Richard Plavchak

My dad, Richard Plavchak, a fantastic father, husband, grandfather, brother, uncle, father-in-law, brother-in-law, nephew, friend, and co-worker was taken from us on March 17, 2010, by Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. He was only 61 years old. Here is his story:

He was a hard working country boy his whole life. He was born in Pennsylvania on March 31, 1948, to George and Bettye Plavchak. Shortly after that, my grandparents moved their family to Lexington, Oklahoma, where he lived the rest of his life. He grew up on a farm, married my mom – his high school sweetheart, went to OSU Technical School, and became an electrician. My parents started their family in 1968 and had 5 kids. After working as an electrician for many years, he went to work for the Department of Corrections as a Maintenance Supervisor. He would have retired in April of 2010.

My dad was a master craftsman of wood work. One of his last projects was redoing his bathrooms and kitchen. It was the first time I’ve ever heard him say he was proud and pleased with how it turned out. We were all impressed with everything he had done – it was nice to hear him say it. He finished his kitchen a few months before he passed away.

In June of 2009, his family doctor mentioned Pulmonary Fibrosis. In October of 2009, his diagnosis of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis was confirmed after an open lung biopsy. A lung transplant was mentioned, but dad was still working and doing okay – even though it was clear he was out of breath quicker than he used to be. In fact, he was working on his projects during this entire time. On February 1, 2010, we went to the doctor and he was diagnosed with bronchitis and prescribed oxygen. He didn’t even mention oxygen – it was me who asked about it. My dad was a tough guy! His pulmonologist did a walking test and said he certainly qualified. He took off work then, but still did his thing. Drove to the store when he needed to, worked around the house. We went to a transplant workshop on March 1st – my dad drove. On March, 4, 2010, my mom called and said dad can’t walk from one room to another. I left work and met my sisters at his house to take him to the emergency room. He said he wanted to wait because the Sears guy was coming for the yearly check on their appliances. He did let my sisters and I get the wheelchair ready and put a shower chair in for him. The shower chair was the last thing he “buiIt” and Patty, Julie, and I were happy to be part of it. We told him we would be back the next morning to go to the hospital. He was sure they would send him home since there was nothing more they could do. They admitted him, upped the oxygen, and started the evaluation process for the lung transplant. Everything checked out – he was in great shape except for his lungs. The six minute walk wasn’t even attempted. The doctors would meet soon to make the decision to put him on the list. My dad never made it on the list or out of the hospital – he passed away on March 17.

I’m writing this to honor my dad, but also so that anyone going through Pulmonary Fibrosis will realize how fast this can happen. When you read about this disease and listen to other stories, you have hope because sometimes it is a slow process. You should also be prepared for a story like my dads.

He left quite a void in our world. I’m so proud to be his daughter.

I hope his story helps your family.

Gina Parks