A Fairbury man who underwent a double-lung transplant due to complications from COVID-19 returned to Bryan Health on Thursday to reunite with those who cared for him.
Jake Immink became sick with COVID-19 in October of 2020. His mother drove him to Bryan Health after she noticed he wasn’t acting or feeling like his normal self. After he was admitted, his condition worsened. He was moved to intensive care and eventually went on a ventilator.
Despite his COVID-19 symptoms improving, the disease had a devastating effect on his lungs. He was diagnosed with chronic pulmonary fibrosis. Jake could no longer breathe on his own.
Dr. Bill Johnson, pulmonologist and critical care specialist at Bryan, realized that Jake’s best chance for survival would be a double-lung transplant. After 70 days at Bryan Health, Jake moved to Nebraska Medicine in Omaha. On March 20, he underwent a successful double-lung transplant.
His recovery has gone extremely well and the 31-year old has returned home to his farm in Fairbury. “I feel normal, basically. My lungs feel great. There’s not much that’s affecting me right now,” Immink says.
On Thursday, nearly five months after his journey began, Jake returned to Bryan West Campus to see many of the medical professionals who cared for him. “I consider some of them real life friends. It’s wonderful to see everyone and thank them for saving my life,” Immink says. “I probably shouldn’t have made it through.
He is grateful for their care and is encouraging everyone to get vaccinated to avoid the possibility of severe illness from COVID-19. Immink’s mom, dad and brother were also diagnosed with COVID-19.