"I feel like a whole new person, thanks to Newark Beth Israel Medical Center."
Ron Howard always led an active life. But that all changed in 2012 when the East Orange resident started experiencing shortness of breath.
Eventually, a simple activity like walking up the steps became exhausting and unbearable. He could no longer work as a carpenter and medical therapy was not providing relief. “It was like torture just trying to catch my breath,” Ron says.
After undergoing extensive testing, it was determined that Ron had Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease(COPD), a progressive lung disease characterized by increasing breathlessness. Harish Seethamraju, MD, Medical Director of the Advanced Lung Disease and Transplant Program at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center (NBIMC) in Newark, delivered the news that Ron needed a double lung transplant.
Ron received the unexpected life-saving news that lungs were available just two months after going on the donor registry. And, five days after his 52nd birthday in December 2015, Ron underwent a successful double lung transplant at NBIMC.
Immediately following surgery, Ron didn’t need oxygen. And, the first day after surgery, he was walking around NBIMC without feeling tired.
“I feel a thousand times better after my lung transplant,” says Ron. “I feel like a whole new person, thanks to Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.”