Posted: April 22, 2013 – 4:13pm | Updated: April 22, 2013 – 4:53pm
By Valerie Rowell
Staff Writer
A Martinez boy recovering from a double-lung transplant in January returned home Saturday after nearly eight months in St. Louis.
Sawyer Mobley, 10, got a ride on a private jet to Bush Field, where he was greeted by family and friends.
It was awesome to “see just how happy he was. He was thrilled to have all his friends around,” his mother, Angel Mobley said.
Family and friends awaited Sawyer’s arrival wearing T-shirts in his honor and holding “Welcome Home” signs. Sawyer and his friends, including his twin brother Aiden, enjoyed the ride home in a limousine, donated by Luxury Limos.
Sawyer and his mother, Angel, left for St. Louis Children’s Hospital in late August, shortly before when he was put on the transplant list. He’s battled cystic fibrosis since he was a newborn and had a double-lung transplant on Jan. 16. He’s undergone physical therapy since the surgery and shows no signs of rejection, Mobley said.
“It’s just a miracle how far he’s come,” Mobley said, adding that Sawyer’s recovery went much smoother and quicker than any of his doctors expected. “It’s a blessing.”
Sawyer, who was critically ill before the transplant, looked forward to the surgery.
“His dream was to be able to run around and play with his friends,” Mobley said. “It’s just taking a bit longer because of his situation beforehand.”
Sawyer is on a regimen of physical and occupational therapy and is progressing. He is excited to be back home with his brother and friends.
Debbie Callan and other volunteer coordinated several fundraisers for Sawyer that has raised more than $88,000 through the Children’s Organ Transplant Association.
The next fundraiser is Spirit Night for Sawyer on May 14 at the Chick-Fil-A in Evans. Fifteen percent of purchases will go to Sawyer’s COTA fund that goes toward the cost of his transplant and related expenses.
“I am so appreciative,” Mobley said. “This community has been amazing. I just really never expected all this. I really feel that they joined together and almost became like family to me.”
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