My dad, Brett Peterson, was born and raised in Sandpoint and spent his later years working for B.F. Redi-Mix. Like many people in our community, he built his life around hard work, family and the outdoors. Everything changed in November 2021, when he contracted COVID-19 and became critically ill.
He was admitted to Kootenai Health, where his lungs began to fail, eventually requiring a ventilator to keep him alive. There were moments during that time when we truly did not know if he would survive. Watching someone you love fight for every breath is something that stays with you.
He did survive, but the road forward was long and difficult. After months in the hospital, he spent nine more months in a rehabilitation facility before finally returning home in July 2022. From that point on, oxygen became a constant companion as pulmonary fibrosis continued to progress. Everyday activities that once felt ordinary became exhausting.
The Peterson family just 16 hours after Brett’s double lung transplant. Courtesy photo
In the spring of 2025, his pulmonologist delivered news no family is ever ready to hear: he likely had only one to two years to live. But instead of giving up, the doctor encouraged him to pursue a lung transplant.
In January, my parents temporarily relocated to Phoenix so he could be evaluated at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. The transplant evaluation process is extensive and emotionally exhausting; but, on Feb. 4, he was officially placed on the transplant list.
Just 11 days later, we received the call that changed everything.
On Feb. 15, my dad underwent a double lung transplant. The hours during the surgery felt endless. My sister Katie and I were on a flight to Phoenix during the procedure, but when the doctors came out and informed my mom, Sally, that everything had gone well, it felt like our family could breathe again, too.
What has happened since then has been nothing short of remarkable.
Within a week, he was walking the halls of the ICU with his new lungs. His doctors shared that his recovery was among the top transplant recoveries they had seen. Shortly after, he was discharged from the hospital to continue healing outside those walls.
Since then, we have watched him slowly reclaim pieces of life that once felt lost.
Brett Peterson walking around in Arizona after his surgery. Courtesy photo
What began as cautious walks around the neighborhood turned into something we thought might never happen again. Recently, we walked three miles together, and the following morning another mile and a quarter. After more than four years on oxygen, he is now breathing completely on his own.
There is still a long road ahead. Recovery from a transplant takes months of monitoring, medications and rebuilding strength. But today we are simply grateful for the progress he has made and the second chance he has been given.
Throughout this entire journey, the support from the Sandpoint community has carried our family in ways that are difficult to describe. We read messages from home to him during the hardest days, and those reminders of community gave him the strength to keep fighting.
Above all, we hold deep gratitude for the organ donor and their family who, in the midst of unimaginable loss, gave the gift of life to someone they will likely never meet. Because of their generosity, my dad gets to breathe freely again.
For those who would like to follow his continued recovery, our family has been sharing updates, photos and videos on his GoFundMe page at bit.ly/PetersonGoFundMe.
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Filmmaker Jimmy Matlosz of the Idaho Film Company has made a series of mini documentaries about influential Sandpoint locals, including the late Dann Hall and Erik Daarstad as well as icons Diane Michaels and Dan Shook. He is currently working on a series of interviews connected to the history of the Panida Theater. Jimmy is a 30-year veteran filmmaker who's work can be seen at dpmatlosz.com.
Meet the Reader
Ever wonder who makes the Reader happen? Here's a behind-the-scenes look pieced together by summer 2017 intern McCalee Cain in which Ben, Cameron and Lyndsie explain what exactly about the Reader keeps them coming back to their shabby (but well-loved) office each week.
