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"It only takes a few words to change your life," says Jay.
At age thirteen, Jay was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, an inherited life-threatening disorder that damages the lungs and digestive system. Doctors at the time told him he would die before twenty.
After years of suffering, he was granted his first transplant which allowed him to continue the sport he loved, riding his motorcycle.
Unfortunately a few years later Jay's health began to deteriorate. The pain and constant shortness of breath prevented Jay from doing his normal day-to-day activities."When you first get new lungs, you feel like Superman," he says.
"It was like breathing through a straw. You never get enough air," Jay says.
He was in dire need of double-lung transplant. After being denied by other hospitals, he and his wife turned to UPMC for the complex care they needed.
At UPMC, Jay was given another chance at life.
Learn more about lung transplantation at UPMC
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