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Double lung transplant recipient honors donor through new Franklinton art exhibition

Paul Volker is an artist who is thankful for the double lung transplant that saved his life.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — There’s a new art exhibition opening Saturday in Franklinton at the Vanderelli Room Gallery featuring the work of Columbus artist, Paul Volker. It’s called “everything changes” after an organ donor changed his life.

No matter the color, the canvas, or your level of creativity, art can be used to recycle old materials. In some cases, recycled material can make the life of something more beautiful. 

Just ask artist Paul Volker.

“I’m working with recycled stuff all the time now,” said Volker as he rubbed his chest, “it’s keeping me alive.” 

He said, for him, art is an exploration of materials.You could say – he has a lot on his chest.

“A colorized version of my first chest x-ray.”

It was almost two years ago when he was showcasing his latest work— he became winded and was struggling to breathe.

“It turned out that I had idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis which is your lung start crystalizing and it makes it very hard to breathe and eventually you start breathing. It was a slow suffocation.”

Eventually – he lost the strength to create.

“And to not be able to do that is putting the brakes on everything in life when you’re an artist.”

But those brakes weren’t on for long. Early one morning he got the call that would save his life.

“Up until that moment, it’s sort of hypothetical you think ‘well I could do a lung transplant that’s an interesting procedure.’ And then when you get the phone call somebody just threw the ball at you and you’ve got the bat and you’ve got to swing now.”

Volker received a double lung transplant at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

“To be able to watch our patients go from Paul especially go from a state where breathing is difficult and he can't do the things that really made his life so vibrant, to getting him through a difficult surgery and out of the hospital really quickly. And just to see him get back to his art. It's just remarkable every time,” said Dr. Justin Rosenheck, pulmonary and critical care medicine at the Wexner Medical Center.

For Volker, someone’s decision to be an organ donor saved his life. Gratitude – fueling an outlook more vibrant than before.

“Get that little thing on your driver’s license that says “I’m an organ donor” because somebody needs that when you don’t.”

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