Ricky Byington Double lung Transplant Benefit UPDATED*

hdbill2004 — Fri, 02 May 2008 22:35:39 GMT

Since the benefit we had in may my little brother Rickys health has went stright down hill. yet he contiuned to work at Verizon Wireless his forty hours a week. i put that in there to show that he is "the real superman" DR's said he should have quit long ago. a miracle happened on Jan 18th 2009 he recieved the call for his life changing surgery. they had two great lungs from a non smoker who ran alot everyday. we all meet at the hospital. he was calm cool and very very nervous. who wouldnt be right. since the lungs were from out of state they had alot of preparing to do on him first. fix a hole in his heart, scrape out and remove his old lungs and wait for the plane to land with the new lungs. surgery lasted 9 hours. it was the longest wait of our lives. we slept on tables, chairs and the floor just waiting to hear something.....

SURGERY WAS A SUCCESS. OFF TO THE ICU

during his month in the hospital he had lost alot of muscle. couldnt eat solid foods, was in lots of pain, and had to endure many painful test to make sure the lungs were in place and not being rejected by his body. he has made a strong recovery since then and was allowed to go home to rest and get better :)

He wanted me to let everyone know he thanks you for your thoughts and prayers. also that miracles do happen.

ALOT MORE BLOGS FROM HIM AND EVEN PICTURES OF HIS OLD LUNGS ARE ON HIS SITE WWW.CARINGBRIDGE.ORG/VISIT/RICKYBYINGTON

iF YOU KNOW HIM PLEASE VISIT HIS SITE AND COMMENT.. HE'D LOVE IT

Breathing Comes at a High Price for Young SurvivorDouble Lung Transplant to Cost 29 year old $543,900

WIND LAKE, WI. – Ricky Byington will not be doing the usual celebrating on his 30th birthday. His 30th birthday will be more of a real celebration – truly a birthday of a lifetime. Ricky Byington has suffered from the terminal disease, Cystic Fibrosis (CF), since birth with limited chance of survival. People with CF have thick mucus which clogs their lungs causing their progressive destruction. At the young age of 12 years old, Ricky’s disease progressed rapidly. He developed what doctors would call a barrel chest due to constant heavy breathing and coughing, which lead to a barrage of jokes and laughs from schoolmates. At this point Ricky contemplated committing suicide because he could not handle the extreme hardship of the disease and the bullying from other children. Throughout his short life, he has undergone several surgeries, spent months in the hospital, and has endured constant pain and shortness of breath.

Now 29 years-old, Ricky’s lung capacity is currently measuring only 27%. A double edged sword – a cystic fibrosis victim must deteriorate to 30% lung capacity or below to be eligible for a lung transplant. In Ricky’s situation, he needs two lungs – a double lung transplant in order to survive at a price tag of an estimated $543,900. On May 18, Ricky’s 30th birthday, friends, family, caregivers and more, will be hosting a fundraiser to help raise the more than half-million dollars that he will need to have a double lung transplant. Volleyball, silent auction, food, beverages and fun will round out the evening all in an effort to raise funds for Ricky. Live music to be performed by three-time WAMI winners, The Toys, Left on Sunset and DJ Speed of Sound. The fundraiser will kick-off at 2 p.m. at Kelly’s Bleacher’s II at 7805 S. Loomis Road in Wind Lake. The cost to enter is $5.00 with all of the proceeds going towards Ricky’s lifesaving surgery.

“He is such an inspiration to all of us. He has endured what most of us will never be able to fathom, never being able to catch his breath” said Fred Barry, his second dad.To donate items for the silent auction or to volunteer, please call Tanya Kreil (414) 243-3405. You can make a monetary donation to Ricky’s cause at any Tri-City National Bank. Please make checks payable to the ‘Ricky Byington Lung transplant fund'

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Ricky Byington Double lung Transplant Benefit **UPDATED***

Ricky Byington Double lung Transplant Benefit UPDATED*