(Reprinted from the Gainesville Georgia Times)
Thursday, August 1, 2002

Two months after receiving a double-lung transplant, a Gainesville man is savoring his new lease on life.

"I'm still on Cloud Nine," said Len Geiger, 43. "I feel unbelievably good. It's beyond anything I dreamed it could be."

Geiger suffers from alpha-1 anti-trypsin deficiency, a hereditary absence of an essential blood protein. It caused him to develop emphysema in his early 30s.

His condition worsened in the past year, moving him to the top of the transplant waiting list.

"My lung function was down to 18 percent," he said. "I was using oxygen almost 24 hours a day. I could get out of breath just rolling over in bed.

"The long-awaited phone call came on a Sunday afternoon, May 26. "They said, 'We've got lungs for you. Are you ready?'"

Seven hours later, on Memorial Day, he came out of surgery. That in itself was a small miracle. Five to 10 percent of patients don't survive the delicate operation, he said.

He did have what he calls a "minor complication," a partial lung collapse on the second day after surgery. "It was terrifying," he said. "I thought, 'This is it, I'm going to die.' But it fixed itself."

After enduring that setback, Geiger began a remarkably swift recovery. Within two weeks, he was out of the hospital and working intently on his physical and pulmonary rehabilitation.

"I started with walking on a treadmill and doing light weightlifting," he said. "Now, I can walk 4 miles per hour on an incline and carry on a conversation at the same time. Before (the transplant), I couldn't climb steps."

Geiger's friends are amazed by his transformation. "We went out to dinner about a month before the surgery, and he could barely walk," said Susana Moreira, who has known Geiger for about six years.

"But when we met for lunch a week after he got back to Gainesville, he was like a new person."

Ted Tuck, owner of Ted's Pro Music in Gainesville, called his friend Geiger "an inspiration."

"The things that we take for granted every day, he was just unable to do," he said. "I was elated to see how healthy he looked after the surgery."

Geiger was one of the lucky ones. About 3,800 people in the United States still are awaiting lung transplants.

Geiger doesn't know his donor's name, or how she died. He does know that she was 14 years old. And he wishes he could express his gratitude to her.

"I plan to write a letter to her family, but I still haven't decided what to say," he said. "I want to make sure they understand how much it meant to me."

Geiger said he wants to devote his life to a purpose, such as promoting organ donation. "I've been given this incredible second chance, and there's got to be a reason for it," he said.

Despite his improved health, he knows he's not out of the woods yet.

"It will take a year to fully recuperate," he said. "I'm on very high doses of immunosuppressants (anti-rejection drugs) right now, and that makes me extremely vulnerable to illnesses."

Geiger, who has been on disability, may eventually be able to return to work, but not at his previous job in medical sales. "I have to stay away from sick people," he said.

He also has to avoid secondhand smoke because it can irritate the lungs, triggering rejection.

Newman said the one-year survival rate for double-lung transplants was 78 percent in 1998, and only 46 percent of recipients were still alive after five years.

"But the rates are improving," he said. "Lung transplants have only been done in significant numbers for the last eight to 10 years, so we don't know much about long-term survival."

Geiger said he acknowledges this reality, but doesn't dwell on it. "The thought of rejection will always be a major part of my life," he said. "But I take things one day at a time."

Moreira said her friend has the makings of a survivor. "I think his attitude has a lot to do with it," she said. "He's very positive."

Faith may have played a role as well. "I've been on the prayer list at Grace Episcopal Church for years," Geiger said. "I went to church last week and people I didn't even know were walking up to me and giving me hugs."

"It's so unfortunate that someone had to pass away in order for Len to continue living," he said. "But it's the greatest gift we can give each other."

E-mail: dgilbert@gainesvilletimes.com

"I've been given this incredible second chance, and there's got to be a reason for it."

Len Geiger, recipient of double-lung transplant