When a bout with the flu nearly killed a Missouri man, a group of doctors in Chicago saved his life. Davey Bauer, 34, was a relatively healthy man with a physically demanding landscaping job when he got sick. He also vaped for many years, which may have made him more susceptible to illness.
Bauer told People that when he became ill in April, he had no idea how serious it was. His girlfriend, Susan Gore, took Bauer to the doctor, and before they knew it, he was on the list for a double lung transplant in Chicago. More than six months later, he is alive to tell the incredible story.
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Bauer didn't smoke and thought vaping was OK.
He told People that he vaped because it "seemed like a healthier alternative" to smoking." He averaged about a cartridge a day, which the National Institute of Health claims is about the same as smoking a pack of cigarettes per day. Bauer admitted he had never had a flu shot, either. The combination proved to be a hazard to his health.
Gore told People she took Bauer to urgent care, where they reportedly gave him some medicine, told him he had a bit of pneumonia, and sent him home.
The next day, they were in the emergency room.
The couple traveled about 40 miles from De Soto to a St. Louis emergency room. "Susan drove me to the ER. I honestly barely remember walking into the ER. Then I woke up out here in Chicago with new lungs," he told People.
But it was more complicated. Bauer's physician, Dr. Ankit Bharat, chief of thoracic surgery and director of the Canning Thoracic Institute at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, told People his patient was near death, and the team had to work quickly and creatively.
Bauer's lungs were damaged beyond repair.
In addition to pneumonia, Bauer contracted a bacterial infection that damaged his lungs so severely that a double lung transplant was the only means of recovery. Bharat's team removed the damaged lungs and used breast implants to save his life.
The doctors put a large implant on either side of Bauer's heart.
"The breast implant is a flashy thing, but to be honest with you, probably from a medical standpoint, was a minor part of the whole thing. Because it was mostly used to just temporarily stabilize the heart," Bharat told People.
Doctors then drained his blood and created a new circulatory system that kept his blood pumping because the implants held his heart in place.
"It was kind of almost magical to see when we took out all of the old lungs … within a matter of hours, his body started to show signs of healing and recovery," Bharat said. "His heart started to get stronger without all the bacteria."
Bauer spoke out against vaping.
He told People that despite what people may think, vaping is not a healthier alternative to smoking.
"Hindsight is 2020," Bauer said. "I can see how stupid of a habit it was. Definitely."
Bharat agreed. "In my personal opinion, vaping played a big part in how sick Davey got, because he's young and otherwise healthy. Lungs are designed to breathe clean air, they're not designed to inhale smoke," he explained.
Bauer told the magazine that he is committed to being healthy, has given up vaping, and will get regular flu shots.
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After months in the hospital, Bauer was recently released.
During his hospital stay, his brother, Josh Bauer, kept a GoFundMe account updated about his condition. On October 11, Gore announced the couple was back together in a temporary apartment in Chicago.
"The pups and I are beyond happy to have him back with us in our apartment. He still has weekly appointments and lab work with the lung transplant team at Northwestern and he starts Day Rehabilitation at Shirley Ryan Ability Lab on Monday 10/16. He's still making great strides each day and he's even able to walk a short distance with his AFO (basically a leg brace) since he did develop foot drop – and he pushes himself whenever he can!" Gore wrote on the page.
She thanked her family and friends for their support and prayers. The GoFundMe has raised $34,000 of a $45,000 goal thus far.
