From 8% Lung Function to a New Beginning: David Thompson’s Story

For David Thompson, a 47-year-old railway conductor and devoted family man, life was about strength, stability, and showing up. He was the one who drove, the one who provided, and the one who never missed his son’s football games. But in the summer of 2023, his foundation began to crack. Persistent breathlessness, swelling, and a deep, overwhelming lethargy settled in. His wife, Daisha, saw the signs and worried, but David, like many, resisted seeing a doctor. It wasn’t until February 2024, at the urging of his mother-in-law, that he finally sought help, setting in motion a journey that would test his body, spirit, and the unwavering love of his family.

A Frightening Diagnosis

On February 10, 2024, David and Daisha walked into the emergency department at Jefferson Regional. The care was immediate and life-saving. Within minutes, David was taken for treatment as his vitals told a terrifying story: his oxygen level was at 54% and his carbon dioxide was at a toxic 82. He was diagnosed with severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and admitted to the ICU.

Coincidentally, his family doctor had referred him to Dr. Sarenthia Epps of Jefferson Regional Pulmonology Associates just weeks earlier. As David was being admitted, Dr. Epps’ office called to schedule that very appointment. Daisha explained the dire situation, and the office visit was bypassed. Dr. Epps was already on her way to see David in the ICU.

For the next four days, Dr. Epps was a constant presence, managing his critical condition. The possibility of a lung transplant was mentioned, but first, they would try a less invasive path. David was sent home with steroids, a Trilogy machine to help him breathe, a shake vest to clear his lungs, and portable oxygen. Faced with the reality that he could not return to work, he committed completely to Dr. Epps’ plan. That day in the ER also marked another turning point: after 20 years, David smoked his last cigarette and never looked back.

The Long Road to Transplant

Despite following every instruction, David’s condition showed little improvement. By June, Dr. Epps determined it was time to pursue a double-lung transplant. This complex surgery required traveling to a major transplant center, and with Daisha’s family in St. Louis, the choice of Barnes-Jewish Hospital was clear.

In August 2024, after six months of being tobacco-free, David began the grueling screening process. His lung function had plummeted to just 8%. The path to getting on the transplant list is a delicate balance—a patient must be sick enough to need new lungs but healthy enough to survive the surgery. David’s journey was fraught with setbacks. An aneurysm discovered in his aorta required treatment with blood thinners, temporarily removing him from consideration. Later, a bout of shingles caused another delay.

All the while, his body was wasting away. At one point, doctors told him he was too thin, weighing only 108 pounds. He had to gain weight to qualify. Fueled by sheer determination and countless nutritional shakes, he managed to reach 128 pounds. But he was profoundly sick.

Daisha recalls the final screening trip to St. Louis on January 25, 2025, with painful clarity. She was behind the wheel, pulling over every few miles so David could be sick on the side of the road. Seeing the man who had always been her rock—now frail, connected to machines, and unable to care for himself—was a heart-wrenching reversal of roles.

Just two days later, on January 27, 2025, the call they had worked so hard for finally came: David was officially on the transplant list.

The Call and the “Support Squad”

They were sent home with instructions to have a bag packed and be ready at a moment’s notice. With David’s less common blood type and tall frame, they prepared for a long wait. To their astonishment, the call came just two weeks later, on February 10th. Daisha sprang into action. She picked up their 10-year-old son from school, grabbed the packed bags, and a friend drove the family straight to St. Louis.

The community rallied around them. Daisha had created “Support Squad” t-shirts, and soon, friends, family, and church members were wearing them, posting pictures with the hashtag #teamsuperdave. These small acts of solidarity became a lifeline for Daisha. “People sending supportive texts when I needed them most, it meant so much to me,” she shared. They were surrounded by a community that refused to let them walk this path alone.

At 7:30 a.m. on February 11, 2025—exactly one year to the day since he was first admitted to the ICU at Jefferson Regional—David’s double-lung transplant surgery began.

A New Breath, A New Life

After ten grueling hours, the surgery was a success. When Daisha first saw David in recovery, he was swollen, intubated, and connected to a web of tubes. It was a frightening sight, but it was the start of his new life. By Valentine’s Day, he was sitting up in a chair. Soon, he was walking and tackling in-room rehab therapy with the same grit that got him there.

He returned home to Pine Bluff on Memorial Day weekend, surprising his extended family with his incredible progress. He immediately began his follow-up care with Dr. Epps, the physician who had been with him from the very beginning.

“Dr. Epps has been our guiding light through all of this,” Daisha says. David adds, “She helped me, she gets all the credit.” Both praise her direct, no-nonsense approach and her unwavering availability. “She was awesome from beginning to end,” Daisha explains. “She laid it all out there and didn’t sugarcoat it.” Even while David was in St. Louis, Dr. Epps checked in on the family and communicated with his transplant team, whose members were deeply impressed with the quality of care he had received under her watch.

The Journey Forward

Today, David’s life is a testament to resilience. In September, he returned to work. That same month, he and Daisha renewed their wedding vows, a powerful affirmation of their bond that withstood the ultimate test of “in sickness and in health.”

He continues his follow-up care at Jefferson Regional, with monthly bloodwork, bi-weekly chest x-rays, and regular breathing tests. During a recent visit, he wore a special t-shirt—a Superman-style “S” emblazoned over a pair of healthy green lungs. It features the date of his transplant, 2/11/25, and the number #2125, signifying he was the 2,125th lung recipient at Barnes-Jewish. It also bears the letters DLT, for Double-Lung Transplant, which happen to be his own initials: David Lee Thompson.

David is quick to give Dr. Epps and his medical teams credit, but he also acknowledges the inner strength required. “You have to have a strong mind,” he insists. “There’s no giving up.” His journey is a powerful story of what is possible when expert, compassionate medical care meets the unstoppable force of love, community, and one man’s will to breathe again.