Eighth-grader Kyle Frankiewicz of Manchester probably isn't
going to be a football player or have a career as a doctor
as he had wanted. But, for now, he's just glad to being
able to laugh without getting sick.
That's because, for years, 14-year-old Kyle wasn't able
to laugh without having a fit of coughing that usually ended
up with him vomiting.
That all changed in 2003 when Kyle underwent a double-lung
transplant at St. Louis Children's Hospital. The operation
came after Kyle had waited on a transplant receiver list
for 2½ years.
Kyle was born with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that
robs lungs of flexibility and left him susceptible to multiple
infections. For three years of his life, Kyle was hooked
up to both breathing and feeding tubes and couldn't attend
regular school.
But, now he's an 8th grader at Parkway West Middle School
and has become a poster-child for Mid-America Transplant
Services. That's the organization that arranged for Kyle's
transplant operation. (For more about MTS, visit www.mts-stl.org.)
Kyle said he always wanted to be a football player but
"I can't participate in contact sports now." He also wanted
to be a doctor but probably can't be too close to sick people,
since his anti-rejection medication makes him still susceptible
to infections.
But, otherwise, he's enjoying a near-normal life of attending
school, participating in outdoor activities and hanging
out with friends. "I can do just about everything else my
classmates can do," he said.
And, he's even got a new career path in mind.
He's already pre-registered for journalism and photo-journalism
classes at Parkway West High School. He'll be a freshman
next fall. He's wants to major in journalism in college.
An indication of how the double-lung transplant changed
his life is his physical stamina before and after the operation.
Before the operation, he said he couldn't walk up a flight
of stairs. After six months of rehabilitation after the
operation, he was able to return to regular classes at Henry
Elementary School in Ballwin.
"I ran a mile at Henry school that spring and then I ran
another mile in my first year at Parkway West Middle School,"
he said.
And he finally got to learn how to ride a bike. His mother,
Michelle, said, "Before the operation, he was so weak that
he didn't even have a bike."
"Now, I ride my bike a lot," he said.
Kyle and his parents moved to St. Louis after he got a
spot on the transplant list. His mother said, "We wanted
to be closer to where the operation would be."
But, Kyle's wait was a long one--2 ½ years. During most
of that time, he was confined to his home since he needed
both breathing and feeding tubes. He was tutored at home
and was able to keep up with his class work.
Finally, the call that donor lungs were available came
on Sept. 15, 2003.
His family dropped everything and checked in that day to
the hospital. The operation started just before midnight
on the 15th and lasted six hours.
Kyle said that he could feel the health difference immediately
after the operation.
"Before, I wasn't able to do anything. I had no energy
and was tired all the time," he said. That all changed immediately
after he woke up with his new lungs operating. His mother
said, "His skin color was so much better."
Since the operation, Kyle and his parents have had contact
with the parents of the child whose lungs Kyle now has.
The donor child was 9-year-old Sydney Pikey of New Madrid,
Mo. The parents are John and Stacy Pikey.
Sydney was brought into St. Louis Children's Hospital with
a severe head wound. Doctors there weren't able to revive
her and the family gave permission for the removal of the
lungs for use in Kyle's transplant operation.
MTS allows for contact between donor and recipient families
if they desire it. At first, the correspondence went through
the agency. Later the families did make personal contact.
Kyle still takes medication to keep his body from rejecting
the lungs. And, he goes in for regular hospital checkups
to monitor his progress.
But, one of the next things on his mind right now is getting
a new camera so he can practice before he starts his journalism
classes next fall.
