Breathing, a simple body function taken for granted daily by millions of people. But for some, that seemingly simple routine is not quite so simple. A person with cystic fibrosis does not have the ability to breathe so automatically. One out of every 3,000 newborns will be diagnosed with the genetic disorder, which mainly affects the lungs of the patient.
Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, Brittany Olson has spent her entire life taking treatments to aid in the everyday function of breathing. Colds easily became lung infections and breathing became increasingly more and more difficult.
Last fall, at the age of 26, Brittany was on 24-hour oxygen, with 16% lung function. It was determined that she was eligible for a double lung transplant, and received a new set of lungs on February 11.
Brittany was discharged from the hospital on March 4, exactly three weeks after her transplant, and remains in North Carolina. “I have to stay about three months, post-transplant,” she said. “I hope at the three month mark, I will get the okay to move back to Minnesota.”
For more of this story see the March 8, 2017 issue of the Nobles County Review.
