'It's very emotional': Man undergoes second double-lung transplant
In his hospital bed at Duke University, Michael Parker says he can finally breathe better.
“I got to say I feel pretty good,” he said. “It's been a rough road.”
The Clinton, Missouri, man just underwent his second double-lung transplant. He was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension in 2016 and . Last year, his body began .
"That was a very, very long, stressful process,” Parker said. “It's very emotional."
But the only hospital that would take his case, was halfway across the country in North Carolina. So Parker and his wife Miranda packed up and moved east last year. He spent five long months on the transplant list and got the call for new lungs a dozen times.
“It could be any hour of the day,” said his wife Miranda Parker. “I could be at work – in the middle of doing hair – and we’d have to drop whatever we were doing and rush to the hospital.”
Those 12 dry runs took a toll on the couple emotionally and financially, each one came with an $800 hospital bill.
Two weeks ago, Michael got the call that changed his life, again.
"It's definitely an emotional roller coaster,” he said.
A family friend had been involved in an accident. She was an organ donor and her lungs were a perfect match for Michael.
Before she died, 48-year-old Danielle Niksich gave the gift of life to Michael and three others.
“She was an angel on this planet, she helped so many people,” said her husband of nearly 30 years, Joe Niksich.
Since the transplant, Joe and the Parkers have talked every day and formed an incredibly strong bond.
“Danielle and Joe are a lot like us,” said Miranda. “The two of them did not have children together. They have lots and lots of fur babies just like Michael and I. He’s disabled, like Michael, and she was the worker.”
Updates from Michael and Miranda have helped Joe in a time of unimaginable grief.
“Michael and Miranda are all I need right now,” he said. “They’re actually helping me out through all this.”
Now both families want to keep Danielle’s memory alive and encourage others to consider the gift of organ donation.
“Donate life, become an organ donor. It’s so important,” said Miranda. “Organ donation just saved my husband’s life and will save so many.”
Since first needed a lung transplant four years ago, the town of Clinton, Missouri, has continued to rally around him and his family. A has raised thousands of dollars to help pay for medical bills. But after 12 dry runs and a second double-lung transplant, that money is almost gone. People around town have again stepped up to donate since his second surgery.
“It’s unreal,” he said. “That’s what makes me miss home, the people.”