At 56 years old, Andy Dykstra (pictured with his wife, Chris and two daughters, Megan and Stephanie) had been suffering from emphysema for five years, making even simple tasks like answering the door impossible.

“I could still breathe, but I wasn’t living.” Andy was on a waiting list for new lungs.

On December 5, 2008, Andy became the first patient to receive a pair of lung reconditioned in the Toronto XVIVO Lung Perfusion System. Thanks to this donor-funded innovation, Andy was able to breathe without any mechanical assistance just four days after the transplant.

“Life is sweet and I can breathe again. I am so grateful to Dr. Keshavjee and the lung transplant team. They changed my life.”