Brooklyn Park Business Owner Recovering from Double Lung Transplant
Hopping on an exercise bike may not seem like the most strenuous task. But for Tyson Schnitker, the owner of Brooklyn Park’s Skaalvenn Distillery, it’s a sign of significant progress.
“A little over a month ago, I needed oxygen just to do this,” he said.
Schnitker had been diagnosed with lung disease early in 2024, and his health slowly got worse.
Doctors said he’d need both lungs replaced and was put on the transplant list June 6.
“They told me it would probably take two to three months, could take longer, could be shorter,” Schnitker said.
Turns out, his wait lasted all of two days.
“The donor has to go through a lot of testing, CT scans, MRIs, blood testing, tissue testing, looking for different antibodies to make sure that whoever gets these organs is gonna be compatible,” he said.
After doctors determined the organs were a match, he had to undergo a seven-hour surgery.
“They opened me up, removed each lung at a time, disconnecting it from the trachea and the heart and then implanting a new one,” Schnitker said in a Facebook post while sitting in his hospital bed.
Tyson Schnitker and his wife Mary following his double lung transplant at M Health Fairview in Minneapolis.
Next steps
Surgery was the first step in a long process that kept him at M Health Fairview for several weeks. He’s been documenting his recovery on social media.
“I can’t even describe how much strength and stamina I’ve lost,” Schnitker said from his Minneapolis apartment.
Schnitker said he had to learn how to walk again, and he’s slowly gaining the strength to do physical activities.
Meanwhile, he has to take a slew of antibiotics and antivirals, some of which he’ll be on for the rest of his life.
“If I have to take some pills for the rest of my life, I’ll gladly take that over being terminally ill,” Schnitker said.
It’s a second chance at life, thanks to modern medicine and a young person who decided to be an organ donor.
“The person that donated their organs to me probably didn’t think much of it. They checked that box, and that meant the world to me. They’re an absolute hero in my book and always will be,” said Schnitker.
Once he makes a full recovery, which could take up to a year, he said he plans to go mountain climbing in Japan and Norway.
Meanwhile, insurance didn’t cover the full cost of the surgery, but a GoFundMe page helped raise more than $27,000. The money helped with Schnitker’s recovery and allowed him to keep the Skaalvenn staff members employed.
