Posts by: Brad Dell

Brad Dell

Brad Dell is a deaf 24-year-old with cystic fibrosis. Originally from Hawaii, he received a double-lung transplant from University of California at San Francisco in January 2017. When not testing out his new lungs with exercise or reading comics, he's writing to spread awareness of organ donation and CF

August 14, 2018August 13, 2018

CF Lung Transplant Candidates: It’s OK to Be Afraid

Columns, Victorious - a Column by Brad Dell

September 2016 Every bone, tooth, and vein in my body trembled. The oxygen cannula hugging my nostrils slipped on sweat. I sat at a cold table with my pre-transplant ... Read more

August 7, 2018August 3, 2018

There’s Jubilant Laughter at the Transplant Games of America

Columns, Victorious - a Column by Brad Dell

July 28, 1 p.m. We’re laughing. Some of us literally poured blood, sweat, and tears to be there laughing. Transplant recipients, like me. Others thought they’d never see their ... Read more

July 31, 2018July 27, 2018

Looking Back on a Year of My ‘Victorious’ Column

Columns, Victorious - a Column by Brad Dell

One year ago, I was six months post-lung transplant. I was still fumbling about, trying to sort out my new body and aspirations to help other CFers with my ... Read more

July 24, 2018July 24, 2018

I Laugh in the Face of CF — That’s How I Thrive

Columns, Victorious - a Column by Brad Dell

“Living On a Prayer” played as I pulled into an intersection. From the corner of my eye, I saw a car dart onto my street. A screech and a smash. ... Read more

July 17, 2018July 13, 2018

I’ve Come Full Circle

Columns, Victorious - a Column by Brad Dell

“It’s all come full circle,” I repeated, rather exhaustingly, about two dozen times over the past two weeks when visiting family in Florida. Exactly two years ago, my family ... Read more

July 10, 2018July 12, 2018

Nothing Like a Car Wreck to Ease Your Worrying (Seriously)

Columns, Victorious - a Column by Brad Dell

On July 2, 2016, I awoke from a nightmare with a wheeze. In the movies, people awaken from nightmares with a gasp. But gasping takes air. I’d been suffocating ... Read more

July 3, 2018June 29, 2018

Proof that Mycobacterium Abscessus Doesn’t Always Lead to Transplant Failure

Columns, Victorious - a Column by Brad Dell

Part two of a series. Read part one. Last week, I wrote about how disheartened I felt that many lung transplant centers refuse to help cystic fibrosis patients with ... Read more

June 26, 2018June 25, 2018

Mycobacterium Abscessus Shouldn’t Be an Automatic Transplant Disqualifier

Columns, Victorious - a Column by Brad Dell

At some point in the eighth grade in 2008, I drank some bad water. Later, I vomited and some of that yuck liquid aspirated into my lungs. That invasion ... Read more

June 19, 2018June 18, 2018

My Thoughts on the European Cystic Fibrosis Conference (ECFS 2018)

Columns, Victorious - a Column by Brad Dell

After 37 hours of travel, I landed in Belgrade, Serbia. I hopped in a cab and rolled past rows of rusted relics — airplanes of various centuries, including the ... Read more

June 12, 2018June 8, 2018

Making Up for Lost Time and Lost Experiences

Columns, Victorious - a Column by Brad Dell

I’m flyin’ high. Or maybe flyin’ buzzed. My transplant docs say “drink only in moderation,” and I am, smuggling sips via a straw tucked into my N99 mask. It’s ... Read more

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