Extraordinary People:

Elizabeth Hillman-Huber

When I was 13 I was diagnosed as having asthma. I could not participate in simple sport activities to the extent my peers could, without becoming short of breathe. When I did become short of breathe I would take my prescribed inhalers and they would not help at all. I went from doctor to doctor trying to find a solution and I had numerous tests and prescriptions thrown my direction. It was not until I was 21 and starting my senior year at Edinboro University that I was properly diagnosed.

I had been seeing a specialist in Erie for several years, he finally referred me to a lung specialist in Pittsburgh. I had been seeing him for about for months before the major event that started the change in my life. This happened when I was walking across campus one day and became short of breathe, the difference between this and every other time in my life (which was growing in frequency) was that I proceeded to cough up a large amount of blood. I knew something was definitely wrong. I rushed from my apartment in Edinboro down to Pittsburgh where I underwent several more tests, but this time they did a different one than normal. They conducted a ct scan. After thorough evaluation of the results they noticed a peculiar pattern in my lungs. This led to an invasive lung biopsy.

During my stay at the hospital a team of 7 doctors greeted me in my room to inform me that I had a rare lung disease called Pulmonary Veno Occlusive Disease. They explained that they hand contacted about 5 hospitals around the nation to try and learn more about the disease. It was a common consensus that if a doctor had seen one case of this they were considered an expert. It is a rare form of Pulmonary Hypertension. I was immediately doing tests and filling out information to be put on the transplant list. I started seeing a heart specialist because if the disease grew to much worse before transplantation I may have needed a heart lung transplant.

I was put on medications and oxygen to help reduce the restriction of oxygenated blood flow back to my heart. This was extremely scary because these medicines although helping to alleviate some of the awful breathing episodes, helped mask growing problems with this disease, so I felt better, but was actually getting worse everyday. This was in November of 2006. Waiting for the transplant was the worst feeling in the world. I never knew if I'd make it to see the next day. I started passing out from lack of oxygen (even though I was on 4 Liters 24/7) on a daily basis. I had someone watching over me every minute of the day, in case an ambulance needed called.

Finally, on May 23, 2007 I got the call that saved my life. I received the double lung transplant that I had been awaiting. It was a very emotional process, because I knew that somebody's loved one had died to award me a second chance at life. I will be eternally grateful to my donor as well as their family. I would not be here today without this person’s donation.

This is the most amazing gift that can be given to another human being. I think that people need to be aware of how much your organs can do for others after you are already gone. I think that people also need to know that people do not choose to destroy there organs. I personally had never smoked even once in my life, I was young, and I was trying my best to be as active as possible considering that I couldn't breathe. I strongly encourage people to take a second look at facts, and contact donors, and recipients before making a choice whether or not to donate their organs. You never know who you might save some day!

Thank-you,
Elizabeth Hillman-Huber

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