RENEWED PURPOSE
After serious illness, Lester Smith bounces back, determined to make most of life, keep helping others
O ne question so many people have been asking for the past 18 months or so is: “Where are Sue and Lester Smith?”
The answer to that question is they have been through hell, and then Aspen, Colorado, for the summer to rest, relax and heal. But now they are back home in Houston.
Lester Smith, 75, is one of the last oilfield wildcatters, and he and his wife Sue are known as a fun-loving, jet-setting, socialite couple and one of Houston’s kings and queens of fundraising and philanthropy, with numerous buildings and clinics in the Medical Center carrying their name. Yet, they are also down-to-earth, pranksters, former professional ballroom dancers, art collectors, active in their community and very much in love.
“However, Lester had acid reflux for about 10 years and had surgery to correct it. After about five years it came undone, causing the reflux to start up again,” Sue said. “In January 2016, they redid the surgery, called Nissen Fundoplication. Yet, he had had micro-aspiration of acid into his lungs for that long period of time, which caused severe damage to his lungs. In July 24, 2016, he had a double lung transplant at St. Luke’s.”
When he came out of surgery, he asked Sue if he was alive, and she confirmed he was with a kiss.
“I was in ICU for 102 days, and if it had not been for my Sue, I probably would not be here today. She kept me going, and pulled me through. She was with me every day, and she had support from Jennifer Huber, a close friend and employee. The nurses at St. Luke’s were great and I loved them,” Lester said.
After surgery, though, there was more to do in taking care of him. For a while he had a tracheotomy, and when it was removed he had to learn to talk again with a speech therapist twice a week and a physical therapist to help him walk again. He also was on a feeding tube because otherwise everything he ate or drank would go into his lungs.
“My mouth was so dry that I was begging for water. I told one doctor I’d give him $50,000 for some water and he turned me down,” Lester said.
“We did have a spritzer bottle that we could wet his mouth, so he could work with the speech therapist. Also, he had difficulty with his hands due to their shaking and tremors caused from the immunosuppression drugs. Sometimes they would shake so bad he could not use his hands at all,” Sue said.
Moreover, with all the drugs he was taking, he became sugar sensitive, which turned into diabetes, so now he takes insulin every day.
“All he wanted to do was go home, but the doctor said he couldn’t until he could walk. He was not doing well, heavy depression was setting in, and I don’t think he thought he was going to live. It was not a good time,” Sue said.
Lester and Sue’s love story is famous and has been written about many times, so it was no surprise that when Lester said he wanted to go home, Sue made it happen.
She had a complete ICU room set up in their bedroom and hired a medical group to take care of him 24/7 and round-the-clock nurses. He arrived home in an ambulance to complete care.
“Immediately, Lester began to improve and he was smiling for the first time in a long time,” Sue said.
There were times that Lester wanted to give up; he wanted to die.
“I believe through all of this, I have figured out why I am still here. God has things for me to do, charities to fund and people to help,” he said.
Today, Lester is back and active. He has thrown out all his jeans, so when he gets up every morning, he puts on a shirt, slacks, sports jacket and tennis shoes — looking good — and gets on with his day. He also works out at his local club two or three times a week, getting stronger.
A couple of the first things he did when he returned to his desk was to provide college scholarships to the two daughters of one of his nurses. After reviewing their resumes, he was very impressed.
He then gave the Holocaust Museum $15 million.
Sitting in his living room at his Memorial home, dressed in a white suit, he says he doesn’t feel old.
“Sue and I were at a restaurant recently, at the bar waiting on a table and a man came by and said he could tell we were newlyweds, and we’ve been married 22 years. That is how I feel — young, very much in love and thankful to be alive,” Lester said.
“Through all of this, I have learned many things. First, don’t ever, ever, ever give up. Life will knock you down, knock you on your butt. But get up. Dust yourself off. Keep trying, and you will get there. Just don’t give up. Life is worth it, so fight for it. Find the good in life. Life doesn’t have to be perfect, and it doesn’t have to be complicated. There are only seven colors in a rainbow and look at all the happiness they create. There are only seven notes, but look what Mozart did with them,” Lester said.
The room was quiet for a few moments, then he continued.
“There are only four things that people need: something to do, someone to love, belief in Jesus Christ, God, or your higher power and lastly, never give up. And an extra note, have a pet.”
To Sue and Lester, every day is a blessing. They have seen the dark side and now the light.
“But I have an expiration date. I have a 50 percent chance that my body could reject my lungs in about five years, so I have a clinic working on what can be done when this happens.
“I won’t be going to the hospital, because hopefully this clinic will already have an answer,” Lester said. “Until then I’m going to enjoy life, help those I can, and spend time with my beautiful, wonderful wife, Sue.”