By Jennifer Mayerle
BEMIDJI, Minn. — A retired firefighter WCCO first met back in May is now home for the holidays. Walt Lindahl and his wife Amy have spent the past eight months in Rochester as Walt dealt with severe lung disease.
Four months ago, he underwent a double lung transplant. Walt and Amy went back home in Bemidji recently with a new appreciation for the little things in life. Read the article in WCCO CBS News Minnesota.
By Abigail Leavins
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – A Madison man can pick up his bagpipes again thanks to a new set of lungs.
Four years ago, Dave Furumoto learned he suffered from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Upon learning the news, the former UW professor fretted about whether he would ever play the traditional Scottish instrument ever again.
Dependent on oxygen tanks to survive, Furumoto made the decision in 2021, around the time of his retirement, to go ahead with a double lung transplant at UW Health. Now, with the surgery a couple of years in the rearview mirror, he is looking forward to renewing his passion for the bagpipes and enjoying traveling again. Check out the full story on WMTV NBC 15.
By Alice Berry
R.J. Redstrom didn’t have much time left.
On a Monday in August 2020, still early in the pandemic, he noticed he had a cough. The next morning, he woke up feeling even worse – a rarity for Redstrom, whose intense fitness regimen usually helped prevent him from getting sick. He took a COVID test, and days later the results confirmed his fear: He had come down with the virus.
A week later, he couldn’t breathe.
The sudden and serious sickness was a new experience for Redstrom, who had always thought of himself as a healthy person. Read the full story in UVAToday.