WELCOME
WELCOME BACK, GETTING BACK TO WORK AFTER MAJOR SURGERY IS
CHALLENGING BUT THE MAN WERE
ABOUT TO ME IS DOING SOMETHING
NO ONE HAS DONE BEFORE, REECE
CHAMBERS , FIREFIGHTER WITH
EAST JEFFERSON FIRE RESCUE IN
CHIMACUM AND THE FIRST IN OUR
STATE TO RETURN TO FRONT-LINE
DUTY AFTER HAVING A HEART
TRANSPLANT THAT CAN YOU BELIEVE
THAT, REECE CHAMBERS JOINS ME
NOW ALONG WITH JOHN JOHNSON
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
AND INDUSTRIES, WELCOME TO YOU
BOTH .
BOTH .
BOTH . >>
BOTH . >> YOU LOOK GREAT, HOW DO YOU
FEEL?
FEEL?
FEEL? >>
FEEL? >> I FEEL ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL.
>> HOW DID YOU FEEL OR GET TO
THE POINT YOU NEEDED A HEART
TRANSPLANT?
TRANSPLANT? >> IT WAS A LONG PROCESS OF A
HEART THAT DIDN'T WANT TO WORK
LIKE IT WAS SUPPOSED TO .
>> WASN'T PLAYING FAIR AND IT
GOT WEAKER AND WEAKER AND TO
THE POINT WHERE IT WASN'T ABLE
TO SUSTAIN MY LIFE ANYMORE AND
I NEEDED A TRANSPLANT .
>> SO YOUNG.
WE HAVE PICTURES OF YOU IN THE
HOSPITAL.
HOSPITAL.
HOSPITAL. WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND AS
YOU REALIZED WHAT NEEDED TO
HAPPEN?
HAPPEN?
HAPPEN? >> I HAD BEEN SICK FOR SO LONG,
TIRED, CRANKY, SHORT OF BREATH
THAT YOUR LIMBS ARE FALLING
ASLEEP PICK YOU HAVE TROUBLE
EATING AND SLEEPING AND YOU
CAN'T EAT LYING DOWN, IS A
MISERABLE EXISTENCE.
MISERABLE EXISTENCE. SO BY THE TIME I GOT TO THE
POINT WHERE I NEEDED A
TRANSPLANT WAS IN THE HOSPITAL
WAITING, IT WAS JUST PLEASE
MOVE ONTO THE NEXT CHAPTER OF
MY LIFE I KNOW IT'S SCARY BUT I
DON'T WANT TO LIVE LIKE THIS
ANYMORE.
ANYMORE.
ANYMORE. >> HOW LONG DID YOU WAIT FOR A
HEART?
HEART?
HEART? >>
HEART? >> SIX MONTHS BEFORE GOT THE
HEART TRANSPLANT WHICH IS A
RELATIVELY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME.
>> WHEN IT HAPPENS AND IT'S
YOUR TURN AND YOUR ABOUT TO GO
TO HOW DO YOU COPE WITH WHAT
MIGHT HAPPEN?
MIGHT HAPPEN? >> I AM A FIREFIGHTER I LOOKED
IT UP AND I WANTED TO SEE WHAT
THEY WOULD DO TO ME, IT'S
PRETTY BRUTAL, BUT I WAS DONE
AND I WANTED TO BE BETTER, I
WANTED TO BE THE MAN MY WIFE
DESERVED IN MY KIDS DESERVED
AND I WANTED TO BE A
FIREFIGHTER AND THE HEART
TRANSPLANT WAS THE WAY TO GO TO
GET THAT DONE. SO WHEN IT CAME
AND IT WAS TIME WE WERE MORE
THAN READY .
>> WHAT A BLESSING .
>> JOHN, HOW DID L&I HELP?
>> MISSION IS TO HELP INJURED
WORKERS HEALING GET BACK TO
WORK SO, INITIALLY THIS IS
ACCEPTED AS AN OCCUPATIONAL
DISEASE DUE TO EXPOSURE.
>> SO, WE JUMPED IN TO HELP
THEM AS BEST WE COULD TO
DETERMINE IF GETTING BACK TO
WORK WOULD BE A FEASIBLE OPTION
FOR HIM.
FOR HIM.
FOR HIM. OF COURSE, HIS EMPLOYER, HIS
CHIEF WAS ADAMANT AND HE WANTED
HIM BACK AND WE HAD THE OPTIONS
AVAILABLE AND WHEN I FIRST
CONTACTED HIM HIS FIRST GOAL
WAS TO GET BACK TO WORK AS A
FIREFIGHTER.
FIREFIGHTER. LOFTY GOAL TO BE FOCUSED AND I
KEPT IN CONTACT WITH THEM AND
HIS DOCTOR FOUND HIM FIT FOR
DUTY IN HERE HE IS .
>> YOU WANT TO BE SATISFIED
WITH THE DESK DUTY?
>> YES, ONLY IF IT MEANT GOING
BACK TO THE LAND OF COMPROMISE
MY HEART AND TO KEEP GOING WITH
MY KIDS. I WANTED TO BE A
FIREMAN, ABSOLUTELY.
FIREMAN, ABSOLUTELY. >> THAT WAS PLAN A FROM THE
BEGINNING AND I WAS OKAY WITH
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. >>
THAT. >> WHAT WAS RECOVERY LIGHT?
>> EEEHHHHH IT'S TOUGH.
THEY CUT UP IN YOUR CHEST SO
YOU CAN'T LIFT FOR A WHILE,
YOU'RE BASICALLY RETRAINING
YOURSELF TO SIT AND TO WALK AND
THEN TO WALK UPSTAIRS AND WALK
AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND
CARRYING WEIGHTS, BUILDING UP
STRENGTH AGAIN, YOU'VE GOT TO
RETRAIN YOURSELF FROM GROUND
ZERO ALL THE WAY BACK UP AGAIN.
IT'S NOT EASY AND WANTS THAT
ARE PART THERE'S A LOT OF
LIFELONG THINGS AS FAR AS CARE
GOES AND MEDICATIONS AND THIS
IS A LIFETIME RECOVERY THAT WE
ARE GOING THROUGH.
>> THAT YOU WERE WILLING TO GO
THE HARD TO GET BACK IT'S
AMAZING .
AMAZING .
AMAZING . >> SO, FOR ME I WANTED TO BE A
FIREMAN FROM PRETTY MUCH DAY
ONE, BUT IT BECAME REAL TO ME
WHEN MY BROTHER PASSED AWAY AND
THOSE MEN AND WOMEN CAME TO MY
HOUSE AND THEY TOOK CARE OF MY
BROTHER.
BROTHER.
BROTHER. THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO.
BUT I SAW THE PAIN IN THEIR EYES
.
.
. >>
. >> I
. >> I JUST SAW HOW THEY GAVE MY
FAMILY HOPE AND THEY MADE US
FEEL LIKE, WE CAN BE ABLE TO DO
THIS JOB.
THIS JOB.
THIS JOB. I WANTED TO BE ABLE TO DO ONE
OF THEM.
OF THEM.
OF THEM. I MADE AND I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER
. I GOT IT, IT WAS TAKEN AWAY
FROM ME AND I GOT IT BACK
THAT'S MY MISSION IN LIFE I
HAVE TO BE ONE OF THOSE GUYS .
>> FIRST DAY BACK ON THE JOB,
WHEN YOU CAME IN.
>> YEAH .
>> YEAH .
>> YEAH . >> OVER FRONT-LINE DUTY, WHAT
WAS IT LIKE AND WHAT WERE THE
MEN AND WOMEN THERE DOING?
>> HONESTLY, IT WAS LIKE
WALKING BACK INTO MY HOME.
HIGH-FIVES, HUGS, BUSINESS AS
USUAL, WE WENT AND WE DID OUR
JOB AND I WAS WELCOMED BACK IN
IS ONE OF THE CREW AND I WAS
VERY HAPPY AND I'M GLAD THERE
WAS NO POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE,
HE'S HERE TO DO HIS JOB LET'S
GO TO WORK .
>> FAMILY CAME TOGETHER .
>> YES, IT WAS GREAT. IT'S A
DAY I WILL NEVER FORGET.
>> DID YOU LEARN ANYTHING YOU
CAN SHARE WITH THE REST OF US
ABOUT MEETING YOUR GOAL?
.
.
. >>
. >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. THERE'S MARATHONS IN LIFE, YOU
CAN'T MEET YOUR GOAL RIGHT
AWAY, SET SHORT GOALS AND PLUG
AWAY A LITTLE BIT EVERY DAY AND
EVENTUALLY YOU GET THERE .
>> ONE LITTLE STEP AT A TIME .
>> ONE LITTLE STEP AT A TIME.
>> A LOT OF US WILL FEEL A LOT
OF MONDAY MOTIVATION.