Sharing Life

Man who had lung transplant encourages organ donation

Valley Morning Star
By Bruce Lee Smith
bruces@valleystar.com
956-421-9871

March 23, 2005 

Carl L. Johnson is breathing a lot easier these days and he wants people to know why.

Johnson combines two important but totally different parts of his life — his love of classic cars and his 2004 lung transplant — to help raise awareness for organ sharing.

Wherever you see his immaculate 1964 Galaxie 500 XL Fastback on display, you’ll notice a sign promoting the Texas Organ Sharing Alliance.

"I want to help dispel some of the myths about organ donation and encourage people to help save lives," he said. "After all, if it wasn’t for a transplant, I wouldn’t be walking around today."

According to statistics from TOSA more than 6,000 deceased donors make possible 20,000 organ transplants. An additional 7,000 transplants come from living donors.

"My quality of life was getting pretty sad before the operation," he said. "I only had about 12 percent of lung function before I went in the hospital."

Johnson got his transplant on June 12 and was released from the hospital 12 weeks later.

Whenever TOSA calls, Johnson said he is eager to speak about organ donation from a personal viewpoint.

"The bottom line is that it saves lives," he said.

Johnson’s car is easy to spot and not just because of its age and condition. He added a Continental kit to it.

The bumper was extended to make room for a spare tire and cover attached to the back. The spare tire cover is rimmed in chrome.

"I just always wanted a Continental kit and I found this one on the Internet," he said. "It’s just kind of an ostentatious thing."

Johnson bought the car in April 1999, a month after his wife died. It took about seven months and $8,000 to restore it.

He’s always been interested in cars from the past. As a high school student in the mid-1960s, he drove a ’57 Ford.

He’s no stranger to charitable causes. For 17 years, he has helped organize an auto show in McAllen that is sanctioned by the Antique Automobile Club of America. Proceeds from the show have gone to such charities as the Ronald McDonald House and the Palmer Drug Abuse Program.

Johnson said the Galaxy is not quite up to AACA show standards.

"They’re a lot more intense than I wanted to get," he said. "I just wanted an old, cool car to share with my friends."

That doesn’t mean he didn’t pay attention to small details.

"We even have a hula girl in the back window," he said.


Source:
Smith, Bruce Lee. "Sharing Life" Valley Morning Star. 2004, 23 Mar 2005, http://www.valleystar.com/sliceoflife_more.php?id=57236_0_22_0_M