My lung transplant journey started back in the early 1980s when I began to notice an inability to breathe normally, and it was taking me longer to recover from shortness of breath. I was within two years of retirement from the Navy when I learned I was the second member of my family to be diagnosed with Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (A1AD) and that I had lost about 75 percent of my lung function. I was given about five years to live. Alpha-1 is a genetic disease of the liver and lungs, identified in 1963 by a doctor in Sweden.

In 2001, I was diagnosed with usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) at a leading hospital on the East Coast. When I asked about a lung transplant they told me I was too old and that I had three years to live. I retired and sold my house in Maryland and moved to Pennsylvania so my wife could be close to her relatives. While visiting a doctor at a local clinic I noticed a sign on a window that read "Pulmonary Rehabilitation." A couple of weeks later I asked my new family doctor what was it all about.

Delivered by Bruce to his church group on Donor Sabbath Day My name is Bruce Vibbert, and I received a new left lung in April 2014. Do you know about idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)? Did you know that about 40,000 people a year succumb to IPF, about the same number as breast cancer? IPF is a disease with an unknown cause that affects the ability of the lungs to absorb oxygen. There is no cure. Today a lung transplant is the only option. But there is hope on the horizon, and one day a cure will be found.

I will never forget the date of my bilateral lung transplant: July 3, 1998. I have come a very long way since then. I was barely able to walk when I had my transplant because I had been virtually bedridden for six months on a ventilator. In that time, I had not really talked or eaten (orally) or walked. I couldn't even walk across the room without getting completely out of breath. I barely recognize that person now, because now I can walk all over the place without becoming short of breath. You'd never know to look at me just how far I have come. People look at me and see a healthy woman.

(Photo, left) Lung transplant recipient David Chesterfield with transplant coordinators, Meg Fregoso, NP, and Kara Germano, NP.In April 2011, I was having breathing issues and was directed by my primary care physician to see Dr. Dicicco, a pulmonologist at Inova Fair Oaks Hospital. After a year of testing I was told I had idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). I had been on oxygen 24/7 and he recommended that I enroll in the pulmonary rehab program at Inova Fairfax Hospital and try to qualify for a lung transplant. I began rehab in July 2012 and was surprised how much of my strength I had lost.

In 2004, after several misdiagnoses, I learned I had IPF [Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis] at age 38. A year later I was listed for a lung transplant at Inova Fairfax Hospital. Another year passed and, unfortunately, I had to be taken off the list because I was diagnosed with breast cancer. An awesome oncology team went to bat for me and I had a single mastectomy. Once cancer free, I was so happy to be placed back on the transplant list and eight days later, May 8, 2006, was transplanted with a single lung at age 40. The transplant was successful for about one week.

Ed and Mare Swift at the Coast Guard Ball in November 2014.I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in spring 2010 after having chronic breathing difficulties, a bout with pneumonia, countless x-rays and a right lung biopsy. The disease had completely taken over my right lung and was half way through my left one. Later that year I was prescribed home oxygen and once I needed it 24/7, I knew I had to quit my job. My pulmonologist at Walter Reed Hospital had done all he could do to help me (although he never told me how grim my situation was).

The nurse from Inova Fairfax Hospital called me at work on Tuesday afternoon, April 1, 2008. “We have a lung for you,” she said. “How soon can you get here?” By 4 a.m. on Wednesday, I was resting in Intensive Care with my, well, not new, but previously owned lung. Some of my long-time coworkers were curious what it was like to go through an organ transplant process. I’m sharing my experience. It’s the first time I was ever truly impressed with modern medical advances. How Did I Get to Need a Transplant? I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in 2004.

Cystic Fibrosis Patient's Repiratory Failure Turns to "Miracle Story" After Critical Transplant Decision Inova's advanced technologies, dedicated patient care, and Jackie's persevering attitude and spirit have been the keys to her success. It doesn't get more critical than the situation Jackie Price, age 25, faced in June of 2016. Born at Inova, Jackie has been treated for advanced cystic fibrosis there since 2014 when she also began evaluation for a lung transplant. That day in June, Jackie was admitted for a fairly routine sinus surgery.

Transplant Recipient Runs With Olympic Torch Inova Fairfax Hospital is very proud to know James "Jimbo" Benjamin. The Front Royal resident, McDonald's worker and first recipient of a successful double lung transplant at Inova Fairfax Hospital was one of 14,000 runners selected to carry the Olympic torch on its 13,500 mile journey to Salt Lake City, Utah, site of the 2002 Winter Olympics. James ran with the torch for two-tenths of a mile in Arlington, VA, on a winter's day in December. The day also marked his 37th birthday.