Massachusetts

Double Lung Transplant Recipient Completes First 5k

Last October, Patty Furey of Holbrook, Massachusetts was told she only had up to 48 hours to live. She was even read her last rights.

“Whatever was meant to be, I was finding peace with it,” she said.

Not only is she doing better, she ran her first 5-K race, which was organized by the South Shore Community Action Council.

“Between everything I’ve gone through in the last year it is like a day at the beach today,” Furey said.

“She always had the desire to persevere and carry on,” said Furey’s husband, Christian Teja.

Furey has been persevering all of her life.

She was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at three-years-old, which led to her lungs failing at age 39.

With time running out and just 24 percent of her lungs functioning, Furey continued to fight for her health, with her husband by her side.

Last November brought Furey a much-needed gift in the form of a double lung transplant from a donor whose death gave her new life.

“This amazing gift that I received from my donor just fills me with happiness, joy.”

“We always said to ourselves when we get through this we had a list of things we wanted to do.”

That list included running a 5k race together, which she had been training for since March.

Furey brought a team, appropriately named, “Unleash the Furey,” to Saturday's race. It included her husband and 10 friends.

She also recently celebrated her 40th birthday in Ireland.

And Tuesday, November 6th will be a year since her lung transplant. Crossing this finish line on Saturday was her way of celebrating.

“I now have this amazing chance at life again,” Furey said.

A study by the U.S. National Library of Medicine finds that the average lifespan for adults with Cystic Fibrosis is 37-years-old.

Now that she has passed that threshold, she said she is optimistic about her future.

“I am alive, excited to be alive,” Furey said. “So blessed.”

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