Oklahoma Woman celebrates Sixteen Years as Lung Recipient

Oklahoma City (June 26, 2023) — Many organ recipients often feel undeserving when they reflect on receiving the gift of life. When Allie Hall, of Oklahoma City, feels this way, she submerges herself in water. Whether it be a bathtub or pool, she takes a plunge under the water and when she comes up, she focuses on the sound of her breath and the tune of her heartbeat.

Hearing her own breath amplified while her ears are submerged in the water and the ability to breathe freely is very important to Allie, and perhaps remembered more so than others, because she has Cystic Fibrosis and received a double lung transplant in June of 2007. Her breath is a reminder that she was chosen to receive a priceless gift – the gift of life. Her story wasn’t over yet, and thanks to a heroic organ donor – she received new lungs and is grateful to witness every day she’s been given.

Allie, now 35, lives life with no regrets. On each transplant anniversary she celebrates the years as they pass by having small, intimate gatherings with friends and family. She chooses these gatherings in honor of her donor. “Each year I’m able to celebrate, means another year of grief for my donor’s family,” says Allie. This year, Allie is celebrating her 16th lung anniversary.

The celebration is also a reminder of her journey of receiving such a priceless gift. From the ages of 12 to 19, Allie didn’t know if she was going to live or die; every day was uncertain. She spent a significant amount of time in the hospital over those years. When she was able to live outside of the hospital, she was connected to an oxygen tank and IV pole.

On Christmas Eve in 2006, things took a turn for the worse. Allie was on the verge of death as she was rushed to the hospital. From that day through January 20th, she stayed in the hospital. A few days later, Allie and her mom were flown to North Carolina in an emergency jet. They stayed at the hospital until June, when she received a double lung transplant.

Recovering from the lung transplant was a long process; Allie had several postsurgical complications to overcome. She had blood clots in her arms and legs and she developed an infection in her incision that required extensive treatment – all while recovering from the procedure itself.

When Allie was able to take a breath for the first time with her new set of lungs, she said, “It felt like an elephant on my chest, and it felt so strange not to have oxygen on my face. Receiving these lungs has changed my perspective on life.”

The daily medications she took to keep her lungs healthy had taken a toll on her kidneys, and Allie learned she needed a kidney transplant in February 2019. After she learned she needed a kidney transplant, Allie told her friend, who was her physical therapist after her lung transplant. He quickly offered to donate his spared kidney to her and made an appointment with the transplant center before she had a chance to accept.

Today, Allie lives her life with the goal of leaving a legacy like her donor did. Allie lives like every single breath is precious because to her – it is. Additionally, she also works at LifeShare Oklahoma to give back to the donation and transplant community with the mission of saving lives.

About LifeShare

LifeShare is a nonprofit, federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) dedicated to the recovery of organs and tissue for transplant purposes. We work closely with three transplant centers and 145 healthcare organizations in the state of Oklahoma to facilitate donation. Additionally, we strive to raise awareness for organ, eye and tissue donation and transplantation through public education.

For more information about LifeShare, please visit www.LifeShareOK.org.