HELP TOM IN HIS FIGHT

Tom is a man that has over his lifetime worn many hats, Maybe you can relate? Husband, Dad, Grandpa, Brother, Uncle, Friend, Dog Dad,
Farmer, Local Gunsmith, Small business owner and Jesus Freak.

And up until 2020 life was good. But then, something happened, something that brought Toms world to a sudden and abrupt halt. Tom’s Lungs began to give out, and ever since he has been fighting just to breathe. The doctors at first believing for almost 2 years that Tom had some crazy new asthma that he had never had before sudden changed their diagnosis after a few very specific test’s. That’s when it happened that’s when his world came to a sudden unexpected stop, and the roller coaster ride began. Never dreaming that he would ever hear the life changing words in October of 2022,
“LUNG TRANSPLANT”
Those TWO words, 14 simple letters strung together were about to change his entire life.

As Tom and Tracy drove home that day, He naturally questions,
“WHY ME?”
“Can I get a second opinion?”
“Surely there is another option, it’s 2022!”
Hearing those words LUNG & TRANSPLANT placed together and bouncing around in his brain,
knocked his “Be Strong” hat off for a minute. Praying it wasn’t true, yet knowing something had changed and GOD had a new hat in mind for Tom,
The question was,
“God, What “hat” is it going to be this time ?”

Tom’s reality:
Struggling every day to breathe,
sometimes, just to take a single breath. The words
“steal your breath away”
now take on a whole new meaning… Every day.
(You can click here to see what that is actually like)

Now, after the news Tom realizes It’s time to face the man in the mirror, and to make an extremely hard choice.
Does he choose to take off his hat, give up, lay down, and quit?
OR put on his new hat, get up, fight and be the warrior that God intended him to be?

Tom chose to PICK UP THE HAT.
And To be that warrior.
So What does this life look like?

It means everyday making a choice to fight the pain, and the unknown with lungs slowly giving up. And to use each and every spoon wisely.
To provide for his family through his (their) small family business while also caring for his spiritual family,
( The Church he so loves ) too.

Some days,
Ok, let’s be honest, ….
This new hat gets a little askew.
And the fight in his mind sometimes becomes unbearable. Thats when he turns to the largest hat in his closet, The Helmet ( of salvation ) which starts with our God, his savior, Jesus Christ. You see, God has allowed him the grace and goodness to do the things he was called to do, as long as his eyes are solidly focused on HIM and HIM alone. And One of those things Tom loves to do is proclaiming Gods word in his church’s pulpit. And believe you me, he has been a living miracle, and a testimony to just how GOOD GOD IS! Every Sunday Morning that he is able He enters the pulpit with Gods strength in order to lead Faith Baptist Church in Worship.

Now you might ask, how does a man who can barely breath, even on oxygen, get himself to the pulpit and preach with the lungs of a lion,
and the boldness of GOD?

Well, the answer lies with GOD and having the Lion of Judah in his corner and by his side. And so armed with God’s word on his lips, with God’s promise in his heart, and God’s sword by his side it happens, every single time and quite Honestly, it’s a miracle to watch happen.

But even with GOD by his side Tom’s is nervous about the future I mean who wouldn’t be, Right? He does know though that, regardless of the physical lung transplant outcome, Gods word will carry on no matter what this world or satan attempts to do to slow down the… Good News of JESUS!

No matter what happens with Toms Life All he wants is for GOD to receive the ultimate Glory and that He will always be remembered not for the many hats he wore, but for the GRACE that GOD gave him when he didn’t deserve it.

John 3:16 (NKJV)
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

By now you may be asking yourself How all these hats are actually stacking up in Tom’s life today?

Glad you chose to ask.

This past year he has worn another very specific hat, and quite often.
Picture the big burley man with the long graying beard, in a CABBIE CAP or DRIVERS CAP, Making way to many two hour trips up 71 North
to Ohio State University Wexner Medical center wondering what today’s news would hold.
Will I get kicked out?
Will I continue through the phases?
Tests being done and redone.
Pulmonary rehab.

Questions…they have SOOO many questions.

Friday February 16, 2024 they FINALLY got the news…

YOU ARE ACCEPTED INTO THE LUNG TRANSPLANT SYSTEM.

BAM, A new hat has been added,

DOUBLE LUNG TRANSPLANT PATIENT.

Wow! To some this may seem like the end of the road, but let’s be honest again, Tom’s Road is just getting started and this time on a brand-new highway. A long winding road with construction cones and traffic delays.

Tom, his wife, and his family are in for major life changes. The physical transplant is only a part of the process. Tom will be out of work for at least a year.

A man who has worked since he was 14…And most of that time with more than one job. Will suddenly not be able to even maintain his own existence without help from someone else. Something he has never did his entire life. This rebuilding process from a bilateral lung transplant is a hard, bumpy, long road, with absolutely no guarantees. Will it work, Will it fail, Will it prolong a day, a week, a year, 5 years, who knows? Lung transplants can go several different ways and they are extremely expensive not only for the actual surgery and recovery but a million differently little things along the way, including new expensive medications that will have to be taken the rest of Tom’s life.

And so, as guided by OSU medical and lung transplant team,
“Don’t try to do this all on your own”.
It starts with communicating. Keeping others in the loop. It also means Tom is going to need some financial assistance. The hardest part for Tom should be the transplant…. but this website, this asking others for help that he has never done in his life, is the most difficult part.

He always just did what he (they) had to do to ensure everything worked. This is humbling.
Particularly as pockets are tapped a bit more for groceries, gas and utilities. And knowing deep down in his heart that there are other people in the world that are way more deserving than him.

And so, as part of:
THE TOM LEACH TRIBE,
we come before you in prayer and thanksgiving on his behalf, asking for financial help.
Any amount from $1 to $10,000 will help. And if Money is tight for you as well, no worries you can help without it costing you anything at all except for a few seconds of your time each day as prayers are appreciated while we fight this fight together.

The family is already worrying “what’s next” & “How.”
as they await THE CALL.

And so, as they wait, we as Tom’s Tribe would like to be able to ease a portion of that burden for them.

Prayerfully consider donating.

Maybe it’s through a program at work. Perhaps you choose to raise money for Tom and his family a different way. Sponsor a restaurant event. Have connections to housing around OSU in Columbus OH. We could all be surprised what we can do when we all pull together. We,
and Tom’s Family, give GOD ALL THE GLORY on this journey.
We aren’t ready to hang up his hats…. we are just getting started!
And as such, we are all looking forward to seeing:
THE TOP HAT, as he rings the
Gratitude Bell a year or so from now.

In love and grace,
on behalf of Tom and Trach Leach

Additional Expense Considerations for a Lung Transplant

Beyond the surgery are plenty of additional expenses that patients must keep in mind. Many transplant centers have policies requiring that potential transplant recipients prove they can fund the medical costs of a transplant before they can join the waiting list for an organ.

Some of the additional costs that patients and families must consider include:

• Health insurance premiums, deductibles, and co-pays
• Pre-transplant medications
• Unexpected pre-transplant hospitalizations
• Medical travel and temporary lodging while you are being listed for transplant
• Medical travel and temporary lodging when you receive the transplant
• Relocation or moving expenses due to the transplant
• Mileage, tolls, and parking fees for transplant-related medical travel
• Caregiver costs, including lost work

Just what is a Lung Transplant?

A Lung Transplant is when your Unhealthy or damaged lungs make it difficult for your body to get the oxygen it needs to survive. A variety of diseases and conditions can damage your lungs and keep them from functioning effectively. Some of the more common causes include:

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema
• Scarring of the lungs (pulmonary fibrosis)
• Cystic fibrosis
• High blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension)

Lung damage can often be treated with medication or with special breathing devices. But when these measures no longer help or your lung function becomes life-threatening, your health care provider might suggest a single-lung transplant or a double-lung transplant.

Tom needs a Double Lung Transplant, so that means the longest and most difficult surgery will need to be done making not only pre surgery harder and during surgery harder, but recovery will be harder and longer as well.

About Tom

Who is Tom?
I am a husband to Tracy.
A Father to 4 beautiful children
A grandfather to 8… Yes 8 Grandchildren
A dad to 2 rotten but amazing Great Dane’s
A mini farmer with 4 cows and 2 mini donkeys
A small business owner
And a full time bi-vocational Pastor
I have always loved life… and loved being able to always be busy.

Lets talk about GOD for a minute

Do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?
If not… Let me introduce you to HIM..