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Letter to the editor

Mayor's comeback is 'right on target'

Jimmy Johnson's fiancee delivers the good news after his successful lung transplant.

By Anne Lindberg, Times Staff Writer
Published March 9, 2008

SEMINOLE - Mayor Jimmy Johnson was able to speak late last week as he continued to improve after receiving a new lung.

Vice Mayor Tom Barnhorn spoke with Johnson on Thursday. He said Johnson sounded hoarse and whispery but was interested in what was happening in Seminole and even offered his help.

Virginia Spencer, his fiancee, said, "He's doing as well as can be expected. He's right on target."

Johnson had a "couple of rough days with pain and adjusting the medications," but that, and the number of pain medications he's taking, is normal for patients recovering from a lung transplant, Spencer said.

"The first thing he said when he was cognizant was, 'I can't believe I'm alive,' " Spencer said.

Johnson, 65, was diagnosed late last year with pulmonary fibrosis, a fatal condition caused by progressive scarring of the lungs. Doctors told him a double lung transplant was his only option.

But when Johnson was taken to Tampa General Hospital on March 2 for his surgery, he only received one lung. It is unclear why, but doctors assured him that he would be able to live with that one.

"That's what the doctor offered him, and he wasn't going to argue," Spencer said. "He didn't ask why. He didn't ask anything. He just said, 'Thank you.' "

Although patients are not told the identities of donors, Spencer said the doctor told Johnson that "his lung would outlive him because his lung was so young."

Spencer said doctors expected to move Johnson out of the intensive care unit at Tampa General Hospital on Saturday or today. With luck, he could go home by the end of the week.

It is uncertain how long Johnson's recuperation will take. But, if he misses more than three consecutive meetings or fails to attend more than six meetings within a 12-month period, he will automatically lose his seat, according to city rules. To prevent that, the city staff has made arrangements to have Johnson "attend" council meetings and workshops remotely during his convalescence.

[Last modified March 8, 2008, 02:14:52]