Once on hospice, Lynn Grace is now making 2025 her year

Lynn Grace, 68, said she always felt like things just worked out for her. That was never truer than it was on Christmas day in 2023. Lynn’s family had gone home, and she was settling in for the evening when she got a call from her doctor’s office saying that they might have a new set of lungs for her. 

“Talk about your Christmas miracle,” Lynn said. “You always hear how many people die waiting for a transplant. It was Christmas, my favorite time of year, I got the call I prayed for.” 

Lynn had been told that she was out of care options. She even made out a will and trust, and bought cemetery plots for her, her siblings, and her kids. 

“I was trying to think of a funny little thing to put on my headstone because I have two children who will be on either side of me,” Lynn said. “I thought I’d put something like, ‘ha ha ha I told you you’d never get away from me.’” 

But she’ll have to wait to antagonize her kids from the great beyond because fate had other ideas in mind. 

M Health Fairview is a leader in solid organ transplants. In more than 50 years our health system has completed more than 18,000 organ and cell transplants. In 2024, the M Health Fairview transplant team broke their own record with 66 lung transplants and 480 solid organ transplants. 

“I am incredibly proud of our transplant team of doctors, nurses, care coordinators, and social workers for their commitment to giving people another chance at life,” said Andrew Adams, MD, solid organ transplant medical director with M Health Fairview and a professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School. “Completing 480 transplants in one year is not just a milestone—it’s a testament to our team's expertise and compassion — and the selflessness of donors and their families who make it possible.” 

About 20 years ago, Lynn was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, which is scarring of the lung tissue that makes it difficult to breathe. At the time, she was told that there wasn’t anything to do and that when she started having symptoms, she could find a doctor. Lynn didn’t wait. She found a pulmonologist who she trusted and who took the time to answer all her questions. 

Her lung condition was uneventful for about 15 years until she had a heart attack. During her hospital stay, one of the monitors kept beeping, indicating that her oxygen levels were low. She left the hospital with an oxygen tank.  

"I needed it all the time, and I certainly felt better using it,” she said. 

After that, her pulmonary fibrosis started accelerating fast.  

"I continued to need more and more oxygen,” she said. “It was a terrifying thing when my oxygen would quit or the system would go down.” 

Lynn’s world became very small. The pandemic had her staying home unless she had a doctor’s appointment, but her friends and family called to check on her and drove her to appointments. She did what she could to stay alive. Lynn took a pulmonary rehabilitation class to learn more about her lung condition that was progressing. She was also on an expensive medication for pulmonary fibrosis that offered only a 30% chance of slowing the disease progression. 

“I wanted to take every chance I could,” Lynn said. “If I had the money, I was going to do it even though it was difficult and had a lot of side effects. I knew that was my shot.” 

Lynn also had autoimmune hepatitis for years, but she got good news when a liver biopsy came back showing it was in remission. She was previously told that she had end stage liver disease. Around the same time, her doctor retired and referred her to the University of Minnesota’s pulmonary clinic, where she met Anupam Kumar, MD, a pulmonologist with M Health Fairview. Medical Director of the Lung Transplant Program and an associate professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School. 

"When she came to me, she was signing up for hospice, end-of-life care,” Kumar said. “She was told she had no other options. When I reviewed her, I didn’t think that her liver condition would prevent her from being a candidate for lung transplantation. I decided to take a fresh look at her and brought her into the clinic.” 

Kumar said at that point, Lynn was on 15 liters of oxygen, which is quite a bit. Without a transplant, she probably would have only had a couple of months to live. 

“I got a call from Dr. Kumar's office that said I had been referred for a lung transplant,” Lynn said. “Now up until this time I had been told that I could not be a recipient and that it wouldn't change the quality of my life." 

Lynn’s sister had concerns about Lynn going through the process if it wouldn’t work. But Kumar spoke with Lynn and her family. He said that he believed she could have a good outcome. Lynn was convinced. 

With her sister and daughter on board, Lynn’s remaining hurdle was a series of medical tests needed to qualify for the transplant list. It usually takes two or three months, but Lynn didn't have that much time – or the stamina to complete the tests as an outpatient.  

“We admitted Lynn to the hospital to complete all the tests expeditiously so that we can make a decision quickly,” Kumar said. After 10 days in the hospital, there was only one test undone: a mammogram. 

“She did everything that we asked her to do in a short period of time,” Kumar said. “She was really determined, and she wanted to live. She was just not ready to give up.” 

Lynn was officially on the transplant waiting list on Monday, December 11. Exactly two weeks later, on Christmas Day, she got the call saying they had a set of lungs for her and asking if she could be at the hospital the next morning. 

The transplant she didn’t think she could get

Lynn felt like she was in good hands after observing the transplant team work together.  

“They have a symmetry and beauty to them in and of themselves. When you see people working as a team and they know their job and everyone's in sync, it was a beautiful thing to watch. I keep these people in my prayers along with the family that lost whomever they lost.” 

Stephen Huddleston, MD PhD, the surgical director of the lung transplant program with M Health Fairview and associate professor with the University of Minnesota Medical School completed the surgery the following day. He said that it could not have happened at a better time because there was not much life left in Lynn’s lungs. 

Despite the transplant team’s ability to change lives, some patients never get the opportunity. Lynn had been told that she had no treatment options when chance connected her to M Health Fairview and Kumar. 

“I encourage people out there in the community who have lung problems to have their doctors reach out to nearby transplant centers to find out if they are a candidate. Not everyone can be but at least you should explore." Kumar said.  

He said the earlier his team can see people with a progressive lung condition, the more options they might have to determine if transplant is an option. 

“Lynn’s is a story of fortune and sheer determination,” Kumar said. “The team quickly identified her as a person who needed help. We did her evaluation, which usually takes two or three months, in a week. The team, which included care coordinator Jess Peacock and social worker Liz Herman comes together and rallies to get things done and put people who are sick on the list to give them a chance to live.” 

“I don't ever want to have that disease again, but I will tell you that there were gifts in there,” Lynn said. “I was able to face death and still live a life that had quality to it and that was worth living. My mantra since my transplant has been warrior not worrier. This is going to be my year of getting my body physically strong. I'm 68 I can do it."