End-Stage Emphysema Tackled with Double Lung Transplant

Paul Mynatt of Cleveland spent most of his life incredibly healthy. He was even a bodybuilder in his late twenties and early thirties. But he had one vice: smoking. Mynatt smoked small cigars for 20 years.

In 2008, his mother was diagnosed with emphysema. He cared for her for five years, but by the time she passed away, he noticed emphysema symptoms in himself – extreme exhaustion and shortness of breath. Mynatt was diagnosed with the disease in 2014.

“I watched my mom deteriorate,” he said. “It’s a progressive disease. It never gets better. It only gets worse.”

Mynatt spent 10 years going back and forth to the hospital for doctor appointments and care. The once-robust bodybuilder's weight fell to just 87 pounds as his body fought for every breath.

“I looked like a skeleton. I became close to death,” he said.

In the fall of 2023, Mynatt discovered the University Hospitals Transplant Institute and Silpa Kilaru, MD, Medical Director of Lung Transplantation.

“Paul had end-stage emphysema, so his lungs were not working very well in terms of percentage of lung function. He had about 18 percent lung function. Normal lung function is about 80 percent," said Dr. Kilaru.

The path to transplant can be lengthy, and Mynatt faced many obstacles. Mynatt’s care team worked to maximize his nutrition, because his body was using all its energy trying to breathe. He took various supplements around the clock. He had to gain weight and go to rehab twice a week to ensure he would have the strength and mobility to endure a transplant.

By the next summer, Mynatt had done all he could do. He was placed on the transplant list on June 8, 2024.

On August 10, he got the call. He headed into surgery for a double-lung transplant.

“That was the toughest fight of my life, those four weeks after transplant, but it was worth it,” he said.

Mynatt was discharged from the hospital on September 16.

“I haven’t had one bad day since I was discharged,” he said. “I’m feeling so wonderful. I attribute that to my care team. I can’t speak highly enough about them and how they helped me recover.”

“It’s our honor to care for patients like Paul,” said Dr. Kilaru. “He worked so hard while trying to overcome obstacles. This is the outcome we hope for all our patients.”

Now 60 years old, Mynatt has been able to return to work as a self-employed electrical contractor and spend more quality time with his two children and three grandchildren.

“Literally, I was a dead man,” he said. “If I hadn’t gotten that transplant, I wouldn’t have made it.

When you’re not healthy, when you have an illness that’s a death sentence, there’s nothing more important than getting better for your family.”