30 Days of PH: I Received My Miracle

Photo courtesy of Sheila Ranftl

Day 14 of 30

This is Tatiana Ranftl’s (@silvermami0531) story:

After Christmas 2020, my condition had become terminal. My parents and I were told that I’d reached the end of the line.

I fell apart hearing the words “heart failure.” I’d always been told that was the point of no hope. But because my problem is idiopathic, not genetic, there was a potential solution: a double lung transplant. I was flown to St. Louis Children’s Hospital and placed on the transplant list.

It wasn’t guaranteed to work so I had to prepare for the worst. I wanted my family to have one last thing from me, so I wrote goodbye letters. I couldn’t bring myself to make videos.

I spent nine months away from home and seven of those trapped in a hospital room. No matter how much I decorated with family photos, it wasn’t the same. Scrolling through my phone made me lonelier. I was depressed, and only visits from my pastor and his wife, and my father, could briefly make me feel better.

They prayed with me. My dad recorded a personal message I still have on my phone. He tells me I am strong, and God is going to bless me with my miracle soon.

On May 23, a phone call to my hospital room told my mom and me my life was about to change. I hadn’t cried with happiness in months! My parents and my pastor’s family were with me for the most difficult trial yet.

After surgery, it wasn’t long until I could breathe on my own: I’d never taken a breath and not been in agony before.

I’m now five months post-transplant. I can do things I’d never done before, like keep up with my friends. I am planning a one-year post-transplant trip with my parents to celebrate the new life with which God blessed me.

I used to live for treatments instead of doing them to live. Now I just want to live life to the fullest. I want to experience everything I never thought possible.

Note: Tatiana Ranftl wrote a 30 Days of PH story — pre-transplant — for the 2020 campaign; read it here.

Pulmonary Hypertension News’ 30 Days of PH campaign is publishing one story per day from someone who has been affected by the disease for PH Awareness Month in November. Read the full series for more stories like this, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram, using the hashtag #30DaysofPH.