To all of our friends and family, I would like to first take a moment to offer our most sincere gratitude for the outpouring of love and support that Joyce has received in the last several months! In this time of waiting for new lungs, the cards, flowers, well-wishes, and prayers have been a great comfort to Joyce and the entire Stein family as well. It has been amazing to see how patients who have never even had the pleasure of meeting Joyce have found it in their hearts to go out of their way to let Joyce know that she is thought of and prayed for on a daily basis. We have said it before but, we are continually amazed by the wonderful people that have come into our lives as family, patients, and friends.
As an extension of our gratitude, we have promised to keep all of you apprised of any updates that occur on Joyce's journey to get a new set of lungs. To date, Joyce has been on the transplant list at UCLA for a little over 3 months. Only 2 months ago, Joyce received a call that UCLA had a set of lungs for her but, unfortunately, the lungs were not viable for transplant. The new lungs were compromised by infection and Joyce was sent home. Since that time, we have all been on our toes waiting and praying for the next call to come... nothing yet.
For now, Joyce is laying low and trying her best to stay healthy! She is immunocompromised meaning that she has a reduced ability to fight infections and disease. For this reason, Joyce's health is of the utmost importance. Even a small cold could make it so that she would be ineligible for transplant if lungs came available and, without new lungs, the result could be fatal. In her fragile state, much of Joyce's time is spent at home.
That said, anyone who knows Joyce will know that she is full of optimism and smiles for all she sees. Dr. Stein and Joyce will be gaining a new son-in-law in the coming months and, Joyce couldn't be more excited! Joyce was able to be with her daughter, Sarah as she recently chose her wedding gown and, she has been helping her plan for the upcoming nuptials. It has been inspiring to see how even in this stressful time of waiting, Joyce never fails to see the many blessings in her life! She truly is a gift to us all!