Brad Green

Double Lung Recipient

“My transplant story started in 2017 when I was first diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. With the help of medication, I was able to slow the advance of the disease for seven years. At the end of 2024, the bottom dropped out for me. I was no longer able to function normally; I became ‘couch-ridden’ and needed oxygen 24/7. I went to see the pulmonologists and was placed on the transplant list in March of 2025,” shared Brad.  

“On May 7th of 2025, after two months of being on the list, I got the call that donor lungs were available for me. I was torn when I got the news. I was afraid of what I knew would be a difficult operation and had many questions swirling in my mind. ‘Would I make it through the operation?’ ‘Would it really work?’ ‘Would I be in the hospital a long time and would it be painful?’ I pushed through and on May 8th I received a new set of lungs after an eight-hour surgery.  

I woke up in the ICU a couple days later and I could breathe! No oxygen, no gasping for breath, nothing. My new lungs were working! I was in the hospital for the next 12 days as they monitored me and got me used to the medication I would be taking after my release. I can truthfully say the operation was not nearly as painful as I thought it might be. The only thing I battled was post-op fatigue.  

As I write this, I am 15 months post-surgery. All has gone well in my recovery. I exercise almost every day. I walk on a treadmill for an hour, lift weights, ride my bike and walk about 8,000 steps every Sunday while serving at church. The recovery has not been that difficult as long as I have done exactly what my doctors and therapists say. I have had no major side effects from the medication I take.  

I also realize that what was the best day for me was also the worst day for my donor’s family who lost their loved one. I’ll be forever thankful for the sacrifice and gift of life that family gave me. If you are facing this same challenge of waiting for an organ, try not to be afraid. The Bible says, ‘fear not for I am with you.’ God has kept me here for a purpose that I am not fully aware of yet, but I look forward to finding out!  

If you are reading this and are not a donor, please consider becoming one. That heart on your license can be the difference between life and death for someone who is truly suffering. I am so grateful that I was given a second chance by a stranger. I am also grateful for my beautiful wife and daughters who have helped me through the last nine years.”