Lyndsey McLaughlin was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at the age of 2, and since then always struggled to breathe. At just 26, her only choice of survival was a lung transplant, and time was running out.
Then, she received a phone call telling her there was a pair of lungs at New York Presbyterian Hospital, and she needed to get there right away to see if she was a match.
After waiting for a set of lungs for over seven months, McLaughlin was finally given the lifesaving organ she needed. But once the surgery was over and she was recovering, she started thinking about who donated her new lungs. Eventually, that led her to meeting Diana Rodriguez, the donor’s mother.
Rodriguez had lost her son, Adrian, on the morning of April 11 when he was on his way to school — he'd slipped and fell in the subway, where he was hit by a train. Rodriguez made the life-altering decision to donate her son’s organs, including his lungs, which McLaughlin received.
Rodriguez was not willing to donate Adrian’s organs at first, but she eventually agreed when she realized how much it could help other people.
And because of that heartbreaking decision, McLaughlin and several other people are alive today.
"I think about him every day," McLaughlin said. "When I went to the Great Barrier Reef and I was snorkeling… [I thought] 'Can you believe we're here? I can't believe we're doing this. I'm here because you did this for me.'"
Adrian was also planning on becoming a chef, so McLaughlin has signed up for cooking classes, hoping to channel the late teen's talent.
In the meantime, McLaughlin is also spending time with Rodriguez so they can get to know each other. She has realized how special their bond is, and it is one that she’s so grateful to have.
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