Organ Donation

Rochester Your News Now | Casey J. Bortnick

There are more than 120,000 people in the United States waiting for organ transplants. Casey Bortnick has the story of one woman who needed a double lung transplant.

Just like any good opera, Charity Tillemann-Dick has hit her share of highs and lows. At age 20, just as Charity’s professional singing career was getting started, both her career and her life were nearly cut short.

“At some point it was a question of whether I wanted to live or whether I didn’t,” said Charity, an opera singer.

Charity was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary hypertension. The arteries in her lungs have unusually high blood pressure, putting her at risk for heart failure.

“My heart was three and a half sizes too big,” said Charity.

After years of treatment, doctors told Charity a double lung transplant was the only thing that could save her life. She was put on a waiting list.

Read more and watch video: http://rochester.ynn.com/content/health/healthy_living/561202/healthy-living--organ-donation/