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Whilst he waited for his life-changing call, James Beeching even made his twin toddlers a touching video to remember him by, should time run out.
A young dad who made poignant recordings for his twins to remember him by, after three false alarms waiting for new lungs, has announced in an emotional Facebook video that he has finally had lifesaving surgery.
Suffering with the incurable genetic lung condition, cystic fibrosis, James Beeching, 36, whose successful transplant was in August 2018, tearfully thanked loved ones, including his primary school teacher wife Becky, 34, for their support, adding that his dream of walking his children, Isobel and Logan, four, to school had finally come true.
James, of Hastings, East Sussex, who has been documenting his post-operative recovery in a series of candid videos, said: “At first, there was so much after the transplant to get my head around, that the anxiety of something going wrong sometimes overshadowed the wonder of it all.”
He continued: “It’s almost like when you buy a second-hand car – at first, every little noise makes you nervous, but you do get more used to it as time goes on.
“Now I have moments of pure euphoria and find myself crying with joy at how easy life can be.
“I can play hide and seek with my kids, walk them to school, bring my wife breakfast in bed – all things that once seemed impossible.”
James, a former community fundraiser who cannot currently work, was just two when he was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis – which causes the lungs to become clogged with sticky mucus.
When he was younger, it did not hold him back and, save for daily physiotherapy and enzymes he took with every meal to aid digestion, he had a relatively normal childhood.
Then, in his late teens, his hospital stays increased, as his body became unable to fight off simple infections.
His lung function was also in a continuous decline, leading to his assessment for a transplant, before he was added to the waiting list in January 2017.
“After that, my health deteriorated more and more, and my hospital admissions got longer and longer,” he explained. “I’d rarely be out of hospital for more than three or four weeks, before I’d need to go back in for more intravenous antibiotics.”
Then, in April 2018, James contracted a particularly nasty infection, which he feared could spell the end.
Then, completely coincidentally, just a day after his admission to west London’s Royal Brompton Hospital to be treated, he received a phone call telling him some donor lungs had potentially become available.
Racing across the city, he arrived at Harefield Hospital in Hillingdon, Greater London – one of the most experienced centres in the world for heart and lung transplants – to await news.
Disappointingly, the lungs were unsuitable, but James never gave up hope.
“False alarms do happen, so while it was emotional, it didn’t shock me,” he said.
“I decided to record a Facebook video that night, thanking people for their support so far and encouraging them to sign up as donors if they wanted to.
“Looking back at that video now, I can see how unwell I was, struggling to breathe.”
Two months later, that day before his June birthday, James received a second call.
“That was another false alarm,” he added. “I do understand why this happens and that the organs aren’t always suitable, but it was incredibly emotionally and physically exhausting.”
Just 24 hours later, a third call came through, but, once again, the transplant could not proceed.
Luckily, even without the transplant, James managed to spend the majority of the summer out of hospital with his family, but was still growing weaker all the time.
“Life became more difficult and my body was really struggling,” he said. “I was needing more and more oxygen and generally finding it hard to keep up.”
Then, in August 2018, James received a fourth call – and this time, the transplant went ahead.
He recalled: “I’ve always been a logical, rational person, so I remained calm, all too aware that it could be another false alarm. Then, all of a sudden it was, ‘James, go get showered, it’s going ahead.’
“People ask me now if I was scared, but I really wasn’t. I knew this is what had to happen. Without a transplant, I don’t think I’d have made it through this winter. A transplant was my only hope of spending more time with my family.
“I had also said everything I needed to say to my loved ones back in April when that first call came in.”
Thankfully, the operation was a success and, after five weeks in hospital recovering, James was allowed home.
Aside from a couple of complications along the way, he is currently doing very well and his new lungs growing stronger every day.
He also continues to update his online followers about his progress and is now sharing his story to thank them for their support, as well as to encourage more people to sign up as donors.
He said: “There’s no way I could’ve done this by myself. It took an army – a wonderful team of medics, a selfless donor, my amazing loved ones, message after message on social media and my own mental strength.
“There’s not a day that goes by when I don’t think about my donor and their family. I feel so incredibly humbled and grateful by what they’ve done.
“In a way, I’m even grateful to my own lungs. It’d be easy to want to be rid of them and think they didn’t work, but actually, they got me through 36 years and helped me travel, meet my wife, have my two children and build a beautiful home.”
He continued: “If people don’t want to be organ donors, I’m not out to change that, as it’s a very personal decision. It always shocks me, though, to hear how many do want to, but haven’t got round to joining the register.
“It takes less than two minutes and it’s important to remember to share your wishes with loved ones, too, but I hope I can show that transplants do work. They help people live for many more years, and live well.”
For information, visit www.shareyourwishes.co.uk and www.livelifegivelife.org.uk