Episode 07: Giving the Breath of Life After Death with Kris Grigsby

During this episode of This Thing Called Life Podcast, host Andi Johnson speaks with Kris Grigsby, an incredible human being that has acted as the primary support system for a loved one. After struggling with Cystic Fibrosis for his entire life, Kris’s husband Joe had to have a lung transplant in 2012. Listen in to hear all about Kris and Joe’s inspiring story!

Episode Highlights: 

• Organ donation doesn’t just affect the donor, but also changes the lives of the close friends and family.
• Not all transplant stories have a happy ending, but at the same time, not all stories end in tragedy.
• Kris’s husband Joe was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis as an infant, beating the odds and living well beyond his initial life expectancy.
• When their twins were 3-years-old, Joe was operating at only 20-30% lung capacity.
• Lung donation requires a donor that has already passed away.
• Due to Joe’s convenient blood type, Joe only had to wait just over 3 months on the waitlist before getting his transplant.
• Spending 6 weeks at the hospital for the transplant, Joe and Kris went 5 weeks without seeing their children.
• Just 16 hours after his transplant, Joe was able to walk 150 feet.
• After the transplant, Kris had to change her mindset from one of a caregiver to one of a more normal wife.
• Kris continued to work full-time throughout the entire process for insurance purposes, but it also gave her some relief.
• Both Joe and Kris, very independent humans, had to learn how to say yes when people offered help.
• It took over 2 years to connect with the donor’s family, and now Kris and Joe are very actively connected with them.
• Staying connected with the donor’s family has helped with the healing process on both sides.
• Kris and Joe’s children do not remember the time when Joe was sick and unable to live an active lifestyle.
• Going through the transplant process alone is impossible, so it’s important to accept the help that is offered.
• The transplantation process is a journey for both the donor and their family/friends.
• As a result of the different recipient and supporter groups, Joe and Kris have connected with people all over the country.
• Kris’s grandpa passed away in April unexpectedly after marrying his new wife just a year and a half before.
• The funeral home director advised Kris’s grandpa’s widow to deny the option for her deceased husband to be an organ donor.
• It should be the #1 responsibility for transplant centers and funeral homes to support the family.
• We must all advocate for ourselves and our loved ones for what’s right in the moment of a donation decision.
• Leave the decision on whether you can or cannot be a donor up to the medical professionals.
• Tissue and cornea donation has the potential to help up to 50 people from one donor, and can change/save lives.
• Science is constantly evolving and as a result, the number of people that can donate is constantly increasing.
• Transplant is not a fix-all option and it’s important to remember that there will still be rough times.
• 2020, while chaotic, has presented an opportunity for everyone to grow closer to their families.
• Faith has acted as an essential support beam throughout the transplant process and life in general for Kris.
• Support groups are incredible resources for those affected by transplantations.

3 Key Points:

1. Unlike kidney and liver donation where you can have a living donor, lung donation requires a donor that is already deceased.
2. Kris and Joe actually watched the accident on the news that involved Joe’s donor but didn’t know it until later.
3. A misguided funeral home director gave incorrect advice to Kris’s grandpa’s widow and ultimately swayed her to turn down his option to be an organ donor.

Resources Mentioned:

• LifeCenter (website) (Facebook) (Instagram) (YouTube) (Twitter)
• Andi Johnson (website) (LinkedIn)
• Kris Grigsby (Facebook)
• Matthew West (musician)