Hello! My name is Sarah, I am 29 years old, and I am a double lung transplant recipient. I Was born with a disease called Bronchiectasis causing scar tissue in my lungs. As I grow up my lung functions continued to decrease. By 8th grade I was wearing oxygen overnight and by my freshmen year of college I was wearing oxygen 24/7. I never let my disease control my life. I pushed through college dragging an oxygen tank around campus. After graduation in 2016 I was officially listed on the Lung transplant waiting list. Unlike most recipients, I never received “the call” that they found a donor match. My lungs became so weak my mom had to drove me to the ER. From the ER I was rushed to the ICU where I was put on a machine called ECMO which kept me alive until a match was found. On November 4th, 2018, a match was found. I underwent my surgery with flying colors. The road to recovery was extremely hard both mentally and physically, but the reward is indescribable.
Since my transplant I’ve been able to do things, I could only dream of in the past. I’m now able to work out, I’ve walked a 5k, and I’ve even gone paragliding straight off a cliff! Without the gift of organ donation, I would never have the experiences have now. I am forever grateful for my donor and his friends and family!
I never take a single day for granted and am excited to continue living life to the absolute fullest!
–