While waiting for a double lung transplant, this advocate says more education is needed for lung safety
Merv Wiseman feels it's his mission to educate people about pulmonary fibrosis
A longtime advocate for marine safety in Newfoundland and Labrador says he wants to start a new mission: advocating for better lung safety in different industries.
Merv Wiseman is speaking from personal experience.
Wiseman worked for the Canadian Coast Guard for more than three decades, and operated a fox farm in the 1980s. He has been living with pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive and terminal disease characterized by scarring and thickening of lung tissue, which makes it difficult to breathe and absorb oxygen.
Wiseman told CBC News he reached a critical point last year, and has been approved for a double lung transplant in Toronto.
"I'm managing … trying to put the happy face on this one," Wiseman said during an interview on Monday.
"It's an adventure, no question. Not the one I went looking for, but it's one that I have to deal with now."
Wiseman has been told by medical professionals his diagnosis likely stems from his years on the farm. He believes the public should know more about the risks that can come from working in that environment and other locations, and wants to continue his advocacy to highlight that.
"I really believe that there's a lot of prevention, a lot of education on prevention, that can be applied … something as simple as a dust mask," he said.
"I really feel there's a mission here for me to do something, and to talk about this as much as I can to educate, when my legs get under me again."
Wiseman is now preparing for his surgery. He has to relocate from his home in North Harbour, Placentia Bay to Toronto to be within 10 minutes of Toronto General Hospital.
He's been told from others who have experienced it that it is a rigorous process that could take months of waiting, along with a strict therapy regimen and three months of post-operation watch. A GoFundMe has been set up to help him offset the moving costs.
"You have to be strong to withstand it and come out the other end," he said.
"The messages and the donations and everything that has come through to me personally and online, it's just incredible. I can't even come close to finding the language or finding the words that I need to express the kind of gratitude that needs to be expressed for that."
Over $14,000 has been raised for Wiseman so far, who hopes to be in Toronto by the end of March.
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With files from Carolyn Stokes