“It was the worst day of my life,” said Michael Parsley, a two-time organ transplant recipient from Nazareth, PA. He was reflecting on his first evaluation to be placed on the national organ transplant waiting list. “We drove back from Philadelphia thinking, in five years, I would be dead.”
In 1992, Michael was living with the discomfort brought on by his rare rheumatoid arthritis. He was working a physically demanding job that required a physical and a pulmonary function test. That year had marked four years since his original arthritis diagnosis. It was time for the results of his illness to be revealed, and they were anything but what he was hoping to see.
Michael’s results revealed blood in his urine, indicating kidney damage. His arthritis had spread to his lungs and he had developed another rare condition, bronchiolitis obliterans. He spent 8 years in and out of the hospital on heavy steroids to battle the condition; his breathing had reduced to 35% of his normal capacity over this time period. In 2001, Michael’s pulmonary doctor in Lehigh Valley explained no other treatment was available; he would have to undergo a lung transplant.
After his initial evaluation at Temple Lung Center, Michael was told that he was not the ideal candidate for a lung transplant. However, he persisted on, stating that he would find another clinic that would accept him as a candidate. His spirit won over the team and he soon placed on the waiting list.
“I waited so long that it became part of my daily living, dragging around oxygen and feeling that way,” Michael said. “My health had consumed my life, my entire family’s life.”
After two years of waiting, the call Michael had been hoping for finally arrived. Michael was going to receive a set of lungs from an 18-year-old who had just passed away.
“It was literally the gift of life when I received my lungs,” Michael said. “I only had about a month left to live.”
Life appeared to be returning to normal for Michael. Improvements in his health continued for more than two years post-transplant until another health issue took Michael by surprise.
Years of heavy steroids and the anti-rejection drugs from his double–lung transplant had taken a toll on Michael’s kidneys. He was placed on dialysis and was told he would need another transplant to save his life yet again, but this time he was advised to search for a living donor as he would probably not survive the transplant waiting list.
“After living with the health issues for so much of my life, I couldn’t imagine putting anyone else through anything like that,” Michael said.
However, Michael’s family took charge with determination to ensure that Michael was given another chance to live a normal life. Both Michael’s wife and brother were tested and matched as potential donors.
“People are always surprised when I tell them this, but it wasn’t a hard decision to make at all,” said Bill Parsley, Michael’s brother who volunteered to be his living donor. “There’s nothing more important you can do in your life than save someone else’s like this.”
Bill had always lived a healthy, active life. His nearly spotless health record and relatively similar size to his brother made him the perfect donor to save Michael’s life.
“I had never had a surgery before this,” Bill said. “They do a terrific job in preparing you. We had a wonderful transplant coordinator who is a friend now. She was very honest, sometimes brutally, but she’s a wonderful woman.”
After the transplant, Michael was immediately back on the path to healthy living.
“Be nice to your siblings, you never know when you might need something from them,” Michael laughed. “I wouldn’t have survived the kidney waiting list without my brother.”
Michael attends yearly checkups at Temple Lung Center. Results from his latest pulmonary test indicate his lungs are performing better than they were five years ago. In addition, Bill’s kidney has provided Michael with 11 years of continuously increasing health.
“My brother and I were always close, but the transplant definitely made that bond stronger,” Michael said. “We are each other’s best friend.”
Michael now works as a speaker and an advocate for organ donation, presenting his story to the community to help break down misconceptions and the fear of the unknown. He believes that the best way to spread awareness of the importance of registering to be an organ donor is to interact with recipients and see how their lives have been saved by others.
“I will drop anything to help others, because without the help of my brother and the donor I never even met, I would not be here today.”