By Betsy Mellinger

Victor was the kind of guy who never went to a doctor. Perhaps that's how he found himself suffering from emphysema and prostate cancer and living alone in a trailer on Pyramid Lake.

At the age of 70, Victor embraced a reclusive lifestyle on the shores of a lake 30 miles from Reno. He planned to live out his remaining days on Social Security and the few fish he caught, so as not to burden his family.

However, his health deteriorated quickly. His emphysema left him severely debilitated and unable to walk any distance, much less fish. Finally, Victor decided to seek medical help.

After undergoing hormone treatments for prostate cancer, his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level returned within normal range for his age. His outlook now brighter, Victor came to realize that through his own choices he could improve his quality of life. He decided to seek treatment for his emphysema and severe shortness of breath at the Sierra Pulmonary Education and Rehabilitation (SPEAR) facility in Sparks.

"The damage done by emphysema doesn't go away," said Kerstin McGinnis, ASN, SPEAR's clinical director. "So the patients need education that will help them preserve their remaining lung capacity."

When Victor first came to SPEAR, he was very weak and depressed. McGinnis remembers hearing him mutter to himself, "… this is never going to help. I'm just gonna die."

"This is not the end of your life unless you want it to be," McGinnis told Victor. Her philosophy resonated, and he committed himself to SPEAR's physical and educational curriculum.

Living in outlying rural areas can present many medical barriers that patients in urban areas don't experience. Arranging for oxygen deliveries to Victor's trailer, which had no real address, posed a challenge. However, McGinnis worked with the oxygen supplier to fill these service gaps.

By taking control of his life, making sound choices and committing himself to SPEAR's educational program, Victor's quality of life quickly improved. He was able to travel and realize other goals that he once believed were beyond his reach.

"All these years, I was a bit careless about my health. I lived as I wanted to live, thinking, ‘Hey, this is my life. I can do as I please.' Only later did I realize that I have family and friends who love me and care about me. I dragged them along without considering how my choices affected them … until now," Victor said.

No longer living in self-imposed exile, Victor now resides with his daughter in Carson City where he enjoys the company of family and friends. His ability to take control of his life, even when he believed there was no hope left, has inspired many people around him.

Kerstin McGinnis, ASN

Betsy Mellinger is volunteer and community relations coordinator for Northern Nevada Medical Center. The Sierra Pulmonary Education and Rehabilitation (SPEAR) facility at Northern Nevada Medical Center helps people with chronic respiratory diseases experience greater independence and improved quality of life under the leadership of medical director Michael A. Lucia, MD, and clinical director Kerstin McGinnis, ASN. For more information on the program, please call 351-2625.

Northern Nevada Medical Center 2375 E. Prater Way, Sparks, NV 89434 775-331-7000