Woman celebrates second chance at life, thanks to double-lung transplant
Gaylord Herald Times | Lorene Parshall
THE FAMILY OF Sandy Kuch recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of her double lung transplant. The family, wearing Donate Life T-shirts, will gather again, along with the family of Kuch¿s donor, Wednesday, Sept. 18 for the State Life Capitol Celebration in Lansing. (Courtesy photo/ September 9, 2013)
WATERS â€" The family of Sandy Kuch, 62, held a big celebration recently in honor of her new life.
The celebration marked the one-year anniversary of Kuch’s successful double-lung transplant.
“In December of 2011, we were informed my mom would need the transplant, said Jen Jeffers, her daughter. “She had a disease called scleroderma. Last year, we received a call from the University of Michigan transplant team, saying they had a set of lungs for her. Although we were very excited about this as my mom was getting a second chance at life, our hearts were breaking as we knew someone had just lost a loved one.“
Scleroderma is a group of rare diseases that involve the hardening and tightening of the skin and connective tissues, according to the Mayo Clinic. It affects women more often than men and most commonly occurs between the ages of 30 and 50.
In some people, scleroderma affects only the skin, but in many people, it also harms structures such as blood vessels, internal organs and the digestive tract. In Kuch’s case, the disease attacked the tissue in her lungs.
The celebration marked the one-year anniversary of Kuch’s successful double-lung transplant.
“In December of 2011, we were informed my mom would need the transplant, said Jen Jeffers, her daughter. “She had a disease called scleroderma. Last year, we received a call from the University of Michigan transplant team, saying they had a set of lungs for her. Although we were very excited about this as my mom was getting a second chance at life, our hearts were breaking as we knew someone had just lost a loved one.“
Scleroderma is a group of rare diseases that involve the hardening and tightening of the skin and connective tissues, according to the Mayo Clinic. It affects women more often than men and most commonly occurs between the ages of 30 and 50.
In some people, scleroderma affects only the skin, but in many people, it also harms structures such as blood vessels, internal organs and the digestive tract. In Kuch’s case, the disease attacked the tissue in her lungs.
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