Lung Transplant Program

Long-Time Smoker Grateful for the Second Chance at Life Following Successful Lung Transplant

Evelyn Mitten

“I was probably 5 when I had my first puff of a cigarette,” recalls 63-year old Evelyn Mitten. She had caught her older brothers smoking and they let her have a try so she would not tattle. Six years passed until she tried it again. A friend stole a pack from a family member. “We climbed a tree and smoked. I don’t remember coughing or choking.” And that was the beginning of Evelyn’s 50+ year relationship with menthol cigarettes….

Little did she realize that in 2008 she would become a patient of the University of Medical Center (UMMC), waiting for a lung transplant.

“It was about 10 to 12 years ago when I started noticing a difference. I could no longer run up stairs. I couldn’t take long walks. I just thought I was getting older,” says Evelyn. At that time, she saw a pulmonologist close to her Baltimore County home who suggested she had bronchitis and that she should stop smoking. She admits, “I didn’t put much stock in that advice and I continued to smoke.”

Evelyn continued to go about her life. She knew she was not breathing well, but she still smoked and she still worked in a grocery store. Over time, she got worse. She could not walk from the register to the milk aisle without taking a break. She often leaned on a shopping cart when moving in the store. She got the point where she couldn’t even walk 25 feet without taking a break. Then one day, the mere act of scanning food at the register left her feeling like she was going to pass out.

Days later, she saw another pulmonologist, who gave her a real education on what was happening to her body. This was the first time someone ever said the words: COPD and emphysema. She was now put on oxygen and was referred to UMMCr for an initial evaluation for a lung transplant.

Evelyn had always thought she was too old for a transplant and that there were no treatment options to make her feel better, which is one reason she continued to smoke.

Dr. Aldo Iacono, the pulmonologist she saw at UMMC, stressed that she needed to stop smoking.

She says, “I could not quit. I tried the patch. I tried gum, hypnosis and the other things you see on TV. The only thing that eventually worked for me was Chantix [a prescription medication.] I went from smoking a pack a day to about 2 cigarettes a week.”

The transplant coordinator, Brian Sherman, R.N., explained to Evelyn they were not giving up on her. That was what she needed to hear. Finally she quit. She would never touch a cigarette again.

That was when she went on the transplant list. Evelyn remembers, “I didn’t understand how the waiting list worked. I figured if 5,000 people were waiting for a transplant, I would just be number 5,001. I learned there were different variables and because of my body size and blood type, I was considered a good candidate.”

Evelyn was listed on the waiting list on July 22, 2008. She did not have to wait long. Here are her thoughts:

“I got my transplant on November 11, 2008. I couldn’t believe it. Everything fell into place for me. I couldn’t believe that someone who had abused her body and had brought this on themselves would get this second chance. I am eternally grateful.”

“I had my surgery on a Tuesday. I think they pulled the tubes out on Thursday. When they did that, I knew I was better. I could feel the difference and I could actually breathe. I couldn’t get over it. I could even turn over in bed.”

“I can’t believe how well I was treated at the University of Maryland. Everyone from the nurses to the aides and housekeepers treated me like I was the only one in that hospital. It was like everyone was my best friend.”

“I feel great. I can breathe and my voice is so much stronger. I am no longer gasping. I am one of 12 children, so this transplant means a lot to a lot of people.”

“I feel wonderful now. I recommend you quit smoking, but I don’t preach it. I just know what cigarettes can do to you.”

This page was last updated on: February 9, 2009.

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