National Donate Life Month: Ohio man shares story of life-saving transplant
CLEVELAND (WJW) — Brian Bodle's active lifestyle came to a screeching halt a little more than a year ago when he said a lingering cough wouldn't go away.
The 39-year-old would have to undergo a double-lung transplant after being diagnosed with short telomere syndrome, a genetic condition that affects major organs and causes the body to rapidly age.
A lung transplant isn't something that's common in young people. Nearly half of all lung transplants in the U.S. are for people aged 50-64.
Doctors say the survival rates can vary.
'The problem with lung transplant is that even though it seems like there would be plenty of organs to go around, probably less than 20-percent of the organs we hear about are actually viable, so when we identify people that could be donors, we make every effort to make those organs suitable for our patients,' Cleveland Clinic Dr. Jason Turowski said.
Dr. Turowski heads the Cleveland Clinic Pulmonary Transplant team that treated Bodle.
Dr. Turowski said Bodle's condition was touch-and-go before and after the transplant surgery.
'Young people like Brian, with the amount of oxygen he needed, still ambulatory, pretty well nourished and really having primarily that organ problem, are scoring system will prioritize people that sick,' Dr. Turowski said.
April is National Donate Life Month in the U.S. It's a time to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation, giving people a second chance at life.
'Part of the reason that I went into this field is because sometimes there are just diseases that can't be treated by modern medicine and so organ transplant can be a person's last hope for survival,' Dr. Turowski said.
Bodle, who is from the Columbus area, waited a week before he received his new lungs, a little more than a year ago.
He said recovery has been a bit more challenging since short telomere syndrome causes wound healing issues.
With a positive prognosis, his spirits remain high.
'Every day has its struggles, but every day is a good day,' Bodle said.
Becoming an organ, eye and tissue donor gives hope to more than 100,000 people currently on the National Organ Transplant waiting list, all waiting for a second chance at life.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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