The very, first thing I wanted to do was take the biggest breath I could. Then I wanted to feel what it was like to move and not be short of breath. I was able to walk upstairs! That was pretty exciting.

After watching your dad and sister pass from the same disease you are diagnosed with, you come to accept that it is part of your life and learn to stay positive.  For four years, I had to carry a backpack with oxygen everywhere I went and got used to people staring and looking at me differently.

It was an exciting day when I could sign up for hockey again.

I was 54 and had a lot of living left to do. Waking up after my lung transplant was surreal. I was reborn and had a fresh start. I have a new attitude. I respect my body and my life much more now.