Breathing On Her Own Again

A Brooklyn woman is breathing independently thanks to the NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter Ventilator Weaning team

For nearly five years, Lisa McNamee had been confined to her Harlem hospital room at NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter, where she relied on a mechanical ventilator to help her breathe. 

After suffering from several conditions including severe scoliosis, kidney disease, and respiratory failure, Lisa was told in 2021 that she would likely need a ventilator for the rest of her life. She tried to stay positive, but Lisa’s dependence on the ventilator silenced her voice, dimmed her lively spirit, and left her feeling hopeless about the future.   

Then, Lisa’s life changed dramatically when she was accepted as a candidate for the Ventilator Weaning Program. In June, she was successfully liberated from the ventilator and is now breathing on her own.    

“If you’ve never been on a ventilator you don’t know how it feels to want to breath properly. Breathing is life,” said Lisa. 

“Taking my first breath felt great, but I was also worried too,” said Lisa, 53. “In the back of my mind, I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I just said to myself, God brought you this far, relax girl!”

Lisa at NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter

Lisa at NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter

Lisa with nurse at NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter

Lisa shows photo before severe scoliosis

Lisa with Dr. Baux-Johnson

The Ventilator Weaning Program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter specializes in caring for patients who have spent prolonged periods dependent on mechanical ventilation, including those whose previous attempts to come off the ventilator have been unsuccessful. Over the past year, the NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter Ventilator Weaning team has liberated more than 150 patients, with a remarkable 81% success rate. That compares to the national ventilator liberation rate of 54.66% among long-term care hospitals, reported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Dr. Jamie Baux-Johnson, Director of the Ventilator Weaning Unit and Medical Director of Respiratory Care, attributes their success to the team of doctors, respiratory therapists, nurses, rehabilitation specialists, and speech-language pathologists, and of course, patients and their families. 

However, she acknowledges that the weaning process is different for every person.

“Coming off a ventilator is not a single event. It is a gradual recovery process that requires rebuilding strength, endurance and confidence to be able to breathe independently again, speak again, eat again and possibly go home again,” said Dr. Baux-Johnson.

For Lisa, it has been a long journey. 

Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, Lisa often traveled between the island and East Flatbush, Brooklyn, visiting friends and family. She loved fragrances, singing along to the music of Sade and Whitney Houston, watching Blue Bloods, and cooking curry chicken, stew peas with pig tails.

Over time, Lisa’s health declined rapidly due to a progressive worsening of several conditions that seemed to hit her all at once. Most serious was her severe scoliosis which was causing her spine to press against her lungs. In 2021, she was admitted to NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County where doctors told her she would likely need a ventilator for the rest of her life.

“Hearing that for the first time was like a knife to my heart,” recalls Lisa. “I never thought I could get off the vent.”

She was soon transferred to NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter for ventilator management and potential weaning.

 “Thank God for Dr. Baux-Johnson and her team for their exceptional care,” says Lisa.  “There were so many difficult days, but I never gave up hope. They wouldn’t let me. Every day they take you step by step by step. You’re never alone.”

Since Lisa was taken off the ventilator, Dr. Baux-Johnson has been moved by her progress.

“Seeing Lisa out of bed, sitting in a wheelchair, and simply being able to look outside from a completely different perspective than when she was confined to the ventilator really made my day,” she said.

Although Lisa is off the ventilator, she has a long road ahead. Due to years of prolonged ventilation, she developed a narrowing of her trachea and requires a tracheostomy tube to safely breathe. She is now awaiting evaluation for tracheal reconstruction, said Dr. Baux-Johnson.

Still, Lisa is filled with more hope. She is also excited to return to some of her hobbies like traveling, cooking, and living life.

“I’m looking forward to getting my voice back and walking so that I can get discharged healthy and well,” she says.

Her advice to others facing a similar ventilator weaning journey is simple:

“I would tell others to be patient and hang in there; it won’t always be like this. Keep the faith and thank God there are great doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists that can help us on our healing journey.”