MADISON, Wis. – David Peabody sailed the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea as an antisubmarine warfare technician in the U.S. Navy, but never imagined his travels would lead him to the shores of Lake Monona in Madison.
That changed in 2024 when Peabody became the 1,000th lung transplant recipient at the UW Health Transplant Center.
His journey to Madison began in 2010 when he started becoming sick with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. By 2013, he had to stop working as a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service because the constant physical activity was too much for him.
“It was terrible; I’d get up on somebody’s step and I couldn’t breathe,” he said. “I would get back to the office after finishing my route, and I didn’t have the energy to even get my stuff out of the vehicle.”
As the years went by, Peabody continued to have trouble breathing, and in 2019, his doctor at the Veterans Administration hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, put him on oxygen. The function in Peabody’s left lung was deteriorating, and the doctor suggested the possibility of a single lung transplant, an overwhelming prospect at the time for the husband and father of five.
“It scared me,” he said, “I had to think about it, and it was a tough decision.”
By January 2023, Peabody was referred to the lung transplant team at UW Health and the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, one of only three VA hospitals in the country performing lung transplants.
The partnership means veterans from across the country travel to Madison for transplant care, according to Dr. Robert Guzy, medical director of the VA Lung Transplant Program, and associate professor of medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
“The patients benefit from the expertise at UW Health and the Madison VA, from our transplant surgeons to our pulmonary rehab team, and from the advanced care we provide before, during, and after surgery,” he said. “That comprehensive approach ensures the best possible outcomes and lifelong support throughout their recovery.”
Peabody underwent extensive evaluations in Madison and returned home, knowing that he would eventually need to relocate to Madison while waiting for a donor lung.
“It was a big commitment to move up here,” he said. “We had to leave our two teenagers in Kentucky, but I knew, without the transplant, I may not be here for them much longer.”
He was placed on the transplant waitlist in October. The following month, he received a call that a lung had become available, but it was ultimately not viable for transplant. During that process, doctors discovered a bacterial infection in his lung, and he was temporarily removed from the list. During the wait, Peabody regularly worked with the pulmonology rehabilitation team to keep up his stamina. After a year of health challenges and setbacks, Peabody learned he had a match in Oct. 2024.
“It felt like a weight had melted off my shoulders,” he said.
Dr. James Maloney, transplant surgeon, UW Health, and professor of surgery at UW School of Medicine and Public Health, led the team that performed the transplant surgery at University Hospital on Oct. 13, 2024.
Peabody spent the initial days of recovery at University Hospital before transferring to the VA for continued care.
“Everyone at both hospitals was just so friendly and staying on top of what was going on,” he said. “They said that the more you walked, the quicker you would get out of there, so I was walking about five miles a day.”
The UW Health Transplant Center performed its first lung transplant in 1989. Since then, hundreds of patients have received the gift of life through lung transplantation. Reaching a milestone of 1,000 lung transplants reflects the center’s depth of expertise and national leadership in transplant medicine, according to Dr. Dixon Kaufman, director of the UW Health Transplant Center and professor of surgery at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.
“David’s case is a great example of how well patients can do following a lung transplant, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see someone regain their independence and quality of life,” he said. “As we look ahead to the next 1,000, our focus remains on delivering world-class care to every patient who comes through our doors.”
Peabody continues to travel back to Madison for regular follow-up visits with his care team and stays connected through video technology. Advances in lung transplantation and telehealth are giving patients more flexibility and hope for the future, according to Guzy.
“We see our transplant patients for the rest of their lives, and that continuity of care is something we’re proud of,” he said. “We’ve built a foundation of excellence over decades and continue to innovate, whether through prehabilitation, multi-organ transplants or expanding access for veterans across the country.”
Now, one year after his transplant, Peabody is reconnecting with the life he loves. He turned 66 years old in Aug. 2025 and takes nightly long walks with his wife. He looks forward to golfing again and traveling the world once more, including a trip to the Philippines to visit his wife’s family. He’s deeply grateful to the donor who has allowed him this second chance at life.
“If it wasn’t for their sacrifice, I don’t know what would have happened,” he said. “I want my donor’s family to know this means so much to me and to my family.”
