20
Manitoba
They were very helpful
a er the transplant —
they provided a lot of
encouragement and
gave me hope."
— Dennis Woodford,
lung transplant support group member
"
20
Manitoba
LUNG ASSOCIATION OF MANITOBA
Lung Association
relies on
volunteer power
Kirsten Davidson, senior manager of fund development, and
Dennis Woodford, member of the lung transplant support group
of the Lung Association of Manitoba.
Photo by Darcy Finley
By Todd Lewys
I
n 1998, Dennis was given five years to live. He
was suffering from pulmonary fibrosis, a thick-
ening of the tissue around and between the
alveoli (or air sacs) in the lungs.
Somehow, he managed to beat the odds until
2011, when his overtaxed lungs finally needed to be
replaced.
"I got my lung transplant on Easter weekend of
2011," he recalls. "I was quite close to dying, so
the timing couldn't have been better."
Although the transplant itself was a suc
-
cess, he did experience some non-lung-re-
lated complications for about six to nine
months after the transplant.
Dennis says that's where the support
of the Lung Association of Manitoba
played a central role in his recovery.
"They were very helpful after the transplant —
they provided a lot of encouragement and gave
me hope," he says. "The staff there was very
helpful, and I received much-needed encourage
-
ment from those who had previously gone through
transplants themselves."
