Charles Williams was ill on a business trip to California in the summer of 2019.
But it was not a normal illness. He felt very unwell and couldn't shake it off.
“I went home and my wife took me to the doctor,” said Williams, a technical support specialist. “The doctor said, 'You better go to the hospital right away.' I went to the hospital.
“I actually passed away. My heart stopped for 7.7 seconds. One doctor had 105 fevers and stuffed me with ice. They didn't know what to do. The doctor then gave me a tracheostomy,” Williams continued. “It saved my life.”
He later learned that he had a contract for Covid-19 before the world knew what it was.
After recovering, avid musician Williams focused on fitness and a healthy lifestyle.
But fast forward a few years later, and it was said that Williams was still feeling unwell and that he was suffering from long-term symptoms of existence – they were getting worse.
By May 2024, he was battling double pneumonia. Then that July he found himself struggling to hold his breath. The pulmonary surgeon was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic disease that causes irreversible scarring of the lungs.
He was on oxygen and had to stop making music and singing due to breathing problems.
“I've become worse and worse, worse, weaker, weaker,” he said.
Shortly after his diagnosis, Williams collapsed at his home and was rushed to the hospital. When his condition deteriorated, his wife Elena refused to accept the harsh prognosis and insisted on a second opinion.
“They told my wife I was dying,” Williams said. “They told her I had about 10% life potential. She panicked and didn't accept the answer. All the other doctors left her, but she told my lung doctor we needed to do something.
Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia has a history of listing transplant patients who may be denied at other hospitals.
Within 90 minutes he flew to the temple by helicopter and put on an Ecmo (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) machine, which kept him alive.
“They kept me healthy until the donors were available. This was about three weeks,” Williams said.
He underwent a double lung transplant on September 22, 2024.
Although recovery was not easy, Williams has been praised by people associated with the temple for his healing. The level of care he received there was “no more than anyone else,” Williams said.
“It was all incredible there. The doctors couldn't believe it. The nursing staff are the hardest working people I've ever seen in my life,” he said. “When I woke up, I couldn't use my legs, I couldn't use my arms, I could lift my head a little. And I remember the guy coming to get me for physical therapy. His name was Paul. He was an incredible man. And he says, “Well, you're walking today, buddy.” I took eight steps that day with his help. ”
He then went to rehabilitation.
“Paul was in my head every day. He recalled, 'You'll hurt. It'll hurt. You have to hurt it, and you have to absorb it. You have to move on the next day. You're willing to walk again.' And he was right,” Williams recalled.
About two and a half months later, Williams was able to walk.
“I had my surgery on September 22nd and was home for Thanksgiving dinner,” he said. “I could walk around and cut turkeys and stuff. I could go home and see the dog Logan. That's very emotional for me.”
In 57, Williams knows he is one of the lucky ones. He is grateful for a second chance in life through the gift of an organ stranger.
“I don't know how to repay the kindness of strangers — a family that will donate their lungs to someone to give them a gift of life,” Williams said. “It's the biggest gift you can ever give. Someone gave me these lungs out of generosity in my heart. You don't understand it. It's incredible. It's shattering of the earth.”
Music has played a major role in his return to normal life.
“I probably recorded 15 songs because all of this happened to me,” he said. “I've got my voice back. I can play guitar like usual. I'm really back. I hope I'll make an amazing album before I close these baby blues.”
Williams urged all of his family to become donors. He plans to honor his donor, share his music and give back by defending organ donation.
“Why couldn't you do it?” he said. “I don't know who this person is at the moment, but I want to know. I'm grateful to them and to put the roses in their graves. I'm grateful to my family. How do you thank them? Do you pay them back? How do you do that? You've never experienced it now.
Email: cmakin@gannettnj.com
Cheryl Makin is an award-winning feature and education reporter mycentraljersey.compart of the USA Today network. Contact: cmakin@gannettnj.com or @cherylmakin. To gain unlimited access, subscribe or activate your digital account today.
