Mental health can be vulnerable in difficult moments in life, but the combination can be particularly devastating if someone is already living with an incurable chronic illness.
“The doctor called me and said, ‘Denny, I have to say something to you, you have to live two years,'” recalled Denny Rene Rivas Williams, who suffered from severe lung disease.
Every time he breathes, he ignores a fate that once seemed inevitable.
“If I hadn’t had the transplant I would have died,” he added.
A Guatemala immigrant, Denny is now breathing with new hope thanks to a double lung transplant he received a year ago.
“I was nervous. I said goodbye to my child, my siblings, my dad and my partner,” said Denny, 36, when he had the surgery.
He remembers awakening from the surgery and telling his father that he loved him.
For over seven years, Denny cut and polished countertops for the bathroom and kitchen.
“We dried out on dry ingredients. There were huge clouds of dust,” explained Denny.
However, in 2022 he began experiencing symptoms and had to quit his job.
“I started breathing through my mouth and my dad asked me, ‘What’s wrong?'” he recalled.
Denny was diagnosed with silicosis, a disease with no treatment that could become chronic.
“It’s fatal because we can’t stop progressing,” says Dr. Jane Fazzio, a respiratory surgeon at UCLA.
“It’s a disease caused by inhaling silica dust, crystalline silica,” explained Fazio. “Dust enters the lungs, causing inflammation, leading to scarring over time.”
Silica is a mineral compound found in materials used in construction and manufacturing.
“Sizorcosis is an occupational lung disease caused by inhaling silica dust during the cutting, sanding, excavation or polishing of artificial stones,” explained Jose Escobar of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
He added that “slabs of artificial stone often contain more than 90% silica.”
Most of the affected people were “immigrants from Latin America, men in their 30s and 40s, many with young children.”
Before his implantation, Denny relied on an oxygen tank to breathe. But he was fighting another battle.
“I was struggling to the bottom of the rocks with depression,” Denny admitted.
“We’ve seen you get a lot of money,” said Antonio Banueros, program manager for the Los Angeles County Mental Health Department.
Research shows that over 99% of patients with silicosis showed symptoms of anxiety, and 86% experienced symptoms of depression.
“After the port, you think, ‘I made it.’ But no, you really didn’t make it,” Denny said.
Experts say the average life expectancy of lung transplant recipients is six years.
“Lung transplants are necessary for patients with advanced silicosis who are eligible and otherwise would not survive,” Escobar said.
For this reason, Denny sought emotional therapy.
“It had a huge impact on me in the sense that you’re experiencing mood swings that you can’t even deal with,” he said.
Bañuelos said, “In this case, it’s not necessarily the death of a loved one, but rather the loss of health, independence, the ability to contribute to family, but the loss of loss. All of that is important.”
“I told my partner, ‘What do you know? If you want to leave, I’ll move on. This is a long process and I don’t know if you can endure it with me,” recalls Denny.
However, his family never abandoned him.
“I’m so grateful to her for standing by my side,” he said.
Love at home was his shield against the uncertainty of the future.
“I have family support. I have children. I want to see them grow. I’m always holding my faith in God, and thanks to him, I share my story today,” he said.
In California, 15 people have died of silicosis, and official data shows that more than 250 have been diagnosed since 2019.
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, call 988.
This report was created in collaboration with USC Center for Health Journalism.
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