Linda Toy
March, 2001
To our family and friends:
The following is a brief history of the events that have taken place since Tuesday morning Jan 16, 2001. The players are as follows: Linda and Randy Toy (I hope all of you know them) if not, I sent this to wrong person; Ron and Bonnie Bjork from Amarillo Texas, good friends of Linda and Randy; Bonnie was waiting like Linda for a lung transplant. Heather, Bonnie’s Daughter who is also from Texas; Rita Jones, the nicest lady anyone would want to meet. She is from Florida and is Shaun’s support person. Shaun was also waiting like Linda and Bonnie.
Tuesday 1-16-01 8:30 am: Randy takes Ron to airport so he can go home a few days.
Tuesday 1-16-01 8:00 pm: Randy picks up Heather at airport and brings her back to Bonnie and Ron’s apartment.
Wednesday 1-17-01 12:15 am: Heather calls Linda to tell us that Bonnie has gotten her call from hospital that they have lungs for her. We leave for the hospital at 12:45 am to be with Bonnie and Heather.
Arrive at hospital at 1:00 am on 1-17 01. Between 1:00 and 2:00 am, we watch them prep Bonnie by taking blood, taking her vital signs etc.
At 2:05 am: 1-17-01 the nurse (Mary) tells Linda that she will have to get off the other bed in the room because they have another patient coming in to be preped. The nurse looks at Linda and asks” Is your name Linda?” Linda says ” Yes”. The nurse asks, “Linda Toy?” Linda again says, “Yes”.
The nurse then says “YOU’RE THE PATIENT” !!!!!!! “The hospital has been trying to find you to tell you they have lungs for you”.
WHAT A SHOCK!!!!
Linda then tells the nurse that she has to take a bath. The nurse says fine and brings her towels, soap, washcloth and hospital gown. Randy helps Linda take her shower while they finish preping Bonnie. After Linda’s bath the nurses begin preping Linda. While all this was going on there were a lot of tears of joy, a lot of hugs, a lot of kisses, and a whole lot of anticipation of what would happen next????
At 3:05 am 1-17-01:. Randy helps the nurse (Tom) wheel Linda and Bonnie down to x-ray and then back to their room.
At 3:30 am 1-17-01: the nurse tells Linda that she will go down to pre-op.
At 7:30 am 1-17-01: Not sure when Bonnie will go.
At 3:50 am 1-17-01: the nurse tells Bonnie she will go to pre-op at 9:30 am.
Between 3:30 and 7:30: that was the shortest 4 hours I can remember.It seemed as if it was only about 15 minutes or so.Of course there was a lot of HUGS, KISSES and TEARS during this 4 hour wait.
At 5:00 am 1-17-01: Ms Rita Jones arrives on the scene after waiting on a taxi for about 1 and 1/2 hours in front of her apartment in the moonlight.
When the taxi driver asks her where she wants to go. She tells him Barnes Jewish Hospital.
He informs her that she will have to give him directions, that he has no idea where the hospital is located. Its only 3.5 miles away. You could spit on it from her apartment.
After Rita arrives there are more hugs, kisses,tears of jubilation and much laughter because this is what we have been waiting on.
At 7:20 am 1-17-01: Linda is taken down to the surgery waiting area to pepreped for surgery.
Between 2:00 am and 7:15 am: family members are called to let them know what is going on.
They are called several times to keep them informed and to let Linda talk to each one of them.
At 9:00 am 1-17-01: Randy is asked to go back to the waiting area to be with Linda. She is lying in the bed with the IV’s already started ,
the epidural in place and as calm as if she were ready to go for a walk.
At 9:30 am 1-17-01: the nurse came in and said it was a “GO” we had a match. Randy had to say his goodbyes and prayers.
At 10:10 am 1-17-01 the surgery has started.
At 12:55 pm 1-17-01 Randy and Rita are told that the lungs are to arrive SOON.
At 2:55 pm 1-17-01 the first lung is in and they are starting on the second.
At 4:15 pm 1-17-01 we are informed the surgery is over and Linda is in ICU.
At 4:30 pm 1-17-01 Linda’s and Randy’s families arrive.
BONNIE’S PART
At 11:15 am 1-17-01 Bonnie is taken to the pre-op area for prep.
At 2:00 pm 1-17-01: Bonnie’s surgery started.
BACK TO LINDA
At 5:30 pm 1-17-01: all of Linda’s family gets in for just a few minutes
to see her. She seems to know everyone and mouths to Randy that “ITS OVER”. She is comfortable and has no pain.
Randy and Nancy Lynn spend the night in the waiting room.
BONNIE
At 8:00 pm 1-17-01: Bonnie’s surgery is over and she is in ICU. Her daughter Heather gets in to see her and she is doing well.
LINDA
At 10:00 am 1-18-01: Linda is taken off the ventilator.
At 11:00 am 1-18-01: Linda’s family gets in to see her. She is sitting up in a chair, eating jello for breakfast. She is talking to everyone,
very little pain except for her shoulders. She walked around the nurse’s station once today.
BONNIE
Bonnie is also doing well except she seems to be in a little more pain than.
LINDA
At 9:00 am 1-19-01: Linda is sitting in a chair eating breakfast. She walked around the nurses station twice today,
They also took out 2 of the 4 chest tubes today. She had some pain where one of the tubes came out.
She also ate solid food today. She is also on minimum amount of oxygen, just to wean her off.
At 4:00 pm 1-19-01: Linda and Bonnie were both moved to the regular floor for lung patients. The move made both of them very tired.
1-20-01: Linda walked 2 times today. Each time she walked about 300 feet, using a wheelchair for support. No oxygen. Legs strong for just having surgery.
1-21-01: Linda walked 2 times today. Each time she walked about 400 feet, using the wheelchair for support and no oxygen, Legs getting stronger.
1-22-01: They took one of the last two chest tubes out today. Linda walked twice today Each time she walked 800 + feet without using a wheelchair for support. Very little pain. No oxygen.
1-23-01: They took out the last chest tube this morning. No more oxygen!!! Linda walked twice today on the treadmill. Each time she walked for 20 minutes for about 0.2 miles. She is doing so GOOD!!!!!! The doctor told her this pm that she may get to go back to the TEMP maybe Thursday or Friday.
Linda and i would like to thank each of you for your prayers, Thoughts and support. Without each of you this miracle would not have been possible. We have met some wonderful people in St. Louis, most of whom are going thru the same thing. These people are not just folks you would meet in passing, they will become lifetime friends.
I would also like for each of you to say a prayer for the donor families. If not for their compassion and understanding these Miracles would not be possible. Shuan was transplanted on Sat. 1-20 01: He got his call about 2:00 am 1-20-01.
Randy waited with Rita during the surgery. He is doing great. Walking and eating everything in sight. Already fussing at the nurses.
A few words about Rita for you folks that don’t know her. She is just a slightly older version of Linda. There is not anything that this LADY would not do for anyone who needed help. She volunteered to come with Shaun from Florida to be his support person, knowing that she may be here in this frozen tundra for about 6 months and not knowing what to expect. She has a heart of gold and as big as Texas. She is truly a unique person. She has been a Godsend for each in person she has been in contact with. She is truly what Linda and I can and will call a true FRIEND. We will never forget her.
Randy and Linda