Ron Richard
Hi, my name is Ron and I’ll be your author today.
While I was still working at painting crosswalks and fixing traffic signs, there was not enough time for writing. Once I retired, it hit me. “Hey, I can be a writer now!” So I started on page one.
Soon after, something happened that gave me even more time. I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (even though I had never smoked, which ain’t even hardly fair). My doctor told me there was no cure short of a lung transplant. My very first reaction was, “No way I’m going to suffer through that!” Were it not for the love of a woman, I might have just accepted that I would have a relatively short remainder of my life. But my wife Pat wasn’t about to let me.
She saw to it that I saw every doctor west of the Mississippi and regulated my bucket and a half of pills that I take every day. Finally after two years of physical therapy, carrying oxygen tanks around, and endless medical testing, I was placed on a transplant list. Even then, I wasn’t too optimistic, since I had heard that one can be on such a list for months or even years. Twelve days later, I received a call. They had a compatible lung available for me in Denver. The next day I had a new left lung in my body courtesy of a young donor. I shall be forever grateful to this soldier who served his country and gave me life.
Ron Richard, Author 