Gwen V. loves to dance — and the sense of joy and freedom she experiences through motion.
“It relieves all the anxiety and stress that your body has,” says Gwen, 71. “You're able to stretch and twist, and you feel like you’re doing something. And there’s something about the music that just makes your body want to sway. I feel at ease — it’s just to let go. It’s an art in itself.”
A dozen years ago, dancing was the last thing on Gwen’s mind. Diagnosed with a progressive lung disease, she struggled to walk without losing her breath. Like so many parts of her life, dancing seemed to be a thing of the past. That was before Gwen’s double lung transplant surgery gave her back her energy and her breath.
“I'm back to what I love and enjoying the people who do the same things that I do,” she says.
A breathtaking diagnosis
Over the years, Gwen, a former smoker, started experiencing shortness of breath.
“My daughter would always say, ‘Mom, why are you breathing hard?’” Gwen recalls. “I didn’t think I was. But as time went on, it got worse and worse. I found myself getting tired.”
Gwen’s local pulmonologist diagnosed her with COPD. She also had frequent bouts of bronchitis. To manage her condition, her doctor prescribed treatments such as inhalers and nebulizers.
“He did the best he could,” Gwen says. But her breathing troubles worsened.
Eventually, she needed supplemental oxygen. Just leaving her house or performing everyday tasks, like cooking, cleaning and bathing, became a struggle.
“I had a bench at the time,” Gwen recalls. “I would just sit and shower that way and be so exhausted by the time I would finish.”
Her doctor recommended a few medical centers with expertise in her condition, and Gwen chose Temple Health. She worked with a Temple team led by pulmonologist Gerard J. Criner, MD, FACP, FACCP, Director of the Temple Lung Center.
After evaluating her, Dr. Criner explained to Gwen that a double lung transplant was her best option. At first, she wasn’t sure she wanted to pursue becoming a transplant candidate.
