at his farm that the first signs of trouble appeared.

"The sun had gone down, and I had got all my pictures, " said LaValley, who was taking photographs of deer on his land.

"I walked 50 feet and collapsed. "

Barely able to breathe, he crawled back to the farmhouse in the dark.

In January 2008, he was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. The disease is characterized by scarring to the lungs. The lungs of a person suffering from the disease cannot effectively transfer oxygen to the bloodstream. Consequently, the brain and other organs cannot get the oxygen they need to fully function.

The cause of pulmonary fibrosis is not fully understood, but doctors believe cigarette smoking, prolonged exposure to environmental contaminants, viral and bacterial lung infections, certain medications and acid reflux disease may all play a role in the development for some sufferers.

Gary believes his exposure to pesticides and other toxic chemicals as a farmer for 35 years played a role in the on-set of his disease.

"I knew I had a susceptibility to chemicals. Being involved with chemicals activated my disease. " Waiting for treatment

Gary initially went to Great Falls for treatment which stabilized his condition. At this point, his weight was down nearly 50 pounds to 137 pounds.

Nearly constant use of an oxygen tank was necessary to cope with his symptoms.

Gary changed his diet and started juicing in an effort to hold onto the level of health he had regained. For two years, Gary avoided use of pharmaceuticals and visited a naturopathic doctor. Gary, Yvette, and two daughters, Breanna and Brooke, were happy to see Gary improving if not returning to full strength.

However, in May 2010, Gary's condition worsened. His doctor in Great Falls, had a sobering outlook.

"He gave us living will papers, " said Yvette.

Faced with the prospect of two young daughters growing up without their father, Gary and Yvette began to seek a more lasting treatment for Gary's condition. and found that a lung transplant could extend and improve Gary's quality of life.

In July, the family began the process of applying to the lung transplant program at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. According to the hospital's website, surgeons at UWMC perform more than 50 lung transplants a year and their patients have a 90 percent survival rate.

To be admitted, Gary needed to relocate to within three hours of the hospital.

"We had to be moved out there by September 1 before they would put him on the list, " said Yvette. "We just packed up and went, dropped everything. "

Gary, Yvette and their two daughters uprooted their life in Havre and settled into a town house near the hospital. Gary was admitted to the program on Sept. 3 and at that point all the LaValleys could do was wait.

Havre support

While family and friends waited for news, Kathy Olson, Gary's sister-in-law, organized a spaghetti feed in November to help with medical bills and the cost of living in Seattle. Yvette's co-workers worked as the kitchen staff. Havre businesses donated items to a silent auction.

"The businesses were all fantastic, " Olson said. "Almost all of them gave something. It went well, and we had a good turnout. "

The support of community kept the LaValleys going during the difficult waiting process.

"That was a big life-saver, them having that benefit, " Yvette said. "We had a lot of people praying for us and that's what got us through this. The community support has been really good. "

Life-saving surgery

For nearly five months the family waited for a phone call from the hospital staff, letting them know a matching donor had been found for Gary. That call finally came the morning of Jan. 28.

Running out of leave time, Yvette had been struggling with pressure to return to work.

"God took care of it that morning and knew I had had enough, and he just took it out of my hands. "

Surgery began at 8 that evening and lasted six-and-a-half hours.

The last time Gary had a surgery was at age 12 to remove his tonsils. This time, he received a double-lung transplant.

Gary came to view the day of his lung transplant as a second birthday.

"I was reborn that day. That's how it feels, " Gary said. "I was given a new chance at life. "

The LaValleys wrote a letter to the family of the 20-year-old man whose lungs Gary received but have yet to receive a response.

"We hope some day to hear from the donor family because we'd like to thank them, " Yvette said. "That had to be very hard to lose a young person. "

After years of relying on an oxygen tank, learning how to breath again challenged Gary in his recovery process.

"Sometimes I still catch myself forgetting and have to take a deep breath, " he said.

On Easter, Gary haS returned to Havre for after nine months in Seattle and has been adjusting to a post-transplant life.

His body hasn't shown any signs of rejection, and his new, healthy lungs are allowing him to get back to some of the activities he loves. Gary hopes to make a trip with his girls to Glacier National Park to watch the bears, without the oxygen tank.