I am happy to report that my best friend and brother firefighter, Denny Allen received a life-saving double-lung transplant on Wednesday-July 2nd at the Cleveland Clinic.

He was admitted to the clinic on Thursday-June 26th due to complications from the pulmonary fibrosis he suffered from. I paid him a surprise visit early in the day on Tuesday-July 1st and got to spend about 5 hours with him. We shared lunch and had a great time reminiscing about fire company activities and life in general.

He looked better than he'd looked in quite some time and was mentally and physically prepared for the transplant. I left Cleveland around 3pm and Dennis called me at 10:30pm that night to tell me they had found a set of lungs for him. God had put him in the right place at the right time.

He went into surgery around 3am and went into recovery about 9:30am Wednesday morning. The surgery was successful, and while still sedated and on a ventilator, the prognosis is positive. He is currently stable and resting comfortably.

Friends and fellow firefighters, I am personally asking each and every one of you that if you do nothing else after reading this, please visit his page at www.firefighternation.com/profile/DennyAllen or the web site we've set up for him at www.DennisAllenProject.com and leave him words of encouragement or well wishes.

Visit these sites, learn more about what Dennis has done for the fire service and his community, and continue to keep him and his family in your prayers during these trying times.

If you find it in your heart to help us make his life a little more comfortable, I sincerely thank you in advance. You can make a secure online donation via PayPal or credit card at www.DennisAllenProject.com.

Thank you in advance for your support of my friend and brother. Stay tuned to these web sites for updates on Denny's progress as he recovers from this critical surgery.