Patient With Rare Autoimmune Syndrome Tops UCSF Double Lung List As Family Races To Raise Funds

Redding Man With Anti-Synthetase Syndrome Placed Atop UCSF List For double lung transplant

USA: A Redding man, Richard Lac, has been placed at the top of the University of California, San Francisco waiting list for a double lung transplant after a rare autoimmune illness left scar tissue throughout his lungs. Physicians say the transplantation is now the only viable option to restore meaningful lung function.

Lac developed anti-synthetase syndrome in 2019, which progressed to pulmonary fibrosis. His condition took more than a year to diagnose; specialists at UCSF ultimately identified the disorder after months of treatment for what was initially thought to be pneumonia. By the time the diagnosis was reached, irreversible lung damage had already occurred.

Daily life for Lac has been sharply constrained. He requires continuous supplemental oxygen to move around, has been unable to return to work, and his wife Erica—employed as a CNA at Shasta Regional—has become the family’s primary provider. The couple keeps a go bag ready for the urgent call that would send Lac to UCSF for transplant surgery and recovery.

The family has launched a GoFundMe to cover living expenses while they wait for suitable donor lungs and the complex transplantation process. They stress awareness of how insidious autoimmune lung disease can be and urge regular medical checkups. As they await the matching and procurement of donor lungs, the family is calling on the community for support during the precarious weeks ahead.

Video originally published on 2026-03-27 15:45:20