Firefighter Who Received Lung Transplant Released from the Hospital
Lt. Martin Fullam is cheered by firefighters from across the city as he leaves New York Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia University Medical Center with his family.
Wearing a yellow surgical mask, Lt. Martin Fullam speaks quietly and takes deep breaths every few words. He looks feeble, but he says he’s the happiest and healthiest he’s been in years.
The brave Fire Lieutenant was released from New York Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia University Medical Center on April 29 after receiving a lung transplant.
“I truly think I’m the luckiest person in the world,” Lt. Fullam said, as the crowd of firefighters and medical professionals cheered. “It stinks I got sick, but this is one of the happiest times in my life. I just want to say ‘thank you’ to everybody; this is not a road you take alone.”
In 2005, he was diagnosed with polymyositis, an uncommon disease that causes inflammation in a patient’s muscles. Doctors at the Hospital’s Center for Lung Disease and Transplantation transplanted a lung in the spring of 2009.
“Thankfully he is a hearty guy who responded well to treatment,” said Dr. Matthew Bacchetta, a thoracic surgeon at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia Medical Center. “I’m so happy to see him go home today.”
Lt. Fullam worked at Battalion 6 when he retired in December 2008. During his 27-year career with the FDNY, he also worked out of Engine 14, and Ladders 87 and 111. He was one of the many FDNY members who responded to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Lt. Martin Fullam, who received a lung transplant in the spring of 2009, joins his family, friends, colleagues, and the medical professionals that treated him at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia University Medical Center.
He was joined at the event by his wife, Patricia, and his daughters, Caroline and Emma (his daughter, Kelly, is away at college). His brother, retired Fire Lt. David Fullam, recalled a recent trip the two made to a county fair, remembering how his brother could barely walk.
He noted: “He’s still not the guy he once was, but everyone can see a huge difference in the man here today. This is a great day.”