After being diagnosed with an incurable disease his doctors could not explain, Tom Stamp, of Oklahoma City, knew he was running out of time. That is, until a lung transplant gave him a second chance at life.
At 62, Tom learned he had idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease that causes scar tissue to grow and makes it difficult to breathe. As someone who lived a healthy, active lifestyle, the diagnosis was devastating. The worst part was, doctors couldn’t tell him why it was happening.
“I thought I just had a cold, that I would go to the doctor for some medicine, and I would be good,” he said. “I was not expecting to hear that I had a chronic lung disease and that the only thing that could extend my life was a transplant.”
Following months of pulmonary rehabilitation, oxygen therapy, specialist visits, and lifestyle changes, Tom’s doctors began the conversation about joining the transplant waitlist. With limited resources available in his hometown of Amarillo, Texas, Tom and his wife made the courageous decision to relocate to Oklahoma City in 2016.
After moving, Tom’s health improved drastically. Because the elevation in Oklahoma City was lower and the climate more humid, he needed less supplemental oxygen and was finally able to be more active.
However, Tom still knew he would need a left lung transplant for a chance at a full, healthy life. By May of 2022, following years of appointments and checkups, his health care team officially added him to the waitlist.
“By then, I was using six to eight liters of continuous oxygen,” he said. “I was very tired and just couldn’t get around anymore. I knew it was time.”
Two months later, Tom got the call. At 11 p.m., he and his wife prepared to go to the hospital, and Tom received his transplant the next day at 3 p.m.
After receiving his new lung, Tom felt an immediate difference.
“I woke up the next day, and my wife and doctor were in the room. When I was taken off support, it was the first time I had taken a deep breath in six years. It felt so good. I had no pain, and I was finally breathing without oxygen. It gave me so much hope.”
Because of the gift of his donor hero, Tom has been able to truly live again.
“The first thing I did when I got home was walk my dogs,” he said. “Before my transplant, I couldn’t even make it outside my door because I couldn’t breathe, and now I could take them across the street. Two months later, I was able to walk two miles. And I could finally sleep without the constant humming of the oxygen machine.”
Tom was also able to see his children in Texas and Minnesota, something he was unable to do before the surgery. He has created many memories that he now holds close to his heart.
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Among those who have been impacted by donation and transplantation, many do not have the opportunity to hear from their donor hero’s family, or on the other side, the recipient of their loved one’s gift. However, many recipients, like Tom, write letters to express their gratitude.
In his letter to his donor’s family, Tom wrote, “I wake up each day thankful that your loved one was so generous to be a donor so that I can carry on their memory. I am a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, cousin, and brother-in-law; I get to continue to live and share my life with my family because of your loved one’s kind and compassionate consideration to become an organ donor. No words can express the gratitude I have.”
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This year marks LifeShare Oklahoma’s 40th Anniversary of saving lives and inspiring hope. In 2026, we encourage all our friends, neighbors, and communities to register their decision to be organ, eye, and tissue donors and to have the important conversation of donation with loved ones.
To learn more about donation or how you can get involved with LifeShare, visit LifeShareOklahoma.org.
