WILLIAMSTOWN, N.J. (1010 WINS) -- A New Jersey man with a deadly lung disease got a new lease on life thanks to two nurses who went above and beyond after their shift.
Last year, Frank LaVerde, 63, was diagnosed with interstitial lung disease, a broad category for ailments that scar and stiffen the lungs, making it difficult to breathe.
ILD is irreversible and often worsens over time, so LaVerde was looking for a lung donor who could save his life.
In November, LaVerde contracted COVID-19 which his comorbidities made extremely dangerous for him.
He survived after three weeks severely ill, and, around Christmas time, he got the news that Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia qualified him for a potential lung transplant.
In January, while he was being cared for at Cedar Grove Respiratory and Nursing Care Center in Williamstown, New Jersey, LaVerde got the call that a transplant was available, but he’d have to get to TUH right away for the surgery to work.
At the time, the spread of the omicron coronavirus variant put a strain on New Jersey hospitals, and no ambulance was available to transfer him.
Ruth Miller and Milissa Eggert, two nurses who had just finished their shift, volunteered to take him in time to get the transplant.
"During all this commotion, these two nurses were getting off shift when they said, you know, we'll just take him in our car," he told ABC New York. "Thank God they were around, that's all I can tell you."
The transplant was a success, thanks to Miller and Eggert’s efforts, and LaVerde plans to put his new lungs to good use.
He bought an RV and is going to set out on a trip around the United States.
"I'll be hanging with the grandkids, surfing, golfing, skiing, out causing trouble sooner than later," he said.
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