Patient Story

• For decades, Tammy Landis struggled to breathe, enduring years of misdiagnoses, worsening symptoms, and the constant fear that her next breath might not come.
  
• Advanced testing at UC Health revealed severe airway condition, leading to life-saving interventions and, years later, a groundbreaking surgical solution through a coordinated, multidisciplinary team.
  
• Following a tracheobronchoplasty, Tammy regained her independence, removed her tracheostomy, and returned to everyday moments she once thought were lost forever—living proof that hope and healing are possible.

If breathing problems are affecting your life, contact the team at UC Health’s Pulmonary Medicine by calling 513-475-8523.

An Unanswered Question

For most of Tammy Landis’ life, she dealt with constant coughing and difficulty breathing. What began as a mysterious shortness of breath spiraled into years of misdiagnoses, emergency room visits, and daily fear that her next breath might not come. She was told it was asthma. She was told to exercise.

“I couldn’t walk probably less than 10 feet before I would have to sit down and bend over and breathe,” Tammy remembers. “I kept telling people, ‘I can’t breathe,’ and nobody understood.”

She was told there was nothing more to be done. But no one asked the question that could have changed everything: Why can’t she breathe?

A Diagnosis and Life-Saving Intervention

In 2015, she was referred to UC Health, where advanced testing revealed the real cause: tracheobronchomalacia, a condition where the airway collapses during breathing. Tammy’s airway was over 90% collapsed.

“Someone finally said, ‘I want to help you.’ I’ll never forget that,” Tammy said.

Her team planned a tracheal T-tube placement to hold open her damaged airway. During the procedure, her condition was found to be so severe that she required an emergency tracheostomy, a life-saving procedure to create an airway. Tammy woke up with a tracheostomy device (trach) she never wanted, unable to speak, devastated, and terrified.

Yet Tammy adapted. She learned to talk again using a speaking valve. She adjusted to the limitations, the stares, the coughing, the fear, and the loss of independence. She found small joys where she could—crafts from her chair, watching hummingbirds on the porch, smiling for others even when she was struggling.

“My will to live came from my family,” she said. “I just kept trying to make the most of every day.”

For nearly a decade, the trach kept her alive–but also reminded her daily of all she had lost: her freedom, her mobility, and the ability to simply breathe. 

A Life-Changing Surgery with Dr. Van Haren

When her breathing again began to deteriorate, Tammy was referred through UC Health to Dr. Robert Van Haren, thoracic surgeon and airway specialist.

After a successful stent trial, by Interventional Pulmonology, showed that surgery could significantly improve her breathing, Dr. Van Haren recommended a tracheobronchoplasty, a newly-available and complex procedure to rebuild and stabilize her collapsing airway. Tammy would become one of the first patients at UC Health to undergo this advanced treatment robotically.

“Tracheobronchoplasty is a complex procedure where the airway is reconstructed with mesh to prevent airway collapse and improve breathing,” Dr. Van Haren explains. “UC Health is the only center in the region performing this procedure". Robotic surgery allows us to perform the surgery with small incisions, which results in less pain and faster recovery for patients.”

On July 17, 2024, Dr. Van Haren performed the procedure robotically with remarkable results.

Just weeks later, Tammy felt the difference immediately at her follow-up appointment. “I walked in. I didn’t have to be pushed… I walked all the way into the office.”

Loving the Laundry—and All the Little Things

Since the surgery, what Tammy cherishes most are not the big moments, but the everyday ones she once believed she’d lost forever. At that first follow-up with Dr. Van Haren, she remembers sharing a moment that surprised even her.

“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, you're not going to believe it—I love doing laundry.’ And [Dr. Van Haren] said, ‘What do you mean?’ And I'm like, ‘I can do laundry.’”

Laundry became a symbol of freedom, and the ability to care for herself and her home again.

Her signature cough—the sound that had defined her presence for years—was gone. Her children joked they no longer knew how to find her in a store.

And on August 22, 2024, Tammy did something she had dreamed about for nearly a decade: she removed her trach for the very last time.

“I took it out myself,” she said. “After all those years, I wanted to be the one to do it.”

Her airway healed so well that this past fall, surgeons were able to fully close the trach site—a final step that symbolized not just healing, but freedom.

Gratitude for the Team Who Gave Her Life Back

Today, Tammy is living a life she never thought was possible. She enjoys walking her dog, playing with her grandchildren, going on shopping trips, and joining the family games she once had to sit out on.

“I have freedom that I haven't had in 13 to 15 years,” she says, crediting her care team—and especially Dr. Van Haren—for giving her a second chance.

“I can’t sing Dr. Van Haren’s praises enough,” says Tammy.

“Tammy’s success is a result of remarkable team effort. Her care exemplifies the exceptional multidisciplinary care that only UC Health can provide for complex conditions. It is incredibly rewarding to be a part of Tammy’s life-changing journey to better,” Dr. Van Haren says.

She describes UC Health as a place where she felt truly seen, supported, and encouraged. She recalls one nurse noticing she was “glowing” before surgery. Tammy’s response was simple:

“I said, ‘It’s you. You are giving me hope.’”

Living Every Moment Forward

Now at 65 years old, Tammy has regained her independence and is healthier than she has been in decades. Reflecting on her journey, she acknowledges it would be easy to look back with regret at the years lost.

“But I don’t have time to linger on what was,” she says. “I get to live now.”

And her message to anyone still searching for answers?

“I would say there is hope,” Tammy says. “And I am living, walking, breathing proof.”

Compassionate Care for Complex Breathing Conditions

If you or a loved one is experiencing ongoing or unexplained breathing problems, Pulmonology Medicine at UC Health is the best place to begin. Our pulmonary specialists evaluate complex breathing conditions, coordinate advanced testing, and connect patients with the right specialists when needed. Schedule an appointment with a provider by calling us directly at 513-475-8523.